If Straight Ain't Great

No, I'm still talking about legwarmers, what did you think I was talking about?

Maybe you said to yourself, "That talk about stretchy ribbing is all very well, but I still want more room at the top of mine."

OK, here is one way to do it. (There are probably dozens of other ways to approach this, undoubtedly many more elegant than this, but it's one way.)

Cast on 8 more stitches than you want to end up with at the ankle. (If you want to end up with 48 sts, cast on 56).

Work the 2 x 2 rib for half of your desired length.

Set up by placing a marker at the beginning of the round (if you don't already have one there), then k2, p2, k2, p2, k2, place another marker and finish the round in pattern. There should by 10 stitches between those markers.



Pretend the red marker is the beginning of a round.

First decrease round: Slip the marker, k1, ssk, p1, k2, p1, k2tog, k1, slip marker and complete round. There are now 8 stitches between the markers.




Work five rounds even in pattern, which means: when you come to a knit stitch, knit it; when you come to a purl stitch, purl it.

Second decrease round: Slip marker, k1, ssk, p2, k2tog, k1, slip marker and complete round. (6 sts between markers).





Work five rounds even in pattern.

Third decrease round: Slip marker, k1, ssk, k2tog, k1, slip marker and complete round (4 sts between markers).



Work five rounds even in pattern.

Fourth decrease round: Slip marker,k2tog, ssk, slip marker and complete round (2 sts between markers).





From here on, work in k2, p2 rib until you reach your desired length.

Here's what the whole section looks like. Note that for shorter legs you could work just 4 even rounds between the decrease rounds. For really long legs you could go up to 6 even rounds.




Now that's enough, perhaps more than enough, on that subject. New topic: "I have never knit a _____, and probably never will." Discuss among yourselves.

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.

Long Enough

Barbara asked: "About the legwarmers, how long is enough? And what about those of us with queenly calves - how many stitches? Any ideas? "

How long? Well this long.



I like the top of my legwarmers to come a little below the knee. I'm 5' 7", which I used to consider tall, but these days is more like average. The item in the picture measures 11" when it is on my leg. However, it measures 12" when it is off my leg and laid flat. Whaaaa? Why is that? Because putting them on stretches the ribbing widthwise: and when ribbing is stretched widthwise it shortens lengthwise.

So my ballpark figure is: measure the length from your ankle to wherever you want the top of your legwarmers to fall, then add a good inch to that.

To my mind, the best thing to do is to try the first one on before binding off. If you have been working on two circs (or using the magic loop) this shouldn't be too hard. If you work, as I do, on double pointed needles you may want to slip the stitches onto a piece of waste yarn or a circular needle first. I generally don't bother with this, though.

If I have my stitches on three needles, (knitting with a fourth), I do arrange the stitches on four needles before trying on. Why? 1) fewer stitches per needle makes it less likely that any stitches will fall off the ends in the process, and 2) I have snapped smaller needles pulling the whole thing over my heel when the stitches have only been distributed on three. (Also, pull the legwarmer on cast-on edge first, so the needles are at the narrower, ankle, end of things.)

However you decide to manage it, try the thing on, pulling the top up to wherever you want it to be and figure how much longer you want it. Mark the round you are on, then knit the "how much longer".

Having now definitively and oh so precisely answered the length question, I'll try to address circumference issues in the next post.

Not Rocket Science

or How to Knit Legwarmers

Use Worsted weight yarn and whatever size needles you usually use with worsted. Better yet, use needles one size smaller.

Cast on 48 stitches and join to work in the round.

Work in k2, p2 rib, changing colors as you fancy (or as the yarn supply dictates) until they are long enough.

Bind off loosely.

If you want to make these for a child, cast on 36 sts and proceed as above.

Edited to add: further discussion/elaboration here, here and here.








Not fancy, but functional. This one is about 3/4 done.











The Mix It Up socks are 100 per cent done. I was working on these at my regular Thurs night group last week and happened to mention that this was not self striping yarn. For some reason, this impressed two of the others beyond measure. I don't get it. One of them was working on lace, and the other has made a sweater with stripes. Maybe they were just being polite.



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Category #14 in the life destash project is "Things You Can Palm Off on Others".

Here are some nice pieces of cotton fabric, not big enough for actual garments, but would be good for cute crafty projects.






I do not sew worth beans, but I know some people who do. If any of these people happen to show up at Last Saturday Knitting, and happen to want any of this, I'll be hauling it along. Just sayin'.