FRINGE ARM WARMERS
Queue on Ravelry

This project may be even simpler than the Bow Pouch. Great for a beginner knitter, and great for experienced knitters looking for something super-quick, cute and mindless. :)

I’ve seen fringed arm warmers in a few photos around the web and I really like the way they look. Things that swish and sway as you move are so much fun to wear (especially if you ride a bicycle!).

If anyone knows what show/designer this is from, please let me know!

Tassel Arm Warmers (£13.00) from River Island.

Fringe Arm Warmers (£12.00) from ASOS

Cashmere Fringe Gloves from Minnie Rose.

I feel like these arm warmers would work with many different styles, from mori girl to cowgirl to rock chick. They’re so simple to make that you can knit several in different yarn weights and colours. I look forward to seeing how you’ll knit & wear them. :)

instructions

YARN: Approx. 120m / 130yds of DK/Worsted weight yarn
NEEDLES: 4.5mm (US 7)
GAUGE: 16 sts / 32 rows over 10cm / 4in
FINISHED SIZE: 8cm / 18cm (+ 15cm fringe)

CO 33 sts (26 for armwarmer, 7 for fringe) using knitted cast on method, leaving a 20cm / 8in tail.
Work in garter st (knit every row) until piece measures 18cm / 7in (or desired length).
Cast off 26 sts, cut yarn, leaving a tail long enough to sew seam + 10cm / 4in.

Unravel remaining 7 sts*.

Fold arm warmers in half. Using cast off tail, mattress stitch along fringe edge. Work one stitch in from the fringe, or things get loose!

Don’t bother weaving in the ends. Just trim them to the same length as the fringe. You can cut your fringe loops open, or leave them as they are, it’s up to you.

All done, now make another!

TIP: If you can’t be bothered to swatch, just cast on as many stitches as you think will be enough to go around your wrist, then a fourth of that number of stitches again for the fringe. The fringe will end up about twice as long as it looks when knitted. Then if your armwarmer ends up a bit big, unravel a few extra stitches for the fringe and trim the fringe to length.

* It seems illogical that knitters would have so much fun unravelling their own knitting, but unravelling on purpose is so incredibly satisfying!

Have you read?

1. How to Make a Fringe
2. Free Pattern: Rambler Legwarmers
3. Free Pattern: Bow Pouch

Anyone knitting mittens for Christmas? I’m going to be knitting these beautiful Chawton Mittens by Anne Blayney when I get half a chance. At the moment I’m too busy creating a few last minute goodies for you. These gift tags are my first offering. Cut them out, fold them over and then attach them to your Christmas gifts. As usual, you can fill in the care symbols according to the directions on your ball-band, so that your recipient knows how to take care of their beautiful hand-wrought gift.

Don’t forget you can also download the KnitLove gift tags for free (or download the whole collection for lots of other wrapping printables).

And here’s a sneak peek at what’s coming on Monday…

Charts! Coloured pencils! Calendars! Ooooh! :)

Now that I have written my 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo, I’m finally catching up on comments. Many apologies for being so late, but I hope the Christmas gifts I have planned will somewhat make up for my tardiness. :(

And because I realised that I haven’t held a giveaway in ages, I’m going to be giving a copy of the (printable!) Calendar to two random members of the Laylock Designs group on Ravelry every week until the end of the year. Yay!

Have a great weekend, knitters! :)

Have you read?

1. Knit Love – Gift Tags with Garment Care Symbols
2. The Gift of Gift Tags
3. KnitLove to Give

Plenty of copies, in my opinion, to merit an update. Little eBook v2 now has charts for each of the 6 knitting stitches. I’m not sure why they didn’t occur to me back in 2009, but they’re certainly included now, and will hopefully save knitters lots of time. However, as I mentioned in the latest newsletter, what gave me most pleasure was reformatting the PDF as a booklet, so that it can be printed using half the number of pages (printed back-to-back), and be assembled like a proper little printed book.

Both the A4 version, and the booklet version are available to subscribers to the Laylock Newsletter. Subscribing is completely free, I’ll never ever share your email address with anyone else, and of course I’ll never spam you; quite the contrary I will send you awesome knitty inspiration a few times a month, so sign up below!

PLEASE only subscribe if you’re interested in receiving emails from me.

The eBook now contains:

• 6 stitch patterns
• 2 texture
• 2 lace
• 2 rib stitches
• photographed on both right & wrong sides
• charted
• & laid out with clear instructions & advice on usage.

Once you’ve downloaded your ebook, you might like to queue your favourite stitch patterns on Ravelry!

I do hope you enjoy it! Happy Knitting. :)

Have you read?

1. The Little eBook of Knitting Stitches
2. Mary Thomas & The Knitting Bargain of the Century

RAMBLER LEGWARMERS – FREE PDF PATTERN
Download on Ravelry

Ramblers are:

- roses
- creatures who walk
- creatures who talk
- a pair of pretty lacy legwarmers to be enjoyed with all of the above!

