Still in love with that lost glove?

We’re all familiar with the unanswerable quandary about how a sock gets lost on the way to/from the dryer. For Carnegie Mellon student Jennifer Gooch, the sight of another pairless, appendage-covering garment sparked a rescue effort that is gaining fame world-wide.

Gooch started the Web site One Cold Hand after seeing the number of lost and lonely gloves along Pittsburgh streets. She now collects the abandoned items (which would otherwise presumably become trash–hence the connection to my topic). Gooch pins the gloves to an art wall in her studio, posts a description online (rather than on a milk carton), and waits for someone to claim them. She’s still waiting, as no one has claimed one yet. But several people have started to contribute to her stock, sending in gloves they have found in Pittsburgh streets. As of now, Gooch isn’t taking any donations from other cities, but she encourages people to start a One Cold Hand of their own.

Since starting the site two weeks ago, Gooch has already been written about by the New York Times, Associated Press, and 140 other newspapers/Web sites. Tonight, she will be interviewed by the BBC for their BBC 5 Live “Up All Night” program.

Just one more example of how popular it’s becoming to rescue refuge!