a really pretty but outdated sweater that I made back in the 1980's, and turned it into something else. I had this in a storage container in the basement since huge balloon sleeves went out of style. I loved the yarn and thought I could unravel it and knit it up into something new, but it had felted a bit and wouldn't have worked up.
So I competed the felting by washing it in hot water and throwing it in the dryer. Confession: I have never felted an object on purpose and had no idea what I was doing. I read a few articles after the fact and if I had read them beforehand I might never have tried this. Horror stories of broken washing machine pumps, not working in front loaders, etc.
My project came out perfectly on the first go-round with no problems. Beginners luck, I am sure. The fabric was evenly felted and quite firm. Just what I wanted.
I cut off the sleeves, sewed up the sides and the bottom, made mitered corners on the bottom so I'd get a rectangular shape. I lined it with some cute kitty fabric I had in my fabric stash (yes I have one of those, also), cut two straps from the sleeves which I lined with a matching green fabric to give them some stability, put in a couple of pockets that will hold my phone and a pocket with a zipper for knitting supplies. I also made a little zippered pouch for additional supplies. I like to have a few of these bags loaded with things like scissors, cable needle, tapestry needle, stitch holders, emery board, markers, etc. so I can just grab one and put it in whichever knitting bag I have my current project in.
I feel quite good about taking a sweater I had invested a lot of time and effort into making, and re-purposing it into an object that I will get a lot of use out of, rather than having it thrown out.
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