Question about crocheted mittens

[flor-enojada.livejournal.com]

What is with the lack of good, structured, nice-looking mitten patterns to crochet? Apparently there are plenty to knit, but... well, I just can't knit well enough to make them. From a pattern I found online awhile ago, here's my prototype:


Sorry about the picture quality; it turns out that taking pictures of my own hand is even harder when I have to work the camera left-handed!




The overall pattern of this was good. I had to modify it a bit to keep it from looking quite so much like an ill-fitting square sack with a thumb, and it still doesn't look all that great unless it's actually on a hand. It more or less works, though, and I'm fairly happy with it. The original pattern could be right- or left-handed (the thumb stuck straight out from the side), and one of the ways I modified it was to twist the placement of the thumb, which also made it more comfortable.

I'd like to make a few pairs as Christmas gifts, and I'd like to use wool (this one was plain old Red Heart) and felt them, but I've never tried felting before. Those bobbles you see on the mitten are made by alternating single and treble crochet along each row, so that the shorter sc pulls the top of the tc down and makes it puff out. Do you think I'd lose that bobble pattern if I felted it? I'd rather not waste the more expensive wool if it's just going to be ruined by felting it.

Thanks in advance for any advice you might have!