How to embroider on a knitted sweater (UPCYCLE pt.2)

Hi there! Today is exciting because I will show you how I upcycle this knitted sweater. In case you've been with us for a while, you may recognize the white wool knit from another video here on YouTube. Actually, it was my first project for the channel and it features the process of how to embroider the white florals around the neckline. Now, to not break the rule of vibe, I decided to continue with wool yarn for the rest of the embroidery as well. My wool are as precious as my books, so I keep them on display in the same bookshelf. Considering the thickness of the wool, I also need to use a larger needle. Now, this needle is what I use, for example, when I assemble the different pieces of a knitted sweater or similar or to just stitch in the loose ends from the knit. Now, you may wonder why am I doing a second upcycle session on the same sweater? Well, because why not? You can give your clothes several new lives in this way and get to enjoy them more and longer. In truth, I also spilled some coffee on the stomach just some days after I filmed the first video and with pregnancy and a baby later, I actually haven't worn it since, which is just such a shame. Now, embroidery is just perfect to use to cover up permanent stains. It's probably the most common reason for me to choose a garment to stitch on. For example, this past spring, I stitched up some colorful roses on a blue cardigan for the same reason. I'll put a link to that video below in case you're curious to check that out after this one. Now, on to the process. To decide what to make can be really tricky, but for this one, as the spots are placed quite low on the front, I had to come up with a design that would cover all the way down without it looking imbalanced or frankly just weird. So, I decided to go for a meadow vibe with lots and lots of flowers to cover up the whole front as opposed to just the areas where the stains are. I went for the same white wool I still had some left since the previous netting and embroidering and began to somewhat randomly stitch out more flowers. To secure the ends, I tie knots on the back side. As it's such a soft yarn, I don't feel the knots when I wear it and it ensures that I can wash the sweater afterwards without risking that the stitches undo themselves. The flowers are made by making straight stitches out from the middle, more specifically, five straight stitches to represent the placement of the five petals for each flower. None of the flowers are identical, but still very similar to create some sense of harmony. I then layer those petals with multiple straight stitches on top of the first ones. As I was stitching the flowers, I kept thinking of how to make the design feel more complete. Of course, I could have just let the flowers hang in the air, but I felt inclined to add some more color and thus, I chose this soft green wool yarn that I just happened to have at home. But instead of letting the flowers grow up from the bottom, I decided that they would be hanging down from the neckline. The reason is that there are more flowers concentrated around the neckline and thus, it just made more sense that that would be where the flowers originate from and then kind of trickles downwards. I made small leaves around all of the petals as well as some additional leaves where the stem simply felt a bit too long to be left empty. One of the most important things to think about as you stitch both the florals as well as these leaves is to be loose on your hand. Now, that means to not pull too hard or else you risk to just make the knit base all wobbly and bubbly which you don't want. So, loose but steady on your hand. A couple of days later, when the greenery was all done, it still felt like something was missing. I didn't have any yellow wool yarn but I decided to go for this regular DMC floss with six strands to make a big french knot in the middle of each flower. For most of the flowers, I did four turns to make it really big and I also shifted to a regular krull needle size 1-5. To secure the floss properly and avoid any traveling lines on the backside, I attached the floss for each flower. It may feel like extra work but it will be so much worth it for the sake of longevity of the sweater. So, let's just hope I don't spill on it again now. I really hope you found this project inspiring and that you will look through your wardrobe for your next project to upcycle. And if you don't feel confident to go at it alone, we have a full masterclass on charles & elna academy on how to embroider your clothes with modern hand embroidery. The course includes seven modules that covers everything you need to know to stitch up your whole wardrobe including non-stretch fabrics, stretchy fabrics, jeans, outdoor coats and knitwear. It also covers all the stitch techniques you need to know as well as various transfer techniques to choose from. Lastly, you'll also get patch patterns to go with it if you are a little bit confused as to which design to start out with. I'll put the link to it in the description below as well. I couldn't be happier with how this sweater turned out. Thank you so so much for staying tuned and please let me know if you liked this video by giving it a thumbs up. See you in the next one!