Easy Handwarmers from Repurposed Socks

I don't know about you, but I have piles of unmatched socks all over my house. In my room, on top of my daughter's dresser, on my sewing table, on the arm of the couch... I save them, thinking someday their mates will show up. Sometimes they do, but often they don't. I've finally found a way to put them to good use, and you won't believe how easy it is. Even I, with 5 kids, was able to whip one of these babies up in about 5 minutes. So, gather up your sock widows, and let's get to work!

Materials Needed:
socks
scissors
rice (regular, uncooked white rice)
sewing machine or needle and thread
Directions:

1. Cut the sock about in half, just above the heel
(of course, you can make these as big or small as you want. These were made from adult socks, but if I was using a child sock, I might not cut it up at all.)



2. Sew up one end of the sock completely
(skip this step if you're using the whole sock or the bottom half, since the toe is already sewn up)

3. Sew up the other end, leaving about 1/2" hole open
(you'll need this to pour the rice in)

4. Stick a funnel in the hole, pour rice into sock so it's pretty full, but not packed. You want it have enough rice in it to retain heat for a little while, but you also want it soft and cuddly.

5. Sew up the hole, and you're done!

pop in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute, stick in your kids' coat pockets before they head out to the bus, take to bed with you, or cuddle under a blanket with your hand warmer!




Here are the four warmers I made from 2 adult socks:

and a few I made from full child-size socks.
(my kids' socks are so dirty, if you wanted to make these as a gift, you might buy unused socks - sometimes thrift stores have new items)

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