When I opened the Fleece Artist box at work a few weeks ago, it was filled with a yarn I didn’t recognize. Called Merino Angel, it’s a new two ply – one ply merino, one ply kid/nylon. It has a wonderful halo, and the two plys pick up dye differently, creating an almost tweedy effect. It is pretty fine, apparently intended for making thick warm socks.
In the skein, the yarn feels sort of stiff, almost scratchy. Nancy, Bob, and I were doubting how comfortable it would be against the skin, and wondered how it would behave when knitted. To quell our curiosity, Nancy told me to choose a colorway I liked and to test knit something – a serious perk of the job! – so that we could get a feel for the yarn.
The moment I got home, I put the skein on my swift and went to town winding it into a ball. Within an hour of opening the box, I was knitting the first gauge swatch. I decided early on that I would make legwarmers, something to cut the chill of Oregon nights. This pattern is what came off the needles. The fabric is incredibly light and comfortable, without a hint of scratchiness.
The “print of the hoof” cable that lays along the back of the calf and the pale blue of the colorway reminds me of small rivulets of water, runoff from a glacier in the early summer.
Materials:
- Fleece Artist Merino Angel (58% merino, 30% kid, 12% nylon): 1 skein(335m/100g), Glacier
- US 6 & US 8 (warmers are knit in the round; use your choice of dpns, one long circular, or two shorter circulars – whichever you prefer) or the needle size that gives you the correct gauge
Stitch Guide:
- Gauge: 18sts/24rows = 4″
- Cbl 4 Right: two stitches on the left cross in FRONT of two stitches on the right
- Cbl 4 Left: two stitches on the left cross in BACK of two stitches on the right
- R inc: lift right leg of stitch below first stitch on left needle and place it on the left needle; knit through front leg (increase made)
- L inc: lift left leg of stitch below first stitch on right needle and place it on the left needle; knit through back leg (increase made)
Pattern:
- CO 40sts; join to work in the round.
- With US 6 needles, work k1p1 ribbing for 6 rounds. Switch to US 8 needles.
- Round 1-5: P2, k8, p2, k around.
- Rnd 6: P2, cbl 4 right, cbl 4 left, p2, k around.
- Repeat rnds 1-6.
- Continue to repeat rnds 1-6, and at the same time increase on rnd 6 as follows: p2, cbl 4 right, cbl 4 left, p2, L inc, k around, R inc.
- After a total of 12 repeats, repeat rnds 1-6 twice more without increases, then rnds 1-5 once more.
- Change to US 6. Work k1p1 ribbing for 40 rnds. Bind off. Weave in ends.
Notes for customizing your legwarmers: if your calves are much bigger than your ankle, try working increases on every cable round, instead of omitting the first and last two repeats. If your calves are not much bigger than your ankles, try working the increases on fewer cable rounds (i.e. wait until the 4th or 5th repeat to begin). If you need more fabric from start to finish, cast-on more stitches (make sure it’s an even number) and work the pattern as written.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, corrections, etc. I’d love to see photos of your finished projects!
[…] Rivulet Legwarmers pattern is available on my Free Patterns page. I’d love to hear about your experiences with the pattern, and see photos of your […]
Hi- making my daughter these for Christmas, and enjoying the knitting-
I have a question- when you say after twelve repeats, does that include the first two groups, then ten more with increases, or twelve with increases? Slouchy is probably better than tight for legwarmers…. She’s about 5’4″
the 12 repeats does include the first two – so there should be 14 total repeats when the warmers are complete. so, 2 w/out increases, 10 w/ increases, and 2 more w/out. hope this helps. and i would love to see your finished project!
you can send e-mails to twitchy@twitchydesign.com
Hi Twitchy! I love this pattern but I’m a new knitter and I don’t understand the cable instructions! When you say that the stitches are crossing in the FRONT, does that mean that I should hold the cable needle in front of the work? Thanks in advance for any help you can give me!
Lori J. Thorne
AKA: POKIEPRINCESS5667
Hi Lori,
I’m so sorry that it’s taken me so long to get back to you! Here’s how the cables work:
Cable 4 Right: Slip the first two stitches on the left needle onto a cable needle and hold them in back; then knit the next two stitches on the left needle. Finally, knit the two stitches on the cable needle.
Cable 4 Left: Slip the first two stitches on the left needle onto a cable needle and hold it in front; then knit the next two stitches on the left needle. Finally, knit the two stitches on the cable needle.
I hope this helps!