Susan Moynihan

I make mittens, scarves, and headbands from upcycled wool sweaters. I have loved working with fabric and textiles since I was a child. I love sewing, knitting, embroidering. I love jacquard patterns, stitches, and yarns. I love color and fabric and patterns. I also love repurposing and recycling, so when I came across some mittens made from recycled sweaters in a shop about ten years ago I thought "I could do that!" I begin by washing the sweaters so that the wool felts, or shrinks, then I cut out pieces and match different colors and patterns together. I use a variety of fabrics to line the mittens and headbands, including polar fleece and cotton "sweatshirt" material. The lined mittens are very warm and bulky. I describe them as great to wear when you are starting your car on a cold day, or standing in the cold watching a hockey game, or like Bernie Sanders, watching the inauguration. (He was wearing a pair of felted wool mittens in his iconic photo.) I also make unlined mittens when I have upcycled cashmere or other very soft materials. They are lighter in weight and less warm.

 

My headbands are made with the same materials as my mittens - fleece and upcycled sweaters. Each is unique.

 

I call my scarves "pocket scarves." They are based on a scarf that was once given to me as a gift. I thought to myself "I could make that!" I make rectangles out of pieces of felted sweaters or old wool blankets, then I attach them to both ends of the scarf and serge the edges. Each scarf has two pockets on either end and each is unique. The pockets can be used as handwarmers, as a way to tuck one end of the sweater into the other, or they can be simply decorative. 

 

I am always looking for new ideas and new combinations of patterns. I love to hear from people. You can email me at susansmittens@gmail.com.