Upcycled Sweater into Felted Fingerless Gloves

Upcycled_Sweater_Felted_Fingerless_Gloves
Sometimes mittens and gloves are just a little too much, but bare hands just wont do. Maybe you are working in a cold office and need your fingers free or it’s not quite cold enough out for full on hand coverage. Maybe you just dislike having your fingers covered up. Regardless, these felted fingerless gloves are the perfect solution and are easy as pie to make.

Keep an eye out at thrift stores for cast off wool sweaters. You’ll want as high a wool content as possible to achieve the best felting. Wool is felted through a combination on agitation and changes in water temperature changes (you can actually felt in very cold water, but hot water is easier). Once felted, the wool can be cut and used without hemming, the bonded fibers will not fray, making it excellent for all sorts of no-sew or little-sew projects.

The easiest way to felt wool is to throw it in your washing machine and let it run through once or twice. A top loading machine will give you more control on how much the wool felts, but a front loader will felt wool just as well. For this project you don’t have to worry much about sizing until after the felting is done, so throw in a sweater and felt away!

Things you need:
Wool Sweater (in a color you like)
Washing machine
Scissors
Thread in a coordinating color
Mid-weight needle
Measuring tape
Pins

Things to do:
1. First, felt your sweater by running it through the wash until you can no longer see the individual stitches in the fabric. Lay flat and allow to dry completely.
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2. Measure the length from the base of your fingers to your elbow, or to the point at which you want your gloves to stop, add 1/2 inch to this measurement.
3. Measure around your hand just under your fingers and around your arm near the ending point of your gloves add 1/2 inch to each. Cut two rectangular shapes using the length and the widths (finger end at one end and arm end at the other)
4. Working on one arm, wrap the fabric around with the seam along the inside of your arm and use a pin to mark where your thump hole will be.
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5. With the right sides together, stitch up the length of the glove, leaving a space in the seam where you marked for your thumb. Continue sewing up on the other side of the thump hole. Trim your seams and turn right side out.
Optionally you can tighten around your wrist by sewing in a bit at that point of your seam, just be sure the opening is still wide enough for the top you’re your hand to slip through comfortably.

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1 Comment

  1. The directions are a little difficult to understand. Why did you open up the sleeve then sew it up again? If by felting the sweater so it doesnt fray you should be able to just cut a thumb hole.