As the need mounted for clothing to keep the soldiers warm during the Civil War, many young women set to work making mittens out of old woolen sweaters. In the same tradition, you can make your own one-of-a-kind mittens. These mittens are very easy to make, and help to recycle old clothing that might otherwise be thrown away. MATERIALS: Old wool sweater from your closet or a local thrift shop(100% wool only) Pins and scissors Yarn or thread Yarn needle or sewing needle Paper and Pencil Beads, sequins or other fun trim Buttons, Ribbon DIRECTIONS: 1.   Wash the sweater in the hot cycle of your washer a few times in regular detergent. 2. Pop sweater into the drier on High, and dry until it's shrunken (about 45 minutes). Some sweaters shrink better than others so the drying time will vary. 3. Trace around your hands on paper to make your mitten template, leaving an extra inch or so around the edge for sewing and wiggle room. 4. Pin your template onto the wool material and cut out four matching mitten shapes. 5. Pin two of the mitten sides together and use your favorite color yarn to stitch around the edges. 6. Now you can add buttons, beads or anything else you want, to make your mittens special. Make larger and smaller templates to design mittens for family and friends. What a great homemade gift! Arts & Crafts Home