Fashion FYI: Warm Hands, Warm Hearts! Stay Cozy with Northern Smittens
Meet Josée Huard, the craftiest lady we know! Josée is the creator of Northern Smittens, a handmade mittens company originating from North Bay. We’re smitten with these mittens ourselves, and can assure you that they will keep you toasty and warm through countless northern winters. Read on to find out Josée’s incredible story!
How did the idea for Northern Smittens begin?
During Christmas in 2011, a few of my girlfriends and I decided to do a gift exchange; the only rule was that our gifts had to be handmade. After I gave it some thought I decided to make one pair of mittens- I found some wool, I had a sewing machine, I could do this! It was a huge hit and before long everyone was asking me to make a pair.
In fall of 2012 I sold 200 pairs at a small local craft show and was completely sold out by Christmas. The following year, I made 700 pairs and again sold out by the holidays! In January of 2014 I decided to leave my job as an educational assistant to make smittens full-time.
Can you tell us a little bit about the process of making a pair of smittens? How long does this process usually take? Is every pair different?
I use sweaters that are at least 80%-100% wool. These sweaters come from thrift stores all over Canada, but most of them have stains or holes so they cant really be worn. I “felt” the sweaters in very hot water to shrink them down and tighten the fibers. I then select two-four different sweaters to coordinate and sew them up into mittens, which are then lined with an incredibly soft polar fleece.
Because I never know what sweaters I will find, each pair is different, no two pairs are alike! I currently make adult medium and large sized smittens and will be adding an adult small for fall 2016.
Do you make other products along with smittens?
Last year I started making lap quilts from the left over pieces of sweaters from the smittens. Each blanket is approximately 50 by 60 inches and is made from 180 different sweaters. Every block on the quilt is a different pattern. This year, by popular demand, I will be introducing hats and scarves all made from recycled felted wool (and cashmere!) sweaters.
Where can our readers in Sudbury (and Ontario) buy your mittens?
Northern Smittens are available at nine locations across Ontario, including North Bay, London, Peterborough, Toronto, and Stitch & Stone in Sudbury! I also travel to many different craft shows, including the Inspired Hands Arts & Crafts Show and the One of a Kind show in Toronto. All of the locations can be found on www.northernsmittens.ca.
What do you love most about your business?
I love going hunting in thrift stores with my teenage daughters and competing with them to find the wildest wool sweater. I also love playing with all of the beautiful colours. However, one of the unexpected joys of making Northern Smittens is meeting wonderful people over the years who have trusted me with their treasures of outgrown wool sweaters that grandma had knit, or a favourite sweater from a lost family member. They count on me to take that wool sweater and make smittens for them to wear and hold their memories close. This past Christmas I met a wonderful lady who entrusted me with four beautiful sweaters from her recently departed husband. I was to make eight pairs of smittens for her daughters and granddaughters. These were such a pleasure to make!
Adriana Nicolucci
Adriana Nicolucci is a Communications and Film Production graduate, fashion enthusiast, and patterned sock collector. She’s often spotted munching on the Eenie Meenie Grilled Zucchini Pizza at the Buddha. Danny Ocean is her spirit animal, except she’s planning a heist to steal your hearts (not a casino)
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