Repurposing your sweater is a great idea. I keep old sweaters and unravel them to knit up something completely new. They often lend to the project since the outside of the sweater has worn more than other parts, making for variegated yarn.

There are many ways to care for the environment. Power to those who are willing to be creative!

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Thanks for your comments thus far. I respect and appreciate all your thoughts about the expended energy from clothes dryers, organic wool, the treatment of animals and donating clothes to the needy. My intention for this project was to repurpose, reuse and find an “upcycled” and appealing solution that did not involve buying a new laptop sleeve.

This sweater was used because it had a big hole in the back of the sleeve and it did not fit anymore. In previous posts, I’ve discussed, and believe in the importance of donating used items. Organic wool was mentioned because I like to knit and considered knitting a laptop sleeve, but decided against spending the money. Organic wool claims not to be chemically treated throughout the whole production process – from farm to finished product. It claims to be free of pesticides, formaldehyde, polyester, foams, dioxin and other additives used in manufacturing wool for clothes and knitting. Also, chemical dyes used in wool production may include toxic heavy metals such as chrome, copper and zinc and sometimes known or suspected carcinogens. If you dry clothes in a dryer, a felted item can be thrown in with your other clothes. My clothes dryer is gas, not electric.

Hope some of you try this project; it was a really fun and beautiful solution for protecting a laptop.

Best,
Ronnie

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As soon as washing machines and dryers were mentioned I imagined just how much it must have cost in heating these appliances. I have also just purchased a new laptop and with it I puchased for only 10 euros a very nice cover which is nicely padded to stop any knocks spoiling it. I think my cover must have cost less for me and the environment.

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I agree about "re-purposing" what's already produced and out there (the author refers to "leftover yarn") but not buying (the author also refers to "buying some organic wool"). But I think it might be better to donate wool apparel to homeless or needy families. It not only keeps them warm but the idea would be that it sends a message saying "We are receiving wool donations from people who are appalled by the cruelty involved in wool farming." A laptop sleeve (especially one as attractive as this!) might inspire someone to say, "What a great idea. I am going to run out and buy wool and sell these, " exacerbating rather than stemming the problem.

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I think this is a great way to reuse! I understand what some are saying in relation to where the wool came from and the method used to get it, as well as the energy used in the felting process. My answer to that is the sweater is already out there, the sheep has already suffered to make the sweater, instead of having the sweater thrown away, why not re-purpose it and make the sacrifice worth something? As far as the washing/drying, you can toss it in with other hot water/high heat items you are already washing/drying. No need to "waste" energy in the process.

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Great project. I made one myself out of an old sweater and one thing I might add is to make it a little taller then you need it (2-3") and you can cut slits into the fabric for handles. No stitching required since it's felted.

Boud....choosing organic is not always because your trying to 'eco' friendly. I buy organic produce but I still use my stove to cook it. It's for my health.

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I really appreciate the creative, homespun, non-corporate solution for your new lap top. However, I would urge you to consider a different material than wool. The wool industry - even organic wool - is notoriously cruel to animals, employing an inhumane practice known as mulesing in which flesh is cut with a pair of shears from a lamb's hindquarters without any painkiller. Millions of sheep used in the wool trade suffer cruelties that would make any decent person pale. Labeling the wool organic does not erase this fact. Being good to the earth and being sensitive to the environment not only riding a bicycle and instead of driving a car, but also equally respecting animals as whole, interesting, and culturally different beings - and not using animals to clothe, feed, or entertain us humans. For more information, visit the links below. I do really appreciate your DIY alternative proposed here and the sleeve aesthetically is very beautiful -- how about just changing the material to something not derived from an animal?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulesing
http://blog.peta.org/archives/mulesing/

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I'm a little bit confused. Nice sleeve you're making there. But why organic wool? How environmental friendly are you when you have to use it and dry electric just to get it smaller?
I have my douts about the 'eco' solutions on this site. Sorry.

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