Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Sample leg warmers


Scrimpy first leg warmers, about to be mailed to the twins, so we can learn what textures they prefer and how long to make them (I did not bind off, awaiting news of leg lengths, which I find curiously hard to envision or mentally measure at this distance).

The light pink one, worked in Cascade Fixation (cotton and elastic), was the first one I did. I opted for elastic content to ensure that it would stay up. It's butt ugly, the 2x2 ribbing at the bottom does not grab, the stockinette of the body is boring, and the 1x1 ribbing for the top--which I'd probably extend so one could fold it over as a cuff on the thigh--is marginally better than the rest. Overall, stitches don't look clean and interesting.

The next, worked in a colorway from Dream in Color--a superwash hand-dyed yarn I bought two years ago, and am using mainly for the slow and elaborate Aran sweater I'm back to work on--I like. I did it all in 2x2 ribbing, wonder if it's too thick, and too short (one of those is remediable).

The third, another superwash, is at work in Lamb's Pride superwash Bulky, odd bits stashed from numerous sweaters. It's even thicker than the Dream in Color (Classy).

We'll see. Leg warmers are certainly not interesting to work on. Yet I did get to master the Magic Loop method of little rounds, so find myself eager to make fancy mittens, perhaps even some socks, now that I've got a speedy way to (continue to) avoid double-pointed needles.

And, here's the second Big Sven Sveater, done like the first one in Louet Riverstone. I made up some different-from-the-pattern fair isle patterns for the yoke, and stuck in a few lines of alternative colors across the body and the arms. Mastered the short rows along the upper back, and did 2x2 neck ribbing as soon as I came off the fair isle yoke (the neck was too high on the first one, so I had to turn it twice, instead of once, having mis-measured. I did inattentively misdo the Kitchener stitch under one arm, so can show the class what NOT to do (and will fix it myself before sharing it with Ainsley and Eliza, after the class studies the two samples).

I'm wandering and wondering what big and contained new projects I'll undertake. I want to find a good sweater to make for Elizabeth, for Christmas, make myself a vest, make varieties of , as I said, mittens, socks, and tams/hats. We'll see. My knitting picks up as the Fall semester picks up, each activity compensating for the other...or something.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

How did you like the Louet yarn? Can't wait to hear the twinkies response to the legwarmers. By the way, look at the leggies in Boho Baby Knits at the store for some ideas if you want...