Christmas Through The Year-January!!!

We're getting a little too close to the end of January and I was beginning to get a little nervous that this self-proclaimed crafter, who used to craft 24/7 as owner of my own wholesale business "Raggamuffins", would be unsuccessful in accomplishing the very first month of the Christmas Through The Year Challenge ... now wouldn't THAT look bad!  I was amazed at how difficult just deciding on something to make could be. 

As the days moved along, I was pretty sure that January would not produce any big, wondrous, challenging gift, so I began to look at setting a crafty gift of a smaller scale than I had originally thought I would tackle.  January, with its winter chills and snowy skies, seemed perfect for making MITTENS!!!  Now, honestly, I have been wanting to give this a try for a couple of years now.  One of the ladies who used to work with me at the Bookstore had made these one year as gifts for her family, and I thought it was perfect.  No, they're not knitted mittens (although I'd love to try them one day - but I just may need more than a month to accomplish mittens!), rather, they're a wonderful way to recycle old woolen sweaters into something practical, charming, and beautiful!  So mittens it is ... and here's the finished result:

Believe it or not, that truly is the same sweater!  So photography is NOT my forte!  Having fun is, however, and once you get beyond the fact that you are going to purposely shrink a wool sweater, it was the first time I've ever felted wool and it worked beautifully.  So basically, for anyone thinking of giving it a try, you find a sweater (old, preferably, and 90-100% wool), wash it in hot-hot-hot water right in your washing machine (mine took two washings) until the fibers have shrunk enough to tighten (the wool becomes "felted"), rinse in cold water, and toss in the dryer.  Next, trace around your hand adding about one inch all around and about three inches length at the wrist (I like making a paper pattern - in case it turns out amazing and I want to make a dozen more just like it!), then cut the mittens out of your sweater (doubled thickness), using the bottom hem of the sweater as the wrist  of the mittens, two layers for each mitten.  Sew, using a 3/8" seam, leaving the wrist open, of course!  Clip at the thumb, turn right-side-out, and voila ... you have a pair of mittens!  I'm thinking of adding some embellishments to personalize this pair - there's still 10 days left of the month for me to decide and complete.  I may be able to get one mitten out of each sleeve as well, so another gift may be added to my stash.     But for now, I do indeed have one gift to begin my Christmas Through The Year box of treasured handmade gifts!  And it feels great!!!