Making a Hat and Shrug from a Cashmere Sweater

What to do with our favorite sweaters that not longer fit or have holes?  Felt them and turn them into new clothes!

Directions
1.  Wash your sweater in the machine with hot water.  Leave a pair of jeans inside to help the fibers felt well.  Dry in the dryer.


2.  Lay your sweater on the floor.  Look at where the seams are, and if there are any holes that need to be worked around.


3.  For a hat, the ribbed bottom will become the headband of the hat.  If you are making this for a child, measure the circumference of the head where the headband of the hat would hit. Make the width an inch larger than this.


4. Cut the hat piece from the back or front of the sweater.  In this picture, we chose the back because the front had a pocket on it.  Always make the first 4 inches or so straight, and then curve (or upward to a point for a gnome hat) as you cut.  Better to cut it too big and sew/trim down later.

 
















5.  Sew inside out, creating the shape of the hat that suits you.

6.  For a shrug, cut the front and back up to where the arms begin.  Be careful not to cut the seams that hold the arms together.  In this picture, our sweater has a hood, but you can make a shrug without a hood.  Or, you can sew on a fabric hood if your sweater doesn't have one.  Turn cut ends under and sew or surge.

 
Now, make some lavender/cedarwood sachets and put them with your new items to prevent more holes from appearing!  Keep the extra cut scraps to make doll clothes, finger puppets, felted balls or cat toys.