Last winter I took on the feat of my first sweater. I didn't really use a pattern and I used all of the yarn I made when I was first starting to spin (quite lumpy and unevenly plied). All in all I am pleasantly surprised it came out with a head hole and arms. However it came out big enough to fit a tom turkey and I am mostly bone-skin-muslce so I decided to felt it (just by running it through a hot wash a couple times with ample amounts of soap). The felting brought out the awkward different weights of the yarn making it more like a dress-sweater thing... But I have found uses for it! Instead of framing it and hanging it on the wall as one of those really ugly yet conversation pieces of ugliness I have decided to transform it into new uses. Upcycle! And here I introduce the sweater:
I was nervous on the first incision but soon the novelty of its memory creation wore off and I dove in:
And this is my adorably perfect 5 month old puppy, Max, a lab- chow mix and also my first victim for the sweater up-cycling:
He was quite patient as I fitted it to his tiny (but growing!) body. This involved cutting off the sweater arms and part of the lower parts, as well as cutting down the front- as if to make a vest.
With a little bit of trimming I then added 3 large buttons and button holes- 2 along his belly (what would be the front of a human vest) and 1 in front of his front legs, on the neck line. Presto pesto! I have a dog ready for Maine lumberjacking winter season. He could probably care less.
In the mean time I had the sleeves left over so I turned them into wrist warmers for me:
So if you have any old sweaters that have felted or you just don't wear any more or you have those awkwardly shaped failed knitting products consider upcycling by temporarily torturing your small loved ones in the dressing room. They will thank you when they are not shivering this New England winter.
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