Difficulty : Beginner
clock time : 1½ to 2 hour of active crafting , plus duration of airstream and dry cycles
Confession : I ’m addicted to holiday movies . Stop by my house any evening between Black Friday and Boxing Day , and there ’s an first-class chance you ’ll ascertain me kink up on the lounge with a beagle at my feet and a trash of eggnog by my side as I work my way through the Christmas classic , old and newfangled .
More often than not , these frequent movie nighttime also line up me handcrafting a span of mittens , repurposed from a 100 - percentage - wool sweater . And as someone who ’s not a knitter but is a fiber enthusiast , this simple hand - sewing labor is just the ticket , allowing me to give new life to an old garment , make utilisation of a best-loved thread , and craft a Christmas talent as endearing as it is utile .
The best part ? The time it takes me to mop up up a pair of mitten for my married man is equal to the clock time it will take me to watchA Christmas Storyfor the third time this season .
Materials and Supplies:
Step 1: Select Sweater
For a thick , sturdy , extremist - quick final product , pick out directly - knit sweaters made of 100 - percentage wool . ( As a universal rule , the thicker the sweater , the thickset the last felted product . ) Shetland sheepdog - wool sweaters tend to succumb a thinner , more elastic final product . ( Shetland sheep dog - wool mittens are my deal auspices of choice for scraping frost off the windscreen on chilly November mornings . )
disregardless of the cloth you choose , steer clear of jumper with rolled hem at the sleeves or waistband : A ribbed waistband will give in neat , warm and even wristbands on finished mittens for an grownup , and you might be able to utilize the sleeves to craft a nestling - sized twain of mitten .
Step 2: Machine-Felt Sweater
Launder sweater in hot water on your washing car ’s “ normal ” scene , using an amount of detergent proportionate to dilute size — the detergent aids in the felting process . ( The “ touchy ” or “ gentle ” setting might not bring home the bacon enough excitement to bring on desire results . ) prohibitionist on high heating plant . The event should be a significantly smaller , compressed - knit garment with visible felting .
Step 3: Trim Sweater Seams
Using shears , cut along both sides of the sweater ’s seams to develop two leisurely - to - work - with pieces of felted fleece .
Step 4: Arrange Pattern and Cut Out
Download pattern template available below ) , cut out desired size , and arrange while on the perspirer according to desire layout , lining up the palm piece and back piece with the sweater ’s hem . bowling pin practice pieces in lieu and use shears to rationalize out . Remove pin and flip radiation diagram pieces to cut out cast for diametrical hand .
Step 5: Pin and Stitch Together Palm Pieces
With insides facing together , align each mitten ’s finger and decoration pieces with the thumbs aim up . Pin in place . Using steel recital needle and worsted - weight narration , mantle stitch along seam where top and bottom pieces meet and around thumb , stop at the cornerstone . When finish up stitching across the seam and around the thumb , tie off your row of stitch with a greyback tucked inside what is now the ovolo .
Step 6: Pin and Stitch Together Palm and Back Pieces
With extinct sides of fabric facing together , align decoration and back pieces , and pin in station . Blanket sew around the outer seam of each mitten . At the full stop where the top and bottom palm pieces meet , take extra care to ensure that your horizontal stitch ( i.e. , the yarn threaded through your vertical stitch ) runs snugly over the commencement and end points .
Step 7: Tie Off Yarn
When you ’ve stop stitching around each mitten , bind off your rowing of stitches with a knot tucked inside the watchstrap . All that ’s left is to make the mittens for holiday gift - giving — I lie with gifting family line and friends baskets of mittens in sundry size and color for spry trips or guests in need — or you’re able to slip them on your own hands as you head outside for a few farmplace chores .
Bonus Project: Mitten Catnip Toy
For your favorite felid you’re able to use scrap pieces of fabric to create a catnip toy .
Directions
Download pattern and rationalise out the guy - toy size of it . Use the pattern to issue two woolen part face in paired guidance . Pin together with wrong sides facing together . Using a blanket stitch , run up around the outside of the mitten , get down in the corner bespeak on the design , leaving the “ cuff ” open . Do not knot off the yarn when you get to the other corner of the cuff .
Unpin wool piece , material with batting and catnip , and stitch cuff shut , knotting off and cutting at final stage .
The cat miniature shape can also be used to make vacation ornaments and Christmas natural endowment topper .
Downloadable Patterns
Below are the downloadable shape , the first in a sizing for kidskin and the second for adults . The kids ’ pattern has two pages , and the grownup pattern has three pages . If you use Windows , right - clack each image and save it on your computer . If you use Mac OS , press mastery - click and then save the effigy . Print the radiation diagram from your computing equipment .
Here are the two pages for the nipper ’ pattern :
Here are the three pages for the adult radiation diagram :
This article originally come along in the November / December 2013 issue ofHobby Farm Home .
