August 27, 2006

Good tidings to you and your knitterly kin


Today’s Times brought thrilling news: it seems the legging is back. I realize that designers have been planning their fall collections far longer than I have been agitating for the sensible and easy-to-knit legging, but I can’t help but feel that my voice has been heard. The fall collections are overrun with slouchy leggings, hefty cable knits and layered sweater/wristwarmer/glove combinations. My legwarmer crusade now seems prescient – I’m fashion-forward instead of unutterably uncool.

So in the spirit of fall, behold the “Super Easy Legwarmers” from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. This is actually my second legging. The first was completed to my own specifications (blithely ignoring the yarn, gauge and stitch count recommendations in the original pattern), then frogged after I tried it on for the thousandth time and finally admitted it really was way too small. It did actually fit over my leg, but the ribbing was painfully stretched and I’m pretty sure if I left it on for any length of time, I would get little ribby indents in my calves. And possibly swollen ankles.

The original legging yarn (Berroco Ultra Alpaca) has been reborn into my adored sexually ambiguous socks, and legging two is being reknit with the correct yarn (Cascade 220, sans the pricey mohair the pattern recommends doubling it with – I upped the stitch count a bit to compensate). Initial fittings suggest the pattern wasn’t so much a general guideline as it was completely and totally right.

I'm going to be so damn stylin' when these bad boys are done.

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