How Do Those Sweaters Do That?

This week I was able to get to a few projects that I just haven't had time for in the past months. I had a skirt that really needed to be shorter than it was, and I got that taken care of.

I've had this red boiled wool jacket that I shrunk down long ago. I knew I wanted to do some design on it, and this week I was able to plan that out and make it. The white buttons are all sparkly, like snow in the sunshine.

I think it's funny, because this was a jacket that would have fit me before I put it through the wash. It was a boiled wool jacket before I got hold of it, and it shrunk down to fit about a 4 year old. I tell people that wool has an amazing ability to keep shrinking, and this is proof!

People ask me if the sweaters tell me what they want to be when I recycle them. Often they do. I had a lot of fun designing this one. I save small scraps that are colorful for just such a purpose. I'm lucky to have a stash of vintage buttons. They're from my husband's grandmother and an elderly neighbor. I love recycling and re-using!

Now, this one was a sweater that probably would have fit me. I didn't expect this, but it became like a boiled wool jacket in one cycle through the wash. It's now small enough for a four or five year old - maybe even smaller. This is the fun of working with wool for me - even as long and as much as I do it, it's still unpredictable. It's a mystery, and that keeps it an adventure.