Super cool legwarmer! I haven't had a pair of those in, oh I don't know...25 years?!

I am still too chicken to knit in the round. Love the idea of a wine cozy tho!

OMG! I too have been wanting to knit legwarmers. I don't know why...I live in the South. But there you have it. '80's nostalgia??

So...wine cozies it is! Because I am also short of stature or vertically challenged, whatever. Plus, I'm pretty sure after knitting one that I will probably be wanting to move on. Depending on the size of the wine bottle and all.

Looks to me like one of those things to store plastic grocery bags in. Maybe you could reuse it for that? LOL :-P

You could sew up one end and add a strap to the other and have a very funky long purse if your wine is already cozy. Or maybe it could be a wine carrier! Arrive in handknit style with a bottle of wine slung over your shoulder!

Good for you! Consider yourself the Schackleton of knitters (in the best possible sense, not the doomed arctic expedition sense). Would you consider knitting the whole thing side to side? Yeah, you'd loose the stripiness. Would you consider knitting it all in ribbing (the bettter to fit your leg)? Leave it as it is, as a tunnel for your cats?

Or a kitty cozy...don't you suppose they would like to crawl in and pop out the other end? Well, maybe not this week when you have 90+ degrees.

You are now halfway through knitting a sock, you know. Socks never make anyone look fat and you can make up your own patterns very easily. I'm just saying. (cough cough, ADDICTED TO SOCK KNITTING, cough, cough)

You know you want to!! ;o)

"Work in stockinette in the round for as long as you can stand it."

Laurie, you make me laugh!!! I would love seeing instructions as honest as these in other patterns.

Is anyone else hearing the theme from Flashdance in their head right now??

So very close to sock...or even fuzzy geet.

I was thinking kitty kozy as well. Although, my princess would look at me, with THAT look, and say, "Not in this lifetime!"

HEE!!

You DO have feet down there somewhere, right?

I LOVE the self-stiping stuff!!

I think it's cute, but I agree, probably would never get worn at my house, either. I too am tired of knitting non-functional items. I have knit about a million hats, and I don't even wear hats. Most of the scarves I've knit are too itchy and they never get worn, why don't I remember that I can't wear wool around my neck when I'm in the yarn store?

what about vertical stripes? more stitches per round, but way less rounds!! i bet it would look purdy in SWS

Why just one? Do your legs get cold one at a time? If so you must have a syndrome or affliction of some kind, that means you need foundation to cure or raise awareness for your "condition". Money = more yarn and that everyone is aware of your need for more yarn to support your only one cold leg at a time. I'm thinking we may need a bumper sticker to support this important cause. Contest? You love contests CAP.

It could easily morph into a yoga mat carrier if you sew up one end. Very pretty yarn! And Cara has a great idea, knit a flat piece of welts rather than ribs (ie, stockinette x a couple rows, reverse stockinette x a few rows, continue ad nauseam) and sew it into a tube. But I think you have to be nearly skeletal to look good in those things. All I know is that I remember them from the first time around which makes me too old to wear them now.

One of these days I will branch out from my square.. or if I'm feeling adventerous.. rectangle(!!!) knitting and attempt this circular business. The whole joining to knit in the round sounds hard though.

Hey! Leg-warmers! I take ballet classes, and found a cheap pair of charcoal grey leg-warmers at this store called "Forever 21". The joke is on them because I am not 21 and can't fit my hips in any of their clothing. Anyways, I lost one, so now one of my legs is warmless. How hard is this for a beginner to knit?

Couldn't you just make the ribbing at one end tighter with smaller needles and make it an arm warmer? you know - for when you are wearing short sleeves and the a/c is on too high in the office?

Or maybe it is just me who has gigantor upper arms and itsy-bitsy wrists, with arctic weather at work?

Ooooh, that IS lovely yarn! I've never used the self-striping as I mainly make doilies, but it drives me crazy as to HOW it makes stripes that look so lovely. And your leg warmer/wine cozy is gorgeous.

I bet it would also look lovely on a short giraffe.
.

For all those with extra hats...or who would like to knit extra hats for charity, there is Warm Woollys that will give them to people in very cold places who need them. It's one of my favorite excuses to knit. As if an excuse is needed...

Warm Woolies...sorry. Google can find it!

Step away from the circular needles with your hands in the air...

I love how you write your patterns. I wish book patterns were published this way instead of abbreviated and obtuse!

I will give you a dollar if you put a cat in there.

Yes, put the Sobatater in it. A cat cocoon. I also like the yoga mat carrier idea. Put an i-cord on for the strap. Tres chic. Except I don't do yoga. It rots your brain. Apparently, you also have to be thin to do yoga. I went into a local yoga apparel store and the sizes only went from 0 to 12. RRRRRR

If you do decide to felt it, bear in mind that SWS felts like a son-of-a-gun. I have never had a problem with overfelting before; but in five minutes, the project that I was just trying to tighten up a little bit, shrank to become a fabric that should last until the 25th century, so thick and 'sturdy' is it. So keep a close eye on it!

