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Vermont Teacher Who Made Bernie's Viral Inauguration Mittens Is 'Flattered' That They're Such A Hit

Mike Walsh
Jan. 25, 2021
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

If you've been on the internet at all this week, you've seen the legendary "Bernie Sanders sitting on a chair with mittens" meme. It's everywhere.

And we mean literally everywhere.





But do you know where Bernie Sanders got his legendary mittens?

The answer is from Jen Ellis, a second-grade teacher in Vermont, who knit the mittens for her daughter's preschool teachers in 2016.

One of those teachers happened to be Liza Driscoll, who is Senator Sanders' daughter-in-law.

Contrary to the above tweet, in an interview with Jewish Insider, Ellis said she's not much in the business of knitting thick mittens any longer.

"Honestly, I don't really do it a lot anymore. I'm flattered that they want them, but there are lots of people on Etsy who sell them and hopefully people will get some business from them, but I'm not going to quit my day job. I am a second grade teacher, and I'm a mom, and all that keeps me really busy."





But according to Ellis, Bernie began wearing these religiously a year ago on the campaign trail.

I'm so excited that he likes the mittens and he wants to wear them," Ellis told NPR.

"They are practical and warm, and they look nice. And, yeah, I had no idea that this is what would happen."






"I've tried not to let all of the mitten business overshadow the gloriousness of sitting with my five-year-old daughter and my partner and watching the first woman be sworn in as Vice President. That's amazing," said Ellis.

Ellis and her wife reside in Vermont with their daughter.