I disapprove of legwarmers as a general fashion accessory, but Karl (our resident who departed this morning) is a real live dancer/choreographer, so I was delighted to make him legwarmers. I went with a Flashdance palette in handspun merino: one ply Barbie pink, one ply black.

The XOXO cable comes from Adrian Bizila’s Besotted Scarf. It’s a very pretty, simple cable, though it gets lost in the marl here. It would be more adorable in a solid color.

The same pattern with fewer stitches makes arm warmers (included in pattern).

I must admit that these were absurdly cozy, so despite my not being a dancer and my longstanding objection to non-dance employment legwarmers, and I’m very much tempted to make some for myself, strictly for at-home wear. (I mean, I wouldn’t wear house slippers as shoes, but I wear them at home. So what’s the diff?). They were also pretty speedy to knit, under 4 hours each.

Medium/large was a good size for me. I have large calves. These were sized to fit Karl from low on his ankle to just under his knee, about 16″. He’s tall, so they were longer on me, going down over my heels.

Yarn: 6-8 oz of chunky handspun merino balanced 2-ply, about 350 yards

Needles: US#3 and US#9 16″ circular needles (or dpns; or longer needles for magic loop)

Gauge: 15.5 st = 4″ on US 9 needles

Size: arm warmers (small/medium adult legwarmers , medium/large adult legwarmers)

With smaller needles, CO 30 (40, 50). I used the Twisted German Cast-on, but anything stretchy will do. PM, then Join round, being careful not to twist stitches.

Work 20 rnds in K1P1 ribbing.

Switch to larger needles. Work 4 full repeats of Besotted Cable, then work first 4 rnds of cable. For longer leg warmers, work extra repeats, but always finish with the first 4 rnds of the pattern.

Switch to smaller needles. Work 20 rnds in K1P1 ribbing, then CO loosely in pattern.

Besotted Cable (single), cribbed from Adrian’s Besotted Scarf:

Worked over 16-rnd repeat.

All rnds (except as noted): P2, K8, P2, K to end or rnd
Rnd 3 & 7: P2, C4B, C4F, P2, K to end or rnd
Rnd 11 & 15: P2, C4F, C4B, P2, K to end or rnd

C4B: Slip 2 onto cable needle. Move held stitches to back of work. Knit the next 2 stitches on your left needle, followed by the two stitches you were holding to the back.

C4F: Slip 2 onto cable needle. Move held stitches to back of front. Knit the next 2 stitches on your left needle, followed by the two stitches you were holding to the front.

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