How to Knit Leg Warmers

When you're knitting something in a circular pattern, such as leg warmers, you can use a circular needle or four needles to create a seamless design. If you're a beginning knitter and still trying to perfect you're skills, follow these tips to knit your leg warmers using only two needles and placing a seam up the back.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Knitting worsted yarn (2 skeins)
• Knitting needles sizes 5 and 8 (US) or size to obtain gauge
• Tapestry sewing needle
• Scissors

1. Cast on 49 stitches with the smaller needles. If you increase or decrease the size of your leg warmers, remember that you will need an uneven number of stitches.

2. Start the first row with a knit stitch. Then purl one stitch and knit one stitch, continuing in this manner until you reach the end of the row. This first row is the right side of the leg warmer.

3. Begin the second row with a purl stitch. Then knit one stitch and purl one stitch, continuing until you reach the end of the row.

4. Repeat these last two rows to create your ribbing. You'll probably want about 2 inches of ribbing and will end with the right side facing you. On the last row of the ribbing, increase six stitches evenly spaced.

5. Change to the larger needles and knit across the next row. Turn and purl the next row, repeating these two rows to create the stockinette stitch. You'll be knitting on the knit side and purling on the purl side. If you have trouble telling the difference, remember that the purl side is the bumpy side.

6. Continue in the stockinette stitch until the piece measures about 20 inches or the length that you want, ending with the right side facing you.

7. Switch to the smaller needles and knit the next nine rows. Cast off loosely. Use the tapestry needle threaded with matching yarn to sew the back seam.

Tips & Warnings

• Check your gauge by knitting a swatch in a stockinette stitch, using the number 8 needles. When you measure 18 stitches or 24 rows, it should equal 4 inches. Depending on the way you knit, you may have to use different sized needles to get the correct gauge.
• Once you become more acquainted with knitting techniques, you may want to make more leg warmers with a different stitch or color pattern.
• This pattern fits medium-sized women, but you can easily change the size by the amount of stitches you cast on and the length that you make them. Just keep in mind that when you're working in a pattern, you'll want to have the right number of stitches to work a complete pattern. You generally cast on six extra stitches to increase one size, and cast on six fewer stitches to decrease one size.

Resources

• Find basic knitting instructions at joannes-crafts.com.