The day after Thanksgiving is traditionally the single largest business day in the American retail calendar. But people were not born to shop, its a learned behaviour. Buy Nothing Day actions only require that the participants spend a day without spending.
Make some mittens to help curb your consumption:
1. Reuse something you were gonna throw away ( an old sweater )
2. Don't spend any money making this
3. Make it more difficult for yourself to reach in your pocket, wallet, or purse... and spend $$$
4. One of a kind MITTENS!!! How can you go wrong???
From the Adbusters website:
Reasons for participating in Buy Nothing Day are as varied as the people who choose to participate. Some see it as an escape from the marketing mind games and frantic consumer binge that has come to characterize the holiday season, and our culture in general. Others use it to expose the environmental and ethical consequences of overconsumption.
This instructable was inspired by an ad on the back page of the November/December 2007 issue of Adbusters magazine.
**** Just got a link from my dad... Martha Stewart had a holiday segment where they made this type of mittens and other used sweater craft. Here is the link Craft Sweater Mittens Etc*********
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***** for this instructable it is important that you don't buy anything, it's an exercise in the reuse of materials that are normal discarded. Reuse is similar in importance to Reduce and should be practiced with Recycle as a final step or possibility. For more information about this, I recommend Heather Rogers' book Gone Tomorrow, The Hidden Life of Garbage*****
1. An Old Sweater... preferably one you don't to wear anymore ( like the one you got from your aunt for x-mas)
2. Paper for pattern (I used regular printer/copy paper)
3. Scissors
4. Thread ( dental floss will work if you don't have any thread)
5. Needle (for sewing).
That's really all you need for these mittens, but you can also add whatever else you feel necessary. I used some other old sweaters and fabric I had around the house for the lettering.
1. An Old Sweater... preferably one you don't to wear anymore ( like the one you got from your aunt for x-mas)
2. Paper for pattern (I used regular printer/copy paper)
3. Scissors
4. Thread ( dental floss will work if you don't have any thread)
5. Needle (for sewing).
That's really all you need for these mittens, but you can also add whatever else you feel necessary. I used some other old sweaters and fabric I had around the house for the lettering.
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1. Put the mittens to be felted in a pillowcase, in a washer with hot water and a very little washing detergent.
2,Then agitate for about 5 minutes and check to see if the felting is done, if not repeat until the size is correct.
3. Remove from washer and shape to size and put something (like cardboard) inside the mitten so that it doesn't felt together.
4. Allow to air dry
Also, here's another pattern and video for fancier recycled sweater mittens that are felted:
http://studio5.ksl.com/?sid=4456414&nid=61
I hope this helps! Good luck and above all, have fun.
Thanks!!!!
You're right - felting is the key really... I think I better start making more of these again, its that time of year!!!!
I'm gonna go and try it right now. :]
This is the amount of overlapping fabric you need where the two pieces are sown together. Don't want em to tight ya know! LIke me you might end up making them for your nephew instead! ;)
Great instructable.