Truth be told I love wintertime. Not because of the cold weather (or grey, rainy weather in my neck of the woods) but because I get to wear boots and sweaters and blast the fireplace without anyone complaining.

Because of my penchant for bundling up I am thrilled to add boot cuffs to my autumn and winter wardrobe. Here are two great DIY boot cuff solutions for those kindred spirits who would rather upcycle than buy new.

DIY boot cuff #1—upcycled sweater socks

This is so easy you’re going to kick yourself for not doing it sooner. I know I did.

Here is what you need

• A sweater you don’t mind destroying
• Scissors
• Boots to show off your boot cuffs

Yeah, that’s all you need. You can make it more complicated if you want by adding lace or buttons but that’s your call.

Here is what you do

• Decide how long you want your boot cuffs/socks to be and cut the sleeve of the sweater off accordingly. Try to make both sleeves the same length
• Put what used to be sweater sleeves on your legs (cuff-side up)
• Voila. Boot cuffs

See? Aren’t you kicking yourself? This is so easy and quick.

So that was the easy version. Now we’ll go up a notch and do a DIY knitting pattern I designed for a couple craft fairs I did this year. I thought boot cuffs would be the perfect addition to my knitting collection and I was right!

DIY boot cuff #2—knitted lacy boot cuffs

This is one of those projects that took on a life of its own once I found the right pattern. I decided to write it out properly and add it to the Ravelry pattern database but it’s also a free download. If you’re knitting-inclined please try it out and link your project!

Here is what you’ll need

• Worsted-weight acrylic yarn
• Double-pointed needles (I used 5mm)
• Scissors
• Boots to show off your boot cuffs

You will need to know how to knit in the round with double-pointed needles so this pattern is more intermediate than beginner. As well you’ll need to know cast on, knit two together, yarn over, and bind off. Other than that it’s pretty straightforward. I modelled the stitching after an afghan pattern, if you were wondering.

These two ideas are only the tip of the iceberg as far as boot cuffs go. Trust me, once you get started your imagination will take hold and soon you’ll have a basket of leg warmers, boot socks, boot cuffs, and more cozy wintery goodness to welcome you each year. Or is that just me?

If you’re looking for cheap fabric and unwanted yarn, don’t forget to check our arts and crafts category on your local Used.ca site as well as the clothing categories. Useful links below.

Useful links for supplies