I like it as a leg-warmer.. I've been going to knit some for my Grand-daughter if she ever takes another dance class. Like you, I tend to make up my patterns as I go.

You are so funny and keep me laughing. I love this blog!!!
Denise

You know I think it looks nice on you .... call me mad, but there you are!

Nancy, do not be scared! The only scary part of knitting in the round is joining, wherein you make sure by checking five times (if you are me) that your tube is not twisted. Even if you are an experienced knitter you must do this. Ask me how I know. But once you have joined successfully, you can just keep knitting around and around and around, no purling at all, and you come out with stockinette. It is magic.

Ahem. Anyway. I think the legwarmers are quite lovely, and we do still wear them here in the decadent, not to mention frequently chilly, Northeast.

And now you're only a few "steps" (har!) away from knitting socks!!

Laurie -

Just drink the Sock Knitting Kool-Ade and be done with it. You know you want to....drink the kool-ade, Laurie, drink the koooool-aaaaaade.....

Seriously - socks rock! And if you take a class, not as hard as you'd think! Plus they are perfect for those of us with a little ADD, because something new is always happening so you can't get bored. (this is boring...oh look, the heel!) And they are small and portable. And Lion Brand just came out with Sock-Ease. And.... say, I think I'll go cast some on right now.

Kendra - doomed arctic expedition of knitting....that made me laugh out loud!

Maybe you could scrunch them around your ankle a la those aerobics tapes of yesteryear? Gosh! Maybe big hair, nuclear bangs and shoulder pads will be next! Let me rethink this.

Rib clings without mercy - a good remedy for the falling down part...unless...see above...

Make it bigger and you'd have a skirt!

I will also kick in a dollar to see a cat in there.

Come on Laurie...just make socks already! :-) Of course, I say this as someone who just moved to the Deep South and hasn't worn a pair of socks since I stepped out of the moving van...

Like the wine cozy idea, too--the yarn is fabulous, btw.

I think it's so fabulous that you are so creative! And you're getting such great ideas here! Jennifer Beals, here we come!

"knit in the round as long as you can stand to" - just like Elizabeth Zimmerman used to say! Don't you ever try to tell us again that you aren't "a knitter"! And Good On You - for inspiring the whole bunch of us! I tend to think of yarn as a necessity, but am doing much better about shopping the Farmer's Market, rather than dumping the veg crisper every three weeks into the compost (you know you all understand that, right?)The closets, and basement, on the other hand - well, I might just have to break down and do some e-Bay sorting - once I learn how to do that, mind!

Anyway - Yay! Laurie, and have fun at BEA

p.s. about the doggie brother? yeah, well, --- what they all said! cubed.

Jenni in Edmonton where my tomato plants on the front porch have blossoms!!!

How 'bout just scrunching down the leg warmer and using it for a cowl 'cause it's just so darn cold in the Valley this time of year! hahahahahahaha!

That would make a good zuke warmer, if you have the giant zukes this year.

I like Maureen's comment the best. Those monster zukes you grow maybe need something lurvley to wear as they take over the back 40.

Just suck it up and come on over to the dark side...er....sock knitting!

Cut some holes in it and it is a cat warmer!

I'm a self-taught knitter who couldn't work from a pattern to save my life. I also have the same "afflicton" with cooking. Fortunately, like you Laurie, I do both things well enough for it not to matter.

And yeah, those leg warmers are just a few tweaks from being socks. I made myself some "socks" by doing the ribbing followed by the stockinette. I cast off and hand-stitched that end to a seam. Voila, warm soft house socks with a fashionable square toe! I don't even mind that one is a bit longer than the other.

I tagged you - check our blog.

well I love your humor . Your leg and that leg warmer is great but I also share the large leg . Just accept that even when you knit very good sometimes our body's just don't look good in what we make(bad body's ) lol, but keep on knitting and writing , as I just adore you I do !!!!

Hey how about using that leg warmer for one of your Cats >? haha well just a thought here kitty hahahh

See, I find one leg warmer entirely practical ;-)

HarHar, zuke warmer. I love that yarn; something almost matte, yet silky about it. How about felt it, put a can at the bottom of it and it could hold knitting needles? Felt it, put a thumb hole at the end of it, maybe beads somewhere and next winter it could be one of those cool arm-warmer-thingies?

Hahahahaha!! Short giraffe!! Hahaha!! I wanna see one of those!

(ref: Brat's comment above)

if it is any consolation. I also knit one leg warmer.. and now I use it as an arm warmer. I plan on knitting the second one too. I wanted it to keep my legs warm while I ride my bike.. but it didn't fit my gigantor calf.. but it fits my arms just fine. you might want to consider that...

I vote for the wine carrier or yoga mat bag if you add a shoulder strap and securely stitch one end closed. You could even add a drawstring and toggle at the top. Love the colors!

"She's a maniac, maniac on the floor & she's dancing like she's never danced before..." I'll be singing that song all weekend now!!

I vote for cat-carrier/wine cozie...those honkin magnums of red need to be at the proper warm temp!

