Keep little ones toasty with a winsome felt hat and mittens. We cut mittens from a sunny yellow sweater; add detail to the cuffs by aligning that portion of the pattern with the garment's ribbed waistband or sleeve.

First, learn how to felt wool.

You can also use various parts of felted-wool sweaters to create attractive pouches below: A hot-water-bottle cover was cut from a turtleneck sweater and trimmed with a monogrammed felt gift tag sewn with a running stitch; an eyeglass case began life as an argyle sweater; a waistband forms the top of this tiny stocking; a sleeve became a case for an MP3 player.

Basic How-To
Use this versatile technique for items of any shape or size.
1. Trace hand and wrist (if making mittens) or an object to be stored (such as an MP3 player) onto paper, adding 1/2 inch all around; or draw a template freehand. Cut out. Position template on a sweater; cut out. Repeat, flipping template to make a second cutout that's the mirror image of the first.

2. Stitch pieces, right sides together, with 1/4-inch seam allowance. Zigzag-stitch around seam to reinforce. Turn right side out. If desired, add a drawstring or a button.