Pattern available on Ravelry.
After finishing up my Granny at a Rave Shawlette, I found myself with very nearly full mini skeins still! I only added a single row of each color and then I also used the neons for the tassels, so it really didn't take much yarn. What to do with the leftovers? They were certainly too much fun to just hide in my stash!
I knew it would need to be a small project, so my first thought was fingerless gloves. Except I've already done a couple of those patterns. Enter the 2018 Indie Designer Gift-A-Long - I was a Participating Designer for the first time! And they have this thing called the Opadoo (cute story) Challenge, during which successful participants knit or crochet one item from each of the eight KAL/CAL categories: head, hands, feet, baby, garments, shawls, neck, and other. Lo and behold, I've published patterns in each of these categores EXCEPT for feet!
And so may I present, my very first foot and leg type things pattern, the Outraveous Legwarmers!
And yes, you did read that right! See, the yarn for these came from the leftovers from Granny at a Rave and my working title was Raging Neon Legwarmers. But that seemed like more of a description than a proper title, so I kept wooling over different ideas (did I totally make that phrase up? It's like mulling, but with ... yarn?) until in my roundabout way I ended up here.
Raging. OutRAGEous. Neons can be out outrageous. Granny at a RAVE. OutRAVEous!
It still makes me giggle! And so it stuck. Maybe it's a little silly, but nothing popped up in Ravelry when I did a pattern search, so it's unique at least! Of course, nothing pops up under outrageous legwarmers, either...
Let's take a closer look, shall we?
Suggested Materials:
Flockin' Sock XTRA by What the Flock! Hand Dyed Yarn & Fiber Rainbow Neon Minis (75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon) or similar Fingering (1) weight yarn in six colors:
C1: Neon Pink, 20g
C2: Neon Orange, 20g
C3: Neon Yellow, 20g
C4: Neon Green, 20g
C5: Neon Blue, 20g
C6: Neon Purple, 20g
Stitch Marker(s) (optional)
Buttons (optional)
Skills you’ll need to know or learn:
Color Changes (stripes)
Front Post Stitches (double and treble)
Gauge:
Before blocking, 38 stitches in linen stitch (ch 1, sk 1, sc in next ch 1 sp) and 36 rows = 4 inches. Gentle blocking will yield approximately 9 stitches per inch, but you can block out an extra inch or so if you're in between sizes.
Finished Circumference Measurements: 6" (8", 10", 12", 14" 16", 18", 20"). Height as written is approximately 7.5"
I recommend choosing a size based on the circumference of where you want the legwarmers to "hug" you. For example, my calf measures about 14.5" and I wanted to model these as both scrunchy around the ankle legwarmers (for which I do wish I'd had enough yarn to make them taller!) as well as boot toppers (which can be shorter) so I made the 14" size and just blocked the top to be a wee bit wider than the bottom.
Optional Buttons:
I used a total of 32 buttons measuring 1/4" or 7mm across for these, each one spaced every four rows. If you modify the number of rows, you'll have to adjust the button count accordingly. You can also, of course, simply sew them together instead, but I'm a big fan of buttons in case you hadn't noticed by now! Another idea might be to sew them up to within about two inches of the top and then use a single button (probably a bigger one!) closure for the top. This could allow you to secure them more tightly above your calf if you wanted to.
Get creative! Make them your own. Try them without the color changes. Try speckles or tweed or a bulkier yarn. Have fun!
The pattern itself includes written directions with stitch counts as well as a color coded chart for further clarity of stitch placement for the top and bottom edgings. I've also included a few tutorial photos as well. Guidance is included on modifications for yarn substitutions.
You can use coupon code stillRAVING to save 10% for the pattern launch now through February 28th when you purchase the Outraveous Legwarmers pattern from my Ravelry shop. I'd love to see your versions of these, too, so please tag me on social with @crochetcetera or use #outraveouslegwarmers so I can ooh and ah over your creations!
Happy crocheting, y'all!!
