Have you caught up yet?

     Are you caught up from the insanity of the Holiday season yet?  Not me.  I still have a tree up, although it is so that I can celebrate with my sister this week.  We like to set a date after Christmas, and between her and her boyfriend's Birthday.  Since we live quite a bit apart from one another, it makes it easier to celebrate 3 events at once.  It works well for us, and gives everyone a little break from the "crazies". 
      On another note, we had a grand Christmas here.  Dave's sister who lives in LA came up and stayed with us.  I often use her to find out what's up and coming in the fashion world, and wouldn't you know it, she was a wealth of information.  Everybody, and I do mean everybody are into the fingerless glove rage.  Now that's a little project I took on myself, but will not be doing for the shop.  If one of the guys wants to, have fun.  Remember I am just the gal who blogs and keeps the Etsy store front looking nice.  Wish I could say that about my garage.  I see a "big trash day" on the horizon. 

     I would have to say that the easiest way to get a pair of these gloves is of course to buy them!  That being said, if you knit or crochet, you can make yourself a pair.  Or lastly you can do it the hard way (like me).

      Take yourself to the thrift store...this I am very adapt to.  Find yourself a sweater you like and is 100% cotton, wool, angora, something like that.  Any thing with acrylic, nylon, or Lycra, just leave it behind.  It is a waste of time and you will just end up frustrated.  Now that you  have a sweater, the real work begins.  Take that sweater and put it in a pillowcase you care nothing about.  Add a couple to a few golf balls (yes I said golf balls), and tie off the end of the pillow case.  The pillowcase is so all the fibers that come loose during the process of felting do not end up in your washing machine and ruining it.  Wash the sweater in HOT water, for a long cycle.  It will sound like you are washing rocks, but never fear, the golf balls are not beating your washer to death.  When finished toss the sweater only in the dryer and give it a good HOT over drying.  it should come out much smaller.  Mine had a lot of lint due to the angora. but here's what I got.
 
     Then I cut off the sleeves, shaved them with a disposable razor (a trick Sarah taught me), measured them to about elbow length, took a needle and thread and double hemmed the tops, being careful to not let my stitching show much.  Then I put the sleeves on, decided where my thumb would go, carefully took a box knife and gently undid the seam giving my self about an inch  for a thumb hole.  I think next time I will give myself an inch and a half because when you hem the thumb hole you loose some of your room in the thumb hole.   But all in all for a first attempt I think I did pretty good. 
What do you think??