Here are some ideas for recycling sweaters you might find at the thrift store. Sweaters need to be:
wool or wool blend (with at least 35% wool but better if more than 50% wool)
attractive
inexpensive.
If you don’t spend too much on an old sweater, you don’t mind experimenting. If you happen to own a sweater that has some moth holes or other damage or that you’ve already felted (fulled) by accident, you can certainly give it new life with one of these ideas.
The idea pictured above is a cute way to recycle a variety of old sweaters. You can create a very long garland for yourself or a gift or make a number of smaller lengths that would look cute used as a swag above a door or fireplace. Using clothespins, you could also intermingle Christmas cards with the mittens for a festive look. Also, consider simple shapes other than the mitten – bells, stars, snowmen. You can get these free online or from a child’s coloring book. How about this free candy cane to use as a template:
Below is a picture of the scarves that were the inspiration for the cute mitten scarf my friend DJ made for our Crochet Club Gift Exchange. She made a simple mitten motif from cardboard and sketched around it on the wrong side of a felted thrift store sweater. She then cut out the ‘mittens’ and sewed them together like they are pictured below. Instant gratification! My kind of crochet recycling.
I think they would also look great with simple crochet around the edge or even just a blanket stitch. The simpler the better, I suppose. DJ is my thrift store buddy and someone I can always count on to come up with a good use for most cast offs. We enjoy our annual tour of the thrift stores of Jefferson City, Missouri when we attend the Fiber Festival there every Spring.
See the Pattern here on Etsy.
BTW, these ideas are not limited to Christmas. What about cutting out some simple pennant shapes in red, white, and blue sweaters for a cute July 4 swag? How about Ladybug or flower motifs to embellish a purchased sweatshirt? All kinds of shapes could be stitched to a felted handbag or tote. You can even cut out block letters to personalize all sorts of things. So, rummage through your closets or get yourself to Goodwill for some good, cheap, crochet fun!
Very cute but darned hard to find wool sweaters here in Southern California:-(
I am desperately trying to find free patterns for hats, handbags, etc. to use on recycled sweaters that i have felted. Everytime I reach a site that I think might have some it turns out to be khitting patterns. Can you help me?
hi jessie,
not quite sure what pattern’s you’re referring to. if you’ve already felted the sweaters, do you want to cut them up and create hats and handbags? if so, you can follow a sewing pattern for sizing. you can join pieces by crocheting or sewing – but if the fabric is felted, it’s difficult to crochet thru the felt without first adding a row of blanket stitch around the felted pieces. see one of my earlier blogs for instructions on how to do that.
i’ll do some searching and see if i can find anything online to help you. but, more specifics about what you want to accomplish would be helpful.
jd
Love it. Love love love it! I think it’s a perfect blend of knitting and professionalism. =)