Happy Friday to all...K. in WPB-adjacent (well, actually on the road...in Tallahassee lassie and tomorrow Ft. Walton Beach & the grandkid's 1st b-day...and, of course, wine!!)

Thanks for showing something you knitted in Patton SWS. I ogle that yarn every time I'm at the craft store. Next time it's coming home with me.

Your legwarmer reminded me of the movie Fame, and also reminded me of the tv show of the same name. I found a few episodes of Fame on Hulu.com.

If you're feeling nostalgic, here's a link.

http://www.hulu.com/fame

If you really felt it down, you could totally annoy Soba by using it as a cat body warmer.

I'd cut the claws before attempting to put it on though.

Hehe.

Love the color. Have the same stuff. Thinking about making the Booga Bag out of it.

I was just about to say...
*not a sock* please don't let it be a leg warmer, and I scroll down and there it is... in all it's leg warmer glory!!!!

OMGWTFBBQ!!!

I think it's actually kind of cute. I just wouldn't put ribbing on the bottom, then wear them all scrunched down with a short skirt and sneakers...

I am also 22 and go to college, where plaid pajama pants and Homer Simpson Slippers are perfectly acceptable daywear. (Especially if they say "D'OH!" after every step.)

My portable, non-sock/glove projects are usually for my cat. Just knit a tube, a pouch, a circle, a whatever, and stuff it with dried catnip and tie off the ends when you get home. My kitties love me, even if my hands and feet are cold sometimes.

Leg warmers are kinda popular for babies right now--Google Babylegs. You can get your knitting fix and call them baby presents. That almost sounds frugal...

I was wondering if they would ever come back....leg warmers. I think it is something that needs to be resurrected, esp. when leaving the gym and getting to the car. I think you aren't supposed to put them on over your pants leg, but I'm not sure anymore. If I keep reading your blog I'm liable to start knitting again, which the only time I did that was when I was trying to quit smoking and I did that 14 months ago today. yay! I still have my knitting needles and some practice yarn. However, we are having friends over tonight for a party and it just wouldn't be cool to sit and knit instead of talking to them. :) I'll get it out tomorrow.

I missed the comments on using it for the cats! I will also kick in a buck to see you stuff one of the furry ones in for a vet visit. Be easier than wrapping them in a towel or something to keep them immobilized (I once had a cat who did not keep still even when being gripped by the scruff--I warned the vet and his assistant...the vet ended up in one corner the cat in the other glaring at each other--he was a very strong cat)

My 80 year old mom asked me to knit her leg warmers to wear under her jeans, she lives in Missouri. I also did my own pattern which is similar to yours but I did decreases every inch or so, so that the warmer conformed to the shape of her leg. I just used her measurements just below her knee, mid calf and at ankle. she loves them and has asked for a second pair.

I have the same "I don't wanna knit someone else's pattern" disease... I spend hours hunting and digging and looking at patterns and yet none are ever quite what I want.... Not sure why that is. But, for weeks now I've been swatching to design myself a lacy shrug sweater to go over a sleeveless top I bought because I need to cover the glaringly white giant arms... Oddly enough I just finished a pair of cabled legwarmers for my mom (per her request, not just some crazyass scheme I dreamed up. Because, unlike me, she is NOT a child of the 80s...she just says it's cold sitting at the computer.) I followed a pattern on this one, but they came out really giant... she's getting them anyway...

Okay - by the numbers:

1 - Your calves DO look large in the photo - and lumpy. To my recollection, you don't wear leg warmers OVER the pant leg!! The bad news; if they fit over the pant leg, unless stretched to the max, they're too big for your leg. The good news; they're too big for your leg - YAY!!

2 - DO NOT accept any $1 offers to stick a cat in there. That won't even cover the cost of the antiseptic; hold out for at least enough to cover the gauze, too! Did I ever tell ya about the time I had to keep going back to the ER for IV antibiotics because my cat bit me? Inserting kitty into compressed tube - NOT a good plan.

3 - I like the yoga mat holder idea. Wine caddy, too, if the diameter's right.

4 - You're so close to knitting socks - just give in, already! I'm currently missing my copy of "Sensational Knitted Socks" by Charlene Schurch, but she has lots of methods, including something called the Afterthought Heel and the Forethought Heel. At least one of these (Afterthought?) consists of knitting a tube, then going in and adding the heel later - intriguing, yes? I think provisional stitches figure in there somewhere. Anyway, I finished my slipper socks - WAY too huge, even for me - and am back to trying to finish my original 1st pair. Hope they fit better - 'cause I want to start another pair - toe-up, this time. Even at this beginning, error-filled stage, the socks have a hold on me. Turning the heel was so much easier than I thought it would be. The gusset's a little worrying, because of fit issues. But I shall prevail - I hope. Once you try socks, you'll be so bored with hats - though hats go lots faster.

Gotta go check out the Lion Brand website for sock yarn......

I conjured up a similar pattern while making leg warmers for my baby - I'm only a quarter of the way through the first one, so we'll see how they turn out. I'm debating leaving the ribbing off on the bottom so that they roll up all cute-like.

I love the yarn you used, though, even if it remains a solo leg warmer! Beautiful colors.