I had a chance to check out a few items from the Grassroots 2011 Green Gift Guide, and one of the first things I picked out was a pair of Preloved Betty Mitts.
I love the concept behind the Preloved Betty Mitts. Preloved is a Canadian company that operates out of Toronto, creating one-of-a-kind clothing from reclaimed vintage fabrics. Their Betty Mitts are made from remnants of old sweaters, which have been felted to make them extra fuzzy and warm. Each set of mitts is constructed from three reclaimed wool sweaters.
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| Preloved Betty Mitts, as featured on the Grassroots website. |
My first reaction upon seeing these was…. they look nothing like the ones pictured in the gift guide. The ones in the photo in the guide are patterned and quite festive looking. The pair I received are far simpler looking, made from solid coloured sweaters, and are a mix of pink, burgundy and chocolate brown (those of you who know me know how much I dislike pink). If I had my dithers, based solely on looks alone, this is not the pair of mittens I would choose.
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| Here’s the pair I received. |
Ok, so enough about looks. How do they feel? They very are soft. I always worry something made of wool will be picky. These are really quite soft, probably because they’ve been felted. They are warm, though they are a little thinner then I expected. The seams where the pieces from the three sweaters are joined together are nicely done. They are well made, and look like they will last well.
Overall, I think they are pretty darn cool. I love the reclaimed sweaters into mitten concept. Though I do think that this is an item I would prefer to pick out in person, as there are going to be tons of variations in colour and style, and when buying a pair online you have no say in what colour or pattern you’ll receive. I would recommend looking for these if you were planning on shopping in person at the Grassroots storefront in Toronto. Though if you’re buying them as a gift you might not care as much what colour they are, and I do think they will make a lovely Christmas present, say for a teacher or co-worker. Which is where this pair is heading, as I’ve decided to set them aside as a gift for my daughter’s teacher.
Check out the Grassroots 2011 Green Gift Guide for this and many other cool green gifting ideas. With over 170 gift suggestions I’m sure you’ll see something that catches your eye.
Disclosure: I was provided with a pair of mittens, as described above. As always my thoughts and words are my own.
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