Upcycled Sweater Stockings

Years ago I read about making Christmas stockings from old sweaters, now called upcycling. (I guess they assume the sweaters left something to be desired, so to be made into stockings would be an upgrade.)  There are several tutorials online, and even a yummy felting book with the pattern pictured here. 

Have I made them?  Not yet.  After all, it was just Steve and me for many years and we still have our lovely stockings from childhood.  This story made me laugh:
Every Christmas Eve with my mom, she drags out these utterly awful stockings for her grandbabies to use–quilted cotton with a printed image of teddy bears in bathrobes and slippers, bought sometime during the Reagan administration. From Wal-mart. On sale. Ugh. But how could I complain? I, who am obviously too cheap to pony up for non-teddy bear stockings for my own kids? All that will change this year. With four tacky wool sweaters and an easy-peasy stocking pattern, I sewed up a houseful of awesome, unique, sturdy and sophisticated stockings...

This fall I've been perusing thrift stores for sweaters to use, especially those with Fair Isle designs (swoon) so that we -- now that we are a family and not just a couple -- can finally have new stockings. I've found more than enough sweaters, which works out well because in my search for pictures of sweater stockings I also came across another upcycled-sweater project: baby leggings!  Also called "longies" and way cooler (and warmer) than tights.  (These are by SnugglePants, available on Etsy.)

 

Another thing I like to get at thrift stores?  Baby toys, like little rattles to keep Olivia busy at a restaurant or in the car.  They're only a quarter so if we lose one it's not a big deal.  OJ doesn't care if someone loved them before, and I just run them through the dishwasher or washing machine before she gets them.