D.I.Y: Arm Warmers For Beginners

Go to any rave, industrial or goth club and you are likely to find people with arm warmers. I'm always amazed when I see these strips of fabric sold in stores. Not because they aren't practical; they really do warm your arms. For those of us who use our arms a lot while dancing, either to show strong, quick arm motions or to float towards the air in slow swirling spirals, arm warmers are also a fantastic accessory.

The great thing about arm warmers is of all the things you try to D.I.Y. (do it yourself), this is probably the one thing you can do that will turn out correctly, is easy to fix if it doesn't quite turn out correct and is probably the cheapest thing you won't scream about messing up if you have to chuck in the trash.

First, if this is your first D.I.Y project, the best thing is to take a pair of old socks, preferable one with a hole in the toe. You are going to cut this part off and this gives you the opportunity to "recycle" something instead of throwing it in the trash.

Please make sure the socks are clean. This seems obvious, but you never know.

What you need: Socks. Scissors. Any kind of adornment i.e. safety pins, glitter.

1. If you want thumb catches (the little part of the warmer that fits over the thumb) in short socks, you will need to cut off right above the ankle part of the sock. If you have long socks or don't want a thumb catch (it's easier to keep the warmer in place with the catch, but I find it gets a little, um, iffy with sanitary issues--make sure you pull this part away from the skin and roll down if you need to shake a lot of hands or use the restroom), cut off the entire foot area.

2. If you want a thumb catch, stick you hand in the cut off sock and see where your thumb is. Cut a hole in the sock there. On short socks with a thumb catch, cut the hole where the ankle part is.

3. You can add in safety pins or spikes or glitter or cut holes in the socks for added detail.

4. Wear. If you don't want a thumb catch, just wear.

This works especially well if are in the deathrock or industrial scenes because you don't have to worry so much about being even with the cutting.

Victorian Goths, I recommend you splurge on a nice pair of lace gloves. You can usually get a fairly cheap pair (think under $10) on the internet.This are easy to clean and you will always get usage out of them.

Also, if you have an old pair of long gloves, like the kind for prom, and you aren't doing anything with them, you can cut the tips off to make a nice fingerless arm warmer. Be wary of sanitary issues with these.

Hopefully, this will save you $10-$25 dollars. Have fun and enjoy wearing something you made yourself, even if it's just something small. I have definitely gotten positive comments at goth clubs on a pair of faux red velvet gloves I transformed into fingerless arm warmers.