The Woods Hole Public Library will begin their annual series of Winter Craft Workshops with a session on Thursday, January 23 at 7 PM on making mittens. Note this is not “knitting” mittens, but rather making them out of wool recycled from sweaters which have been machine washed and felted so that the stitches will not ravel. Pieces are cut out of the old sweaters and the pieces are patched together, and sewn with a sewing machine. The finished mittens are lined with either fleece or shrunken merino or cashmere.
The session will be led by Librarians Kellie Porter and Margaret McCormick; both are avid knitters and crafters. They have adapted a simple system of making these mittens, so simple that people should be able to finish their mittens in one evening.
The workshop is free and open to the public, though the number of participants is limited. Interested people should call the Library at 508-548-8961 to register and get a list of materials required for the session. These materials include 2 previously felted sweaters, scraps of either fleece, felted cashmere or merino for lining, scissors, pins and a sewing machine, if possible.