before: thrift store sweaters

here are the two sweaters i bought at the thrift store to recycle. first, the plum cardigan with embroidered flowers. i love this picture. i am required to tell you all that trav only posed for this photo under duress. i think it looks good on him. he's kind of got a post-kurt cobain thing going on.

i already ripped this one apart and i'm still swatching and deciding what to make with it. my latest idea is to make a sleeveless shell with this yarn and the pink and white "mutiny" i have in my stash. the weather has been so mild here, i'm already thinking of spring and summer projects.

here's the other sweater i bought last week, the one i want to make into a pillow for a friend. i need to get moving on it, her birthday is coming up soon. i really need some help deciding what to do. should i rip it apart and knit a pillow with the yarn, perhaps the "nubbly" pillow from snb nation? or, should i use the sweater as is and sew it into a pillow? obviously, just sewing it into a pillow would be a lot easier, but it would probably come out a lot nicer if i knitted a new pillow, wouldn't it? this friend loves pink and elvis and retro stuff. i think she might like a nubbly pillow a lot more than a plain stockinette pillow. please advise.

maybe i'll take off one of the sleeves and try swatching with it. then, i can make up my mind better and if i decide to sew the pillow i still can. yes! that's what i'll do.