12 Days of Holiday Crafts, Day 6: Felted Wool Mittens

This project is a bit more complicated than the last few crafts, but is completely worth the extra time. Continuing the theme of repurposing and sustainable crafting, today’s craft turns an old wool sweater into a pair of mittens! So. Fun.

If you don’t have an old sweater, they are easy to find in thrift stores, especially among the racks and racks of holiday sweaters.

You will need :

paper and pen

scissors

a sweater with an animal fiber content of at least 90% (the more wool content, the better)

matching thread

a pillowcase or mesh bag for felting

scrap paper

fabric chalk

scissors

straight pins

sewing machine

yarn (about 2 yards)

a yarn needle.

The first step is to felt the sweater:

1. Felting makes the fabric dense and fuzzy, and also allows you to cut the fabric without any fraying. Place the sweater in a mesh bag or pillowcase you can tie or zip closed and wash in your machine with hot water, soap, and a pair of jeans (for added agitation).
2. Check the sweater after a full cycle to make sure it has felted correctly. It should be significantly smaller, thicker, and the sweater’s pattern should be tight enough that you can barely see individual stitches.
3. Put it through another cycle if needed. Take the sweater out of the mesh bag and throw it into the dryer until it is completely dry. (Afterwards, be sure to clean out the lint).

Once your sweater is felted, you are ready to make mittens! (See photo tutorial).

1. Trace your hand on a sheet of paper, then draw a basic mitten shape around it, approximately ½” bigger than your hand tracing.
   
2. Cut out the drawing, and trace it onto the sweater using chalk to mark the pattern. Cut out four mitten pieces, two with the thumb facing left, and two with the thumb facing right. I found it easier to trace and cut each piece individually. The sweater will be thick and difficult to cut.
3. Pin the mittens, right sides together, and sew using a zig-zag stitch. The fabric will be thick, so sew slowly and be sure to leave the ends open!
4. Turn the mittens right-side-out, and try them on for size.
5. You can leave them as they are, but I added a quick blanket stitch around the opening.

About a month ago, I managed to lose a winter coat and my favorite mittens (they were in the pockets, of course), something I haven’t done since elementary school. The coat is yet to be replaced, but now I’ve at least got a new pair of mittens! I hope you try this project and let me know how you like the results!