Monday, December 29, 2008

i cannot knit, but i can fake it.



a few weeks ago i found a super cozy and adorable sweater at the thrift store nearest my house. it was in the children's section and the sleeves were a bit short, but i decided to spend money i didn't have and get it anyway. i chopped the sleeves off and made a cute sweater vest, but i was left with two sleeves of fabulous sweater that i could do nothing with. until...i saw all of the neck warmers on etsy and decided to upcycle my dismembered sweater into something a little more useful that a cat pillow, which is what zed had been using it for. i cannot sew, or knit, or do much in the way of fabricy or yarny things, so when i say this was super easy, i mean it. i hand stitched it all, and it only took about an hour or so. it's a little snug (though not uncomfortable), but i have a fat neck. (plump? rubenesque?) perhaps if i get the urge to hack away at an adult's sweater the result would be a little roomier.

first, i cut the upper arm part into a straight line (as in the first picture), then flipped the edge in just a little bit and sewed it shut, with just a little bit of a cinch so it wouldn't be huge compared to the cuff. then i grabbed two buttons and sewed them to the edge of the shoulder. cut two holes in the cuff (i did this lengthwise along the ribs) where your buttons will go and do a quick stitch around them. i would show pictures of this, but my needlework really is embarrassing. if you do want to see some pictures i can easily take some more though! and that's it, easy as pie. a warm neck wrap and a smart little sweater vest to match. i'm now ready for winter, though it seems that winter may just skip over the south this year. i was driving around with my windows down today and enjoying every weird moment of it.

2 comments:

memeeps said...

so cute! I love those jolly buttons!

x-ray iris said...

This post has caused a lot of oooo-ing and aaah-ing in my household this morning. Your ingenuity is ingenious!

I have to learn to knit, I've decided, because I've found a bit of Japanese clip art I'd like to have as a tattoo. It is a ram (I am Aries) knitting itself, but I owuldn't feel right getting it if I didn't know how to knit. Plus, Matt's awesome 91 y/o grandmother taught herself last year and now gives fabulous knitted presents. SO that's inspiring, you know?

I just have to have a job first so I can purchase the necessaries.