Despite the weather’s worst intentions, I managed to take a few passable shots of my latest pattern. Expect an update when the sun shows up! Pale pink with dark green is my favourite colour combination at the moment. It’s such a nice balance of tones, and the girly pink tempered by the earthy green just puts me in mind of roses. As does the lace pattern on the Rambler Legwarmers. I’m not sure why, exactly. I suppose the curves do resemble the shape of a rose-head, and the diamonds in the centre do look like leaves or petals, growing up out of the twigs of ribbing, but it’s all quite subtle.

I’ve had need of these legwarmers with all the gloom and sog recently. I love legwarmers, especially inside wellies (”rain boots” to American readers, though why you would want to call something “rain boots” when you can call them “wellingtonians” is beyond me!), or scrunched up at the ankle with cute high-heel boots. Because I’m obsessed with versatility, these legwarmers can be worn with the ribbing at the front, for a plainer look, or with the lace at the front, for a little more prettiness.

I wanted them to be very simple & quick, with a lace stitch that you can memorise in a pinch, so that you can finish a pair in a weekend, and ohh, just snuggle up on the couch to read.

If you’re subscribed to my newsletter, you’ve already seen the 2 wrappers that accompany the pattern. Especially handy if you want to give your legwarmers as gifts, but also if you just want to keep them tidy & remember how you’re supposed to launder them. Once again, here’s a great reference for care symbols.

‘Solvitur ambulando‘ is Latin for ‘it is solved by walking’. I find this very true; walking always dispels worries & replaces them with inspiration. A sweet thought for any troubled friends. Besides, we all love a pithy Latin proverb, don’t we? :)

As usual, instructions are both written & charted. I’ve also given advice on knitting eyelets at the top of the legwarmers for ribbon or elastic, and also some pointers on adjusting the fit.

Details

YARN: 1 ball Feza Angora [100gr; 50% mohair / 50% acrylic; 400m / 440yds] or approx. 400m / 440yds of 4-ply yarn.
NEEDLES: 3mm (US 3) double pointed needles, or size to get gauge.
GAUGE: Ribbing: 26sts / 30 rows over 10cm/4in in unstretched ribbing.
1 pattern repeat (8 rounds / 12 sts) is 4cm/1.5in x 2.5cm/1in unstetched.
SIZE: Finished size will be 55cm/ 21.5in in length, 20cm/8in in circumference, unstretched. To fit calves up to 45cm/18in around.

DOWNLOAD HERE

By the way, this book is no mere prop; it is by far the most useful book on writing that I’ve ever read. More later. ;)

Have you read?

1. Free Pattern: Fringe Arm Warmers
2. Free Pattern: Bow Pouch
3. Cornflower Garden Hat

Here’s another essential download for your Summer Knitting Survival Kit! Pop these in your Abacus Pouch along with your Shawl Shaping Cheat Sheet & you’ll be ready for any holiday emergency.

I’ve been considering turning my Twitter knitting patterns into a more useful format for a while now. My Moo minicards were my main inspiration, because they’re a good size to keep in a wallet/purse. But then I had an epiphany: how about making them into stitch markers so that they’re even more useful? If you’ve learnt anything about my style from this blog, surely it’s that I ♥ multi-functional designs. :)

The stitch marker is particularly handy for the shawl pattern which requires 1 stitch marker. It’s actually the same construction as the triangular shawl in the cheat sheet.

• I considered different shapes such as circles or teardrops; I thought they might get in the way less when knitting, but then if you wanted to keep them in your wallet, with other business cards, say, I think weird shapes would be a hassle. However, thanks to feedback from lovely Ravellers, the PDF now includes a version with rounded corners, which will hopefully stop any snags.
• I experimented with orientation a little. I think I’m pretty much decided that this vertical format is best, even though it does break up the pattern quite a bit.
• I tried incorporating the “tie” into the design, but I couldn’t come up with anything that wouldn’t disrupt the knitting. The version above might be OK when used at the end of a row, but not as a stitch marker, I fear. Also, it had to be reinforced with plastic. In the end, I think a bit of scrap yarn works best.
• I thought about a little decoration, but couldn’t decide what, exactly. I think perhaps it’s in keeping with the sparseness of the format that it doesn’t have any extra flourishes.
• I also dismissed the idea of a schematic / basic drawing of the FO, because part of the fun of the format is the mystery.
• Similar to my knitting gift tags, these are thick enough when folded in half & stuck down. To make them more durable, you can also laminate them, or cover them in sticky plastic (the stuff you use to cover books).

DOWNLOAD NOW

If you don’t mind spoiling the surprise, here are some great knitwit projects:

• aliciawr knit the lace & shell as a headband. So pretty!
• twotone had the great idea of using her bracelet to keep tabs on her Nintendo stylus!
• radiantstar’s coasters show you how nice this stitch pattern looks when knit with variegated yarn!

BIRTHDAY SALE!

I hope you’ve been enjoying the free patterns I’ve been posting lately. I’ve really been enjoying these simple summer projects. If you fancy something from my Ravelry Store though, today’s the day to get it’s my birthday & to celebrate, all Laylock patterns are 25% off, just for today! No code necessary, the discount will be added to your cart automatically.

Have you read?

1. Stitch Marker Bracelets
2. Free Shawl Knitting Cheat Sheet
3. The Lost Patterns File