DIY Felted Wool Mittens

DIY Felted Wool Mittens that don’t require knitting, these are made from an old felted sweater and take just 30 quick minutes OR LESS to make.

I’ve been knitting for years and so far my talent is strictly limited to knitting in circles or rows. I want to make mittens or socks, and I have not learned how yet. *Update* Since I wrote this post I can knit mittens AND socks.

I’ve seen these mittens made from felted sweaters for years. I always think I can do that!! I am NOT paying 50 bucks for wooly mittens. Of course, this meant I also bought old sweaters.

Yes I Collect Old Sweaters, Don’t You?

Last night found me rooting through the studio and low and behold I came upon a crate full of perfectly felted sweaters. I had to ask myself: keep or toss? Because really wanted to make some mittens. So I promised myself that I could keep them IF I actually used them. I left a set of sleeves from one of the sweaters where it would remind me to use it or lose it.

It kind of knocked around in my head that I needed to at least try to make some mittens, someday or another. But when I found I had some free time while dinner finished off in the oven (roasted butternut, roasted brussels sprouts, homegrown pork ribs, pierogies) I dashed off to round up the sweater and scissors.

DIY Felted Wool Mittens

I quickly cut mittens out, sewed them on the sewing machine and really had I not stopped to wind a bobbin, they would have been even quicker to finish.

They were fine at that point but didn’t like the sharpie line. So I spent another 20 minutes after dinner quickly needle felting some vines and flowers to cover up the sharpie. I actually like them better with the vines and flowers.

How to Make Mittens From Old Sweaters!

You will need:

an old wool sweater at the thrift store or your closet, make sure it has long sleeves because that’s what you need to make the mittens
marker to draw around your hand
sewing machine OR needle and thread

What to do:

wash it in hot water and dry it in the dryer 2-3 times, or until it quits shrinking
once it’s shrunk turn it inside out
lay your hand over the sleeve backward, wrist at the cuff, hand towards the elbow

draw an outline around your hand 1/2 inch bigger than your hand, leave the wrist intact this will be the bound edge of your mitten
flip the mittens inside out, marker on the inside
carefully sew around the mittens, the seam for this pattern is on the outside of the mitten but it’s ok because you’ve shrunk the sweater so much it won’t unravel
if you miss a spot sewing just go back over it once you finished the entire mitten, my presser foot slipped off a few times
when you get to the junction between the thumb and hand, slowly sew a stitch or two until the needle is all the way down in the material and then stop
lift the presser foot and rotate the mitten to correct angle, don’t try to just keep on sewing or you’ll end up with a funky big curve instead of a nice crisp corner
once they’re done try them on and make sure they’re not too big, if they need to be a bit smaller just sew a little inside the last line, trim off the extra seam if you need to

you can use a felting needle and wool roving to trim them up any which way you like

These are perfect for walking in chilly weather but not so great for driving. They are not great snowball fights, low mobility, but warm and cozy on chilly walks.