Shrug transformed

This week I found myself taking apart this thrifted lacy shrug. I picked it up over a year ago.  (Yes, I found it at my favorite thrift store in Northern Minnesota.) And, it quickly became an item I never wore, mostly because it was rather tight around my old chainsaw wielding, firefighting biceps, alas. Anyway, this shrug was calling to me when I was picking out my six items for November. It really is nice lacework and a soft blend of angora and ramie. And, then I had an aha moment.
Leg warmers! That’s right, the sleeves were telling me that they really wanted to be leg warmers.
After taking out the sleeves I just did a quick whip stitch around the shoulder edge of the sleeve to make the edge all one length. This photo isn’t very clear, but I was able to reuse the thread that came out when I dismantled the sleeves, which turned out to be a perfect match.

Not too bad, eh? I’ve never worn leg or ankle warmers before, but I’m loving wearing these around the apartment. They are soft and warm.  A little later, I added a finishing touch–a ribbon through the eyelets to cinch the bottom of the legwarmer.  This way the heals don’t drag on the ground.

Unfortunately, my photographer (S) had to run off to work, so I can’t show you a great photo of my happy ankles with ribbon included, but I’m sure you get the gist.