Wool sweater into fuzzy mittens!

[Waxwing]

I saw this idea in a magazine. These are the easiest and warmest mittens you can make, and they're recycled! Yay! I know it's spring, but I just discovered this forum and I wanted to share!



Take a funky sweater (must be pure wool...mine is from a thrift store). Throw it in the washer (with hot soapy water!) to shrink and felt it. Let it dry. Meanwhile, trace around your hand on a piece of paper. (hold your hand in a mitten shape)

Then add half an inch for seam allowance

Cut out your pattern and pin it on your sweater. My sweater had ribbing on the bottom, which I used as the cuffs for my mitts. Place the non-thumb side of the pattern along the side seam of the sweater, so you don't have to sew that part!

Cut out the shape from the sweater (cut through both thicknesses at once), then machine-sew with the right sides in. You might bend a needle or 2 if the wool is very thick! You could hand-sew instead. Repeat for the other mitten.

Trim the seam allowances, Turn right side out, and ta-da! Custom-fitted, fuzzy-warm, no-knit mittens in your favorite color! I made a smaller pair for my niece out of the same sweater, using the sleeves. The ribbed cuffs became the mitten cuffs!

I live in beautiful, snowy Canada, and these mitts have been tested to minus 40 degrees Celsius! They are superwarm and not itchy at all. Next I will try a mohair pair. Enjoy!

[craftymed]

those are fantastic!  that's a great idea to use the already exisiting cuffs too.

oddly enough, i just went to the thrift store today to buy 100% wool stuff to "felt" for my crafty projects.

(felting is what you did with the hot water and washing machine/dryer thing)

[mochisaru]

the best part about living in a dorm is that some people dont know how to do laundry and unintentionally felt their sweaters and then they throw 'em in the freebox...i've gotten so many felted sweaters this way, but at the same time, i kind of feel sorry for people who have ruined their $80 sweaters(but by the age of 19, most people should know better, right?). maybe i'll make some mittens tonight, thanks for the tutorial!

[zulubug]

hey, i saw your post and copied the idea. it's so fantastic and i had all these old sweaters i was gonna get rid of. i live in melbourne, australia but it does get kinda cold here. lots of my friends want them, and i'm even thinking of selling some. thanks for the idea.
i've been trying to insert a pic, but i can't seem to work out how, i'm a newbie and kinda confused.
if i work out how i will send one.
cheers..

[Valette]

This is too brilliant.  Thanks for the idea!

[Jhoulez]

Thanks for the tute! I live in Michigan and it's so hard to keep my hands warm. I can't wait to get a wool shirt and try it.

[o0katiecat0o]

I'm in snowey NH and was just thinking i need a pair of mittens for cross country. Thanks!

[spirals420]

awsome! i have a white and blacks striped sweater i have been meaning to shrink... i have just been stumped as to what to make from it.. now it will be mittens!

[Eliea]

What a wonderful Idea becasue it's getting cold here and you can find tons of sweaters in the local thrift stores. Thanks for sharing how you did this!

[spicecarrie]

I love these! I've been wanting to try this, thanks!