A family member “helped” with the washing and felted my pure new wool cardigan. **Sigh**
Made in Sirdar Eco Wool DK, the once-swishy cardigan had seen its fair share of wear over the years, so didn’t really owe me anything. Even so, I was sad to see it misshapen, shrunken, and no longer wearable.
Felted mishap
For a while, it sat on a shelf, taunting me. Throw it out? Compost heap?
I decided to reach for the scissors and see what I could make from it!
No going back now!
To get me started with a quick project, I decided to turn the sleeves into mittens …
The transformation begins
As the felted material was relatively inflexible, rustic mitts seemed to be appropriate, so I embroidered a flurry of simple snowflakes onto the backs, along with a border of blanket stitch to add some bold decoration in keeping with the wintery style. The chunky red buttons add a splash of colour, courtesy of my button jar.
Two sides
They may not be the most fashionable items for days around town, but they are perfect for clearing the car on snowy days!
If I can, I intend to make a bag with the rest of the cardigan … Watch this space …
Have you repurposed a knitted item? What did you make? I’d love to hear about it!
🙂
yarnsmithery 
Great idea, they look awesome. 😊 My repurposing efforts always seem to fail but I’ll keep trying.
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Thanks 🙂 It’s fun to practice techniques and ideas on things that would otherwise be put on the scrap heap – I feel there’s less pressure to be perfect! Go for it! 🙂
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I’ve cut felted sweaters into coasters. They work wonderfully.
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That’s a great idea! Ooo, I might even have enough of this grey left to make a couple of coasters as well as a bag … Thanks for the suggestion! 🙂
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What a good idea! I probably would’ve thrown my hands up and put the sweater in the trash. I have repurposed the yarn from a thrifted sweater. It’s therapeutic pulling out knitting that I didn’t do myself.
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Thanks! Yes, it is much easier to unravel someone else’s knitting, isn’t it? Did you find there was much wastage? I’d love to know what you made with the salvaged yarn 🙂
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I didn’t have much waste at all. I got two separate hats out of one sleeve. The sweater was $4, and it was 80% wool, 15% angora, and 5% nylon. It was a super good value for the quantity of yarn I’ll get from it.
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Wow, that sounds fabulous and such a bargain! You did well to find and upcycle it – very inspiring! 🙂
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Brilliant – look forward to the next project with this (sorry about the cardigan, though!!).
I am inspired by Lene from Dances with Wool blog, who has reworked a couple of garments, so my idea is to repurpose a turquoise coat with cherry red knitted inserts and embroidery… 🙂
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Your coat idea sounds lovely – have fun and I’ll look forward to seeing photos! 🙂
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