For Crispina Ffrench, recycling pays the bills. In 1987, while studying at the Massachusetts College of Art, she developed the concept for a collection of handcrafted dolls while working on a felt-making assignment. At the advice of her father, this simple class project evolved into what is now her signature line of Ragamuffins-dogs, dinosaurs, possums, and other creatures constructed out of recycled wool sweaters. Word got around, and Crispina's ball of used yarn kept rolling-turning into mittens, then handwoven blankets and rugs, and finally into the current Crispina Fuchsia, Inc., repertoire.

Each year, eight 1,000-pound bales of old sweaters, scarves, and socks are shipped to Ffrench's soon-to-be sustainable Pittsfield, MA, studio, a former Catholic church now undergoing an eco-makeover. There, the salvaged clothes are cut, sorted, washed, and dried. In a few days, her staff of 10 can transform the material into a one-of-a-kind Pot Holder Rug (literally a giant potholder) or one of her many imaginative blanket designs. Prices range from $135 to about $900. Matching pillowcases, shams, and place mats round out the list. You can also splash color in every corner of your room with the whimsical Orbit and Dragon Fly collections, which are made from 100 percent cotton jersey scraps discarded by clothing purveyor American Apparel.

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