More Refashioned/Remade Mittens....

I started the New Year with a refashion of a refashion. Or a remake of a remake if you prefer.  And you can't get much more recycled than that! 

Last Winter I got on the mitten-making tip, during which time I made myself some fabulous double-thickness leopard print mittens from old, unwanted knitwear. They were in almost constant use during the cold periods from then until now, and were literally the only way I could keep my chilly hands warm whilst outside. Well, as you can see from the pictured above, their intense usage took its toll: the finger tip areas have become super-thin with the lining popping through a hole in one thumb, and another hole appearing along the seam of the palm of the other hand.

I love the leopard print, and knew that I no longer have any pieces of knitwear quite as 'me', plus I'm out of cashmere, which I use to line them. Some salvaging was going to have to occur to create myself a new pair, and of course why chuck something out completely if it still has some life left in it? I unpicked them and retained the back panels which are still in good shape and hole-free and the linings, which are still soft and pleasingly moulded to the shape of my hands. 

I cut the new palm pieces from the old leopard print back pieces, and cut the other two new outer pieces  from a moth-eaten ruby-red jumper donated to me by a friend. Before cutting up the red wool jumper, I chucked it in the wash when I was doing a red load so that it would matt up a little and therefore be more durable and wind-resistant. The cuffs are created from the cuff ribbing of the original jumper. 

I reused my former mitten's purple linings, which creates a weird sensation: when worn, the new mittens feel exactly the same as my previous pair, but when I look down they look different! I wonder if I can pull this trick again next year; if the linings will still re usable and if I can cut the palm pieces from the red back pieces and find something new and contrasty to form the rest of them.