For a while now, I’ve been trying to bring legwarmers back.
These make me so glad I did.
Pattern: Une Cabled Legwarmers, free pattern from Berroco (here on Ravelry)
Size: one size
Yarn: Knit Picks Sierra (now Cadena) super-bulky, Natural color, 70% Peruvian Highland Wool / 30% Superfine Alpaca; I used 3 100-gram skeins and part of a 4th, totaling approximately 350 yards
Needles: size 10 (6.0 mm) and size 8 (5.0 mm) straights
Modifications: Changed pattern so it didn’t have the attached clogs, started by casting on 52 stitches and working 7 rounds of 1×1 ribbing at ankle
Started: January 5, 2009
Finished: January 14, 2009
I started knitting in part because I wanted so badly to make myself a pair of legwarmers. They are such a perfect item for frigid cold weather like we’ve been experiencing lately, and they make it that I can actually stay warmer wearing skirts and dress shoes than if I wore pants.
This pattern is fast, fun, and intuitive. You knit them flat on straights, which I think makes it go a little faster, and it avoided issues with ladders like I usually get when working at a large gauge in the round.
One seam up the back et voilà, legwarmers!
I was nervous about the cables, but they were much easier than I anticipated. I love the plaited look of them, and they were actually really fun to do.
In this yarn, they are so squishy and sculptural, and they make an elegant, but strong statement.
I feel as though I should write a love letter to this yarn. I bought it several years ago to make a capelet that looked disastrous on me. When I found this pattern, I was thrilled, as it was a much more suitable use of such warm, snuggly, thick, and crazy soft yarn.
This is actually a slightly heavier yarn than the pattern called for, but it was a nominal difference which makes them roomy enough on my ankles to pull down over my shoes, but still fitted enough to stay up at my calves and knees. The top ribbing is just long enough to pull over my knees on really cold days, but perfect if I fold them over as shown.
These are so cozy that I don’t just wear them when I want to be stylishly warm out in public. In fact most often, I wear them around the house with slippers.
My legs have never been happier.
I refuse to give in to legwarmers (even though those are some damn cute ones), but – I want your shoes! So cute. *covets*
I love these! I thought I was of the anti-legwarmer camp until now!
Very nice! I’ve got legwarmers in my queue and I’ll probably just wear them around the house because I don’t go out in cold weather much… :p Love the MJ’s!
Luv them! I didn’t even think about wearing them around the house too!!
I’ve been wanting to knit leg warmers for some time now!
And I will have to try that yarn out too!
while i love these (and may attempt my own), i also love your shoes. where can i get those SHOES??!?
Hi Vicki,
So is there just one cable in the front of these legs warmers? Or, is there one in the back as well? Also I want to knit them the way you did. When you cast on your 52 stitches and and knit your rib 7 rows did you decrease or did you just knit your knit and purl rows with your cable included? Thanks. Anticipating your resonse Grace