All this talk of mittens and of orphaned clothing items reminded me of one of my favorite children's books. Does anyone else have special feelings about this book by Florence and Lois Slobodkin?
(And can you dig that mitten font ????)
You can read the beginning here. At the end of the book, a family that has too many unmatched mittens puts up a line in their yard where children can find their lost mittens. The illustrator managed to make the lost mittens quite dramatic.
(You can double click on this to read the text.)
Ever since reading this as a child, I have liked the idea of a lost mitten line. (For those of you looking to get rich, maybe you could make one and charge admission?) While I have never seen a line, I do see orphaned mittens that have been picked up and stuck on railings, signposts, fences and trees. Like this:
(photo source)
I'm not sure how many people retrieve their mittens from these places. But, last winter I lost one of my favorite mittens (a felted and embroidered one) while walking the dog. When I re-traced my steps I found that someone had thoughtfully hung it in a nearby tree. Relief. Happiness.
It seems that no one bothers with other clothing--who would pick up a sock for instance? (And also, what are people doing that makes them to loose socks in public places?)
Do you pick up abandoned mittens? What do you do with them? (Or do you pass them by?) Have you had an emotional reuniting with a lost mitten?
