Leg Warmers and Headband Gift Set

Any time I don't feel well, I end up knitting. It's quiet, and I can work in the near dark. This has been a bad week for headaches therefore a great week for knitting.

Last night, I got the urge to make leg warmers for Gwenny. Did I mention I'm also an emotional knitter, making whatever I "feel" like knitting?  G looks so cute in her skirts and jumpers, but her little legs get really cold. Leg warmers seemed like an obvious solution. I dug through my yarn bin for scraps and whipped up these.

Then... if you make leg warmers for Gwenny, you're going to have to make a headband for Afton. Still recovering from last week's children's book bonanza. After they were finished, I realized that the set made a great last minute baby shower gift/diaper cake topper.

Legwarmers

Construction-wise, these are the definition of versatility. Dig through your yarn bin for any leftover yarn in pretty much any color, thickness or material. Just adjust your stitch count to your gauge.

I suggest wool, but acrylic works too. Cotton doesn't have enough stretch for this pattern, but I'll post another soon using cotton.

You can use one color or more. You can make the stripes any thickness you want. I made thick stripes by changing the color every 6 rows, but they would be super cute with thin strips, changing every row or ever other row, or even a pin strip effect, using one color for 4 rows and a coordinating color for 1. Also, a variegated yarn would look great. Go crazy. They're leg warmers. They don't have to make sense.

You will need:

Size 4 for infant or size 7 for toddler dpn

Worsted weight yarn (I used less than 100 yards for the entire set)

Tapestry needle

Tape measure

Scissors

Gauge: 4 st to an inch, 6 rows to an inch

abbreviations

dpn double pointed needles

k knit

p purl

st stitches

sl slip

ssk slip, slip knit

k2tog knit 2 together

m1 make one

If you're new to increasing/decreasing, read this.

Instructions

Cast on 24 st using a knitted cast on

Evenly distribute st along 3 dpn for circular knitting (if you've never knitted in the round, watch this video)

Cuff:

Row 1: k2 p2* repeat until end

Row 2-6: repeat row 1

Body:

Row 7: if changing colors, do so here k to end of row

Continue stockinette stitch until leg warmer is 6" long (or 1" short of desired length). If changing color for cuff, k one round in new color before beginning ribbing again. Otherwise the color change will look awkward.

Repeat cuff instructions and finish using sewn bind off. Make sure you use this bind off method, otherwise you will create a really cute tourniquet. 

Headband

Using worsted yarn and size 7 dpn, cast on 4 (6 for toddler) stitches - using a provisional cast on looks better when you graft the ends together, but it's not necessary.

Row 1: sl first st, k3(5)

Repeat row 1 until headband measures 11" for infant, 16" for toddler

Join ends using kitchener's stitch (instructions for joining garter stitch are at the bottom of the page)

Bow

Cast on 5 st to size 7 dpn

row 1-8: sl first st, k4

row 9: k1, ssk, k1, k2tog, k1 (3 st)

row 10-26: sl first st, k2

row 27: k1, m1, k1, m1, k1 (5 st)

row 28-36: sl first st, k 4

Use a regular bind off on row 36.

Tie the bow in a half hitch and sew to headband using leftover yarn and tapestry needle.

These instructions might sound daunting, but I made the whole set in about 3 hours under the influence of migraine meds. You can do it!

Back to needles

I'm knitting again. Swollen fingers and pregnancy carpal tunnel have made knitting an undesirable hobby for the last couple months, plus I have a hard time knitting stuff for cold weather during hot sticky summer days. However, I've recently hit a knitting streak.

By knitting, I mean yarn craft in general. I crochet as much as I knit. But "knitting" is a much less cumbersome word than "crocheting" (which is even a trick to type).

Anyway, it started one evening when we took Baby G to a restaurant where she sat directly under an AC vent and was turning blue by the time dinner was over. I decided that she needed a short sleeve jacket of sorts to wear on summer and fall evenings when the AC is on high or the weather drops a few degrees. That sent me digging through my yarn stash (a super size ziploc storage bag that is so full, I can't shut it anymore) where I found some very soft Caron Eco yarn. My mom is shuttering even as she reads this because she doesn't believe in any yarn that isn't at least 123% natural fiber and hand painted, but I don't have her yarn budget.

Her little sweater was a crocheting delight - almost instant gratification. I remembered how nice a quiet craft is. While I love the even more instant gratification of sewing, I don't love the sewing machine waking G from her nap or working in the sweat shop I refer to as my sewing room. Knitting, on the other hand, can be done in any convenient location in silence except for the soothing background noise of a movie.

I'm looking forward to knitting a few items for our new baby as well as for my friends who have recently become mommas. Happy needles, yet again.

P.S. The basic pattern came from ravelry although I modified it some to fit my needs.

New Craft Day

My girl is in a benadryl induced coma (part of the diaper rash regiment - she actually has hives), so I am taking some time to work on my neglected blog. Thank you for being patient while my family was here. I really enjoyed the visit.

Good news - someone is viewing our house in Knoxville today for a second showing after getting their finances in order. I'm very excited at the prospect of finding somewhere permanent to live in Virginia. Big thank you to the Fehl's for providing us with a home thus far.

My house is in order; we have plenty of leftovers; Tim's at work; it's raining. Is that not the most amazing description of a craft day? It doesn't get any better.

My mom always motivates me to start knitting. She is a wonderful knitter who always has the best yarn. I know it's a sin, but I covet her yarn basket. Anyway, since she was just here, knitting every time she sat down, I dug through some ravelry patterns looking for a new project to tackle.

My ultimate goal is to knit my first pair of socks with yarn my mom gave me. I want to knit them both at the same time because, as any of my readers know, I don't like multi part projects. To practice knitting two items in the round at the same time on the same needles, I've started a pair of leg warmers for G. They should knit quickly and come in handy in the next few weeks. She has started rolling over easily - front to back and back to front. Next step, scooting.

I frequently become distracted while writing, looking for different craft projects and any available dogs on craigslist (I really want a dog). Today, I stumbled upon a video for DIY shoes from Patagonia. Of course, I can't find them for sale anywhere, but it started me thinking about how easy it would be to make a pair of moccasins. Hmm... I see a day of leather punching in my future.