Leg Warmers for Warmth and Fashion

Brrrrr. The weather has been brutal in most of the country, and everyone is looking for ways to keep warm. Here’s an idea for those who knit or crochet.

My granddaughter got me started on this project when she approached me with her request for leg warmers. “I need some leg warmers to wear with my new boots. Will you…”

I didn’t catch that last part, because like most indulgent grandmothers, I was going for the car keys.

She stopped me. “We’ve already looked in the stores. They don’t have them.” Apparently leg warmers are in the same category as snow shovels and sleds. Not much demand in Georgia.

“I brought you a pattern,” she said.

Bless her heart. She thinks I can make anything. The pattern she showed me was for knitted leg warmers. “How soon do you want these?” I can knit, but I’m slow. Incidentally, here are some free patterns for leg warmers.

To Knit: www.allfreeknitting.com/Knit-Leg-Warmers

To Crochet: www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory/legwarmers.php

As usual I disregarded all of them and decided to crochet my own design. “What color do you want?” I named all the colors of yarn I had on hand.

“I want all the colors in stripes.”

Apparently this was one of those flash fads making the school girl scene. I understand perfectly. I lived through the hippie era.

 

And Disco.

So my granddaughter got striped leg warmers. But if I were making my own, this is how I’d make them. I’d use a mohair blend yarn for softness and warmth. I’d crochet them all the way up over the thighs and make chain ties to weave in the top as garters to keep the leg warmers in place. No slouching for me. They’d be hidden under pants or skirts and tall boots. Fashion wouldn’t matter.

That’s what I’d do if I lived in ice and snow country.

The pattern for my granddaughter's crocheted leg warmers is very simple. Skill level is easy to moderate. You don't have to change colors at the end of each row, but you can.

Work a chain that fits around the leg, minus one and one-half inches. Chain 3 and turn. Double crochet in the 4th chain from the hook and in each chain across. Chain 3 and turn.

Increase by one double crochet in each of the next 4 rows. Continue in double crochet until piece reaches knee length.

Single crochet across the top and evenly spaced along side. Ch 1 and turn. Single crochet along side. Evenly space shells across top, single crochet down opposite side. Ch 1 and turn. Single crochet back to top. Break off. Sew sides together. Decorate with buttons.

Repeat for other leg warmer and work two chains about 25 inches long. Weave the chain ties at base of shell top. Adjust to fit and tie the ends of chain into a bow. The bow can be worn inside or out.

I’m sure others have good ideas for dealing with the brutally cold weather. How are you keeping warm this winter?

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The Close Knit Family

By Andrea Boeshaar

This is what the Guernsey Wrap is SUPPOSED to look like...
I won't show you what mine looks like!

I'm a novice when it comes to knitting and crocheting. I did, however, manage to knit and crochet scarves for my grandchildren, my daughter-in-law, and a son's girlfriend for gifts last Christmas. But when it came to creating a Guernsey Wrap from a pattern last February, I struggled -- and it's just knitting and purling! But it's enough to get me turned inside out. So I put that project aside for now and decided to make my newly-born granddaughter, Ashelee, a blanket. It's a single crochet stitch -- and crochet goes much faster than knitting, at least for me.

And just as some handmade projects pose challenges, family dynamics can be taxing too. I adore my grandchildren. But....well, you know the old adage: A son is a son till he takes a wife but a daughter's a daughter the rest of her life. I gave birth to three sons and raised them to be independent, hard-working men not mama's boys. A pity in a sense bcause I don't see my "guys" as often as I'd like to -- which means I don't get to see my grandbabies enough either! The fact caused me a lot of pain. But as I knitted the scarves for the grandkids last year, and now as I crochet baby Ashlee's blanket, I realize that my family is just a stitch away. 

The beginning of Ashlee's blanket.

With each single crochet stitch, I think about Ashlee being snug and warm under the multicolored blanket I'm making her. I think about which songs I'll sing to her as I rock her to sleep. Maybe "I Can Sing A Rainbow" -- my mom used to sing that song to my sons when they were little.

 I think about last year's scarves keeping little pink cheeks from frostbite. With each stitch I pray my precious grandchildren will all come to know the Lord Jesus and will live to glorify Him.

Through knitting and crocheting, I've discovered a way to stitch my family and loved ones close to my heart. Then they're never too far away.