Austin Grabish

Mittens similar to those Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders wore at last week's U.S. presidential inauguration are now for sale in Winnipeg, just in time for this week's extreme cold snap.

Newcomer women in the Cutting Edge program run through the Canadian Muslim Women's Institute&nbsp;are selling the cozy-looking mitts, which they're making from old sweaters from local thrift stores.&nbsp;

"It's a cold week. Winnipeg needs mittens more than ever and so if you're looking to switch up your fashion as you're going on the river trail, these are the right gloves to get," said Anne-Lydie Bolay, operations director of the program, which trains newcomer women to work as sewing machine operators.

TOPSHOT - Former presidential candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) sits in the bleachers on Capitol Hill before Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th US President on January 20, 2021, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

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A photo of Sanders wearing homemade mitts at U.S. President Joe Biden's inauguration went viral last week.

Bolay said the mittens are relatively easy to make and bulk production started&nbsp;on Wednesday, with women in the program prepared to sew thousands of pairs.&nbsp;

A prototype of the mittens newcomer women make in Winnipeg.

Bernie Sanders mittens made by Winnipeg newcomers

"The more we can make or we can produce, the more hours of employment that we can give to newcomer women that are facing barriers to employment."&nbsp;&nbsp;

Amina Badamassy will spend the next few days sewing the Bernie mitts before graduating from the program next week.&nbsp;

"I learned many things. It's good for me and for my life," said Badamassy, who spent years in a refugee camp in Chad before coming to Winnipeg in 2018.

The mitts are being sold for $40 through Local Investment Toward Employment, which has 

 that sells goods made by social enterprises.

Woman behind viral mittens tells story of how they ended up on Bernie Sanders's hands

Jen Ellis of Vermont didn't know when she gave a pair of homemade brown and white mittens to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders five years ago, they would eventually become one of the defining images of President Joe Biden's inauguration Wednesday. 

You know those cozy mittens Bernie Sanders wore to the Biden/Harris inauguration? You may want to get yourself a pair.

Bernie's mittens

Man sitting on folding chair wearing medical mask and mittens

United States Sen. Bernie Sanders sits in the bleachers on Capitol Hill at President Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony Wednesday in Washington, D.C. The image of Sanders has gone viral, and with it, the mittens he's wearing. 

Woman behind Bernie Sanders's viral mittens shares how they ended up on his hands

Newcomer women stitch masks that allow new Canadians, deaf people to read wearer's lips

A Winnipeg social enterprise is hiring newcomer women to make specialized masks to help in the fight against COVID-19.

Alia Mohammed, a sewer at the Cutting Edge program, with one of the  masks she's made. The newcomer from Ethiopia is getting employment through the social enterprise while making masks to be sold during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Alia Mohammed Winnipeg Cutting Edge program participant.

"It's always really exciting to really see that something as simple as making mitts could create employment and well-being for people who are new to our community," said LITE executive director Tyler Pearce.&nbsp;

"We talk about social impact purchasing and that's what these mitts are kind of about."

Badamassy hopes the sewing and English skills she's learned over the last six months will lead to full-time employment.&nbsp;

"Now I'm ready to get the job."&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Amina Badamassy, a newcomer who spent years in a refugee camp in Chad before coming to Winnipeg in 2018, is sewing mittens similar to the ones Bernie Sanders wore at last week's U.S. presidential inauguration. 

Viral photo of Bernie Sanders' mittens creates job opportunity for newcomer sewers

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