Sunday, November 23, 2008

Legwarmer and Wristwarmer Patterns

I finished Julia's legwarmers yesterday and as soon as I presented them to her, she said, "I'd really like some wristwarmers to go with those." Fortunately, there was enough yarn left over from the Elann sample pack. Patterns are provided below.

Materials: These materials were from a limited edition sample pack of medium-weight yarns but can be bought separately. They are enough for both sets of legwarmers and wristwarmers.
1 skein Elann Peruvian Highland Wool in Tapestry Blue, 1321 (colour A)
1 skein Elann Peruvian Highland Donegal in Colony Blue, 2163 (colour B)
1 skein Elann Peruvian Sierra Aran in Thistle, 1688 (colour C)
1 skein Elann Peruvian Pure Alpaca in Limoges Blue, 1424 (colour D)
1 skein Elann Peruvian Uros Aran in Antique Blue, 4148 (colour E)
1 skein Elann Incense in Denim, 08 (colour F)
1 set of 4.5mm needles

Gauge: 30 stitches in K2, P2 rib, unstretched

Size: Teen or Women's Small. Length of legwarmer is 17.5 inches, and circumference is a maximum of 15 inches when stretched fully. Length of wristwarmer is 7.25 inches, and circumference is a maximum of 7.5 inches when stretched fully. Increase circumference by adding stitches in multiples of 4 and length by adding stripes as desired.



Instructions for Legwarmers:

For each legwarmer, cast on 62 stitches loosely.
Row 1: Repeat (K2, P2) to last two stitches. K2.
Row 2: Repeat (P2, K2) to last two stitches. P2.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 using the following stripe pattern. Note that the pattern is the same going forward and backward so that you don't have to worry about the orientation of the legwarmers when putting them on.
Stripe pattern: 4A, 4B, 2C, 6D, 4E, 4F, 2E, 8B, 4A, 4C, 2A, 6D, 4E, 6D, 2A, 4C, 4A, 8B, 2E, 4F, 4E, 6D, 2C, 4B, 4A.
Cast off loosely and sew seam, weaving in ends into the seam.


Instructions for Wristwarmers:

For each wristwarmer, cast on 30 stitches loosely.
Row 1: Repeat (K2, P2) to last two stitches. K2.
Row 2: Repeat (P2, K2) to last two stitches. P2.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 using the following stripe pattern. Note that only three of the six colours are used and can be carried up the side loosely if you want to reduce bulk in the seam.
Stripe pattern: 4D, 4F, 2E, 4F, 2D, 4E, 2F, 2D, 2F, 4E, 2D, 4F, 2E, 4F, 4D.
Cast off loosely and sew seam.

9 comments:

audreyjlaferriere@gmail.com said...

Can you tell me a novice how to knit the legwarmers so they are seamless.

Paulina said...

Hi Audrey,
To knit the legwarmers so they are seamless, just cast on 60 stitches instead of 62 and work in the round. If you're not familiar with knitting in the round, just Google it and you'll be able to find lots of instructional videos. Good luck!

Jennifer Hall said...

How many more stitches would you recommend to make these a little bigger? 10 more? And why not just cast on a multiple of 4 and K2, P2 every row?

Paulina said...

Hi Jennifer,
To increase the width, just add any multiple of four stitches. The number of multiples would depend on your gauge and the desired width. The pattern uses a multiple of 4 plus 2 extra stitches for seaming. If you decide to make the legwarmers in the round, then just use a multiple of 4 and omit the seam stitches.

Jennifer Hall said...

Oh for the seaming! of course! Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hi Paulina- I'm a bit confused about adding stitches to the legwarmers to increase to 17" calf diameter. You say your gauge is 30 stitches in K2, P2 rib, unstretched. Is that 30 stitches over 4"? With my yarn, I'm knitting about 17-18 stitches and 23-24 rows per 4 inches. How many stitches would you suggest that I cast on to the pattern to accommodate my calves? I plan to knit in the round, so I'll subtract the 2 extra stitches as previously advised. Thank you!

Paulina said...

Hi Monica,
Yes, the 30 stitches is over 4". You'll have to do a bit of math here. First, figure out what circumference you need for your calves, keeping in mind that the fabric will be stretchy. It's probably best to take your swatch, stretch it a small amount (about the same as when you are wearing it) and then calculate how many stitches you'll need to go around your calves. Then, choose the multiple of 4 that's closest to that number.

nancy said...

What length cable would you suggest if you were to knit in the round?

Paulina said...

You'd probably need a 40cm needle for the legwarmers. The wrist-warmers would need double-pointed needles for stitching in the round.