Ellen Wilcox of Old Forge recently took first place in the Best Texture Category for her entry of a pair of felted mittens in the “Critters and Mittens” knitting contest sponsored by TAUNY of Canton.
Wilcox was inspired to enter the contest after seeing an flyer at the Old Forge Hardware Store, where she works Thursdays in the knitting department.
Wilcox, who has been knitting since she was twelve, said she never entered a contest before, but decided to give it a try with her original design for felted wool mittens.
She described how she used large needles to knit the oversized pair of 100 percent wool mittens, then “felted” them by washing them in hot water in the washing machine.
“The hot water and agitation causes the wool to shrink, making the texture turn to felt. The process makes them much warmer than traditional wool mittens,” Wilcox said.
Her prize was a gift certificate from a yarn store in Lake Placid.
TAUNY, or Traditional Arts in Upstate New York, is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to showcasing the folk culture and living traditions of New York’s North Country.
