What to do with all those old sweaters?

I recently came across a box of seaters that I have been holding onto season after season hoping to some day wear them again.  So this year it was time to give them a new life.  This is what I got from one sweater! 

From the sweater I created one pair of mittens, two wine bottle covers, two baby hats,  and two of either candle sleeves or cozies.  Here is the layout of the items on the sweater:  Two hats were made from the waist/body of the sweater, mittens were from the neck down (this was a turtleneck sweater), wine bottle covers were made from the sleeves, cozies were from extra length I cut off the wrists of the mittens.

How to:

First make sure to turn the sweater inside out.  The two hats I made were different sizes as my daughter is a little older so it took more than half of the sweater.  This left me with enough sweater left for a new born size  hat.  The shape above is what you will need to cut out. Sew around the edges and turn right side out.  Take two pieces of ribbon and tie around the points of the hat and you are done!  I am obsessed with vintage brooches so I added a small one to my daughter's hat. These hats are great as they stretch to fit many head sizes.

 

The mittens are from the neck and chest/back area of the sweater.  Turn the sweater so the neck is facing your.  Simply trace both you hands in the shape of a mitten, pin together and sew.  Turn right side out and fold over the cuffs.   After sewing mine the first time I trimmed some of the edges to make my mittens a little tighter.  

The wine covers are made from the sleeves of the sweater.  Cut the arms off and sew straight across.  You may have to do a little trial and error on how long they will need to be depending on the size of your sweater.  Add any little decoration around the top: ribbon, yarn, and any small festive items to dress it up! 

The cozies and candle covers are from the trimmings of the mittens.  

I am currently working on the next sweater and will post what I made as soon as I finish!