Recycling thrift store sweaters is a great way to reclaim some nice yarn at a reasonable price. I recently picked up this mohair blend sweater from my local thrift store with high hopes to unravel the yarn. Well I soon found out that this sweater didn’t want to unravel and appears to be an interlocked knit.
I put on my thinking cap in an effort to upcycle this old sweater into some new and useful items. First I used the lower portion of the sweater to create a scarf cowl. Using some scrap yarn, I added two rows of single crochet along the lower edges to finish off the raw edges where the sweater body had been attached. My upcycled cowl was finished off with some wooden buttons from my stash.
Next I tackled using the sleeve as a plastic bag holder. The natural cuff on the sweater was perfect for transforming the sleeve into a handy bag keeper. As shown in the pictures, I folded under the top of the sleeve to the inside. Using a basting stitch, I sewed around the top edge about 1 inch from the top to create a casing for the ribbon tie closure. I machine stitched the basting to hold the fold in place and also so I could crochet in a straight line to create my casing. I left the back of the casing open where the sleeve seam is. Then using a small D crochet hook and some scrap brown yarn, I worked a slip stitch over the basting and through both layers to create my casing for the ribbon tie closure. See photos below and you can click on any other them to enlarge the pictures.
I added a hook hanger at the back by chaining the length I wanted and then worked back down the chain by working a single crochet stitch around the chain and attached both ends into the back of the bag keeper. I threaded a piece of ribbon through the casing and tied it at the back with a bow to complete the plastic bag keeper. I present the upcycled thrift store sleeve which has been transformed into a plastic bag holder.
Great ideas! Maybe use the front & back or the front or back with some fabric to make a pillow? I’ve also seen the sleeves repurposed into wine bottle gift bags.
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My goodness! What lateral thinking! Well done.
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Very creative ideas for upcycling sweaters! I especially like the bag holder!
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Meg
I like the plastic bag holder. Even after switching to reusable shopping bags, I still have plastic bread bags I need to corral because I use them to pick up after the dog. This is the perfect solution!
You are one of the most creative people I know when it comes to recycling/upcycling. Great job on thinking outside the box when your original plan didn’t work out!
Wow! You are very creative! I love the look of that bag holder. I would have never thought of this myself. We had a free day at our local thrift store…I came home with a ton of VHS tapes to upcycle into projects 🙂
Very clever, that’s the best plastic bag dispenser ever!
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Great idea for a sweater arm! 🙂
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Thank you for these tips! I have taken sweater arms & made them into wool soakers for babies. They are adorable and warm. Even better, leave them split crotch and they keep babies warm while allowing for ecing (no using dipes at all 🙂 I use the body of the sweater as wool pads for all sorts of things around the house since wool can either repel or soak as needed, then just put it out in the sun and no need to wash often.
Sleeves can also be upcycled into dog sweaters. The cuff of the sleeve becomes the neck hole for the dog. You just make 2 holes for the front legs to go through and crochet their edges and the bottom edge.
What fun and creative ways to upcycle and be environmentally friendly! I love your site.
Cindy, This is wonderful.I love this idea and would have never thought of this myself! Thanks