How to Attach Winter Mittens to Coat Sleeves

If you or your kids have developed a habit of misplacing gloves or mittens, you can put an end to it once and for all. Do this with a quick and simple fix. It's next to impossible to lose a mitten if it's attached to your coat, but it's very easy to attach a pair without sewing or even altering the coat itself. All it takes is a long piece of soft, durable yarn to make your current pair last until they wear out.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Soft yarn
• Scissors
• Knitting needle
• Mittens or gloves
• Coat

1. Lay the coat flat on a bed or table. Spread it out with the front of the coat facing up and with the sleeves outstretched. Leave the front unzipped or unbuttoned.

2. Insert one loose end of a long piece of soft yarn into the cuff of one of the sleeves. Reach into that sleeve from the inside of the coat to pull the yarn all the way through to the middle of the coat. Then pull the loose end into the other sleeve through the inside of the coat. Finally, reach into the second sleeve through the cuff and grab the loose end of yarn. Pull it all the way through the cuff.

3. Adjust the yarn so that there is about six inches of excess coming out of each cuff. Cut off any further excess with a pair of scissors.

4. If your gloves or mittens have fabric loops or clips at the cuff, tie the loose yarn ends in knots through these openings. Make sure that you match the right mittens with the right sleeves. If the mittens or gloves do not have loops, hold the end of the yarn next to a crochet needle and carefully push the needle and yarn through the knit weave of the mitten's cuff. Once the yarn is all the way through, remove the needle. Tie the yarn in a knot.

5. Wear the coat as usual. When you need the mittens, they'll be right there at the coat sleeve cuffs.

Tips & Warnings

• It may be easier to adjust the length of the yarn if you have the coat owner wear the coat after the yarn has been initially fed through the sleeves. You can ask the wearer to cross both arms over each other as far as possible to determine the greatest length that the yarn would need to be to ensure total flexibility.
• Don't use a very firm yarn. Softer yarn is the best choice.