Christmas Mittens (Take III)

You may remember how I tried to make some leather mitts for Mr. Carlee for his birthday last year.  That was actually take two on that particular pair, and this year I was bold enough to go for a third try.  Not by Christmas, mind you, but in the second week of January.  No worries though, January is still plenty cold in New England, perfect for wearing mittens.

After last year's attempt and failure, I cut a big hole where the thumb should go, and drafted a new thumb piece.  I have come to love using paper towel for this type of job.  It drapes similarly to leather (or fabric), and it's cheap and readily available.  Sometimes when I'm making a pattern for shoes/slippers, I'll use paper towel and staple it together to give myself a sense of how it will sew up. 

I wouldn't say that these mittens are a perfect fit nor the sleekest of mittens.  But they do stay on, don't squish his thumb, and I think I'm calling it good.  I don't think I can really fix the problems without starting completely over again, and after making several pairs of mocs from the same leather, I am pretty much out.

Thankfully Mr. Carlee values me for more than my leather mitten making skills, and he has worn them in spite of their imperfections.  This has two possible explanations; first because he loves me and is a good man, and second, his other leather gloves went missing this year - complete coincidence I promise.