Years ago when I was going through my late son’s clothes, I came across a thick, wool Abercrombie and Fitch sweater that his sister loved to borrow. I was never a fan of scratchy wool, but she had loved it.
It looked as if it had been washed and had shrunk. What do do with it now? I’d seen pictures of mittens made from sweaters, and figured it couldn’t be that hard.
Of course, this was pre-Pinterest, the source how-to source to make just about anything. I was on my own. The best I could come up with was a simple flat pattern.
The mittens didn’t turn out too bad. I sewed three pairs from one sweater– a pair for my daughter, my other son and myself. I wear mine when I walk the dog in the winter.
A better mitten
When friends from our old neighborhood in Ohio recently lost an adult son, my daughter brought me his sweater and asked me to make mittens. She also showed me three-piece patterns on Pinterest for sewing mittens with opposing thumbs. This pattern makes a much better mitten than the flat pattern I had earlier used.
Luckily I still had a few of my late son’s sweaters to play with. The pattern is so easy. I sewed a new pair from my son’s sweater for my daughter, and from Michael’s sweater, I sewed a pair each for his mother and his sister.
I lined the mittens with recycled t-shirt material. You could also used fleece to line them. Be sure to wash the sweaters first, even if they are wool. The sweater will shrink but washing also tightens the wool, and the end result is a washable mitten. Win-win.
You can’t really drive with your hands in mittens, but you can’t beat wool for warmth when you’re walking the dog or playing outdoors in the wintertime. Mittens sewn from a loved one’s sweater will make a treasured gift.
Linda K. Sienkiewicz is the author of the award-winning novel In the Context of Love, a story about one woman’s need to tell her truth without shame. Discovering who you want to be isn’t easy when you can’t leave the past behind.
2017 New Apple Book Awards Official Selection
2016 Sarton Women’s Fiction Finalist
2016 Eric Hoffer Book Award Finalist
2016 Readers’ Favorite Finalist
2016 USA Book News Best Book Finalist
“…at once a love story, a cautionary tale, and an inspirational journey.” ~ Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of National Book Award Finalist, American Salvage, and critically acclaimed Once Upon a River,and Mothers, Tell Your Daughters
“With tenderness, but without blinking, Linda K. Sienkiewicz turns her eye on the predator-prey savannah of the young and still somehow hopeful.” ~ Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of the #1 NY Times Bestseller, Deep End of the Ocean
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Many 3 piece mitten patterns have been found. Without the ability to print things it would be helpful to see a PATTERN SKETCHED out that has accurate MEASUREMENTS as well as the size of the hand it would fit.
Adding a quarter inch for additions size is claimed to work, but without a detailed starting pattern I have already wasted 2 felted wool sweaters and crested nothing useable.
I do drive in mittens. The key is not trying to use more than the basics; steering wheel, gearshift, blinkers, dor knob… no radio, heat, lock/unlock, side mirror adjustments… Almost anything is possible when you put your mind to it.