How to: Up-cycled Cardigan

Eventually, it happens to us all . . . we become our mothers.  There's just no stopping it.  It's an inevitability, a force beyond our control.  For me, one of the many ways this manifests is as a love of cardigans.  Every once in a while, I get an urge to try to thwart my frumpy destiny by making my cardigans more fun.  Here are some tips on how to do it yourself. . . .

The Old T-shirt Way:

Recycled T-shirt Purse

Holy scrap fabric, Batman!  This weekend was super crafty.

This surge of crafty super-power was fueled by my happening upon Lee Meredith's website, or should I say sites because she has several dedicated to her various pursuits (an ADD crafty friend. . .I'm not alone in the world).  I was so inspired that I went a little crazy. . .I made 3 purses (as per Lee's Recycled T-shirt Purse Tutorial), one tank top, re-vamped a boring cardigan, and started a knitting project.

Here are some photos of the purses I made with her tutorial:

They make nice bags to carry around a knitting project.

If you think that sounds like a full load, check out her website, do stuff, which includes her knits, up-cycled clothes, paper and fabric art, jewelry, photography, hand-spun yarn, and a plethora of aesthetically inspired small projects.  If it weren't for the fact that she probably doesn't live in Michigan (and that I'd be a super creep for suggesting it) I think we could be BFFs!

How To: Unravel a Sweater

"Why, of all things, would you want to unravel a sweater," you may ask.  To which I would say, "How many ugly sweaters are there in one thrift store?  Answer: a lot.  And how much do you think all that yarn would cost if you bought it new?  Answer: probably about 4 times the price!"  So, of course you'd want to unravel a sweater if you want the yarn to make other, less ugly things.

Yes, unraveling a sweater for the yarn does take more time than buying a skein of yarn, and yes, it can be a bit messy, with little fluffs ending up all over the house for a couple of days.  But for the money you'll save and extra creativity kudos you get for knitting something beautiful out of discarded goods, I think it's worth it.  

Before 

After