How far around?

So, the legwarmers are just straight tubes of 2 x 2 ribbing. What if you have a shapely leg with a neatly turned ankle, and there is a significant difference between your calf and ankle measurements?

Well, the first thing to remember is that 2 x 2 ribbing is very stretchy. My ankle measures 8" and my calf measures 14". The straight tube fits with room to spare.



I think these could fit up to a 17" calf without cutting off circulation (as long as you remember to wear the stretchier cast on end at the top). But your gauge may be tighter than mine (or, less likely, looser).

Here's what I recommend. Cast on the 48 stitches and work about 2-3 inches, then try it on (see last post). Ideally, it will fit your ankle snugly without being stretched much and your calf not so tightly that you can't slip a finger under it.

If it is allover too loose you could go down a needle size, or cast on four stitches less. If it is allover too tight you could go up a needle size or cast on four stitches more. And if you are intending these to be worn over a pair of pants, rather than next to the skin, you may want to start with more stitches in the first place. (Any multiple of four stitches will work. My choice of 48 was an educated guesstimate.)

But what if it fits like a dream at the ankle and is just too darn tight up top?

The easiest thing to do is to start with larger needles (one size larger is probably sufficient) and change to smaller ones about half way down. (This is an old sock knitter's trick for accomodating a wide calf.)

An only slightly trickier option is to start with more stitches at the top and decrease them on the way down. More on that later......

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While I have slowed a bit in the clearing out project, I have not given it up. Today was #15: Stuff from my grandmother's desk.

Note, this was not my grandmother's stuff, just things that had accumulated in the little drop leaf writing desk that was originally hers. It sits in a corner of our dining room and over the years I have been throwing things into it and very rarely taking any out.

A lot of sorting here. All this stuff plus a two inch stack of loose papers that is now headed for recycling were all jumbled up together. The writing pads are going upstairs to the real working desk. The rest is headed to the thrift store. I now have a beautifully empty drawer.

Nature abhors a vacuum. There is some nagging notion in the back of my mind that if you have a drawer you should put things in it. That is what a drawer is for. Nonetheless, I am going to resist. This particular drawer doesn't open and close easily. Things that go in are hard to get out. Better they shouldn't go in in the first place.

Sorting through the stuffed cubbyholes behind the drop leaf will have to wait for another day.