FO: Knee Warmers

Today I was in Union Square, getting my knit on, and I met a knitter! She approached me to see what I was working on, and gave my wavy gravy sock a squeeze. I love that touching yarn is a requisite activity for all knitters to determine the delicious factor of the yarn in question. We exchanged Ravelry user names...I of course had nothing but receipts on me, but she had an adorable notebook with a ball of yarn and needles on the front. Clever knitters! She and her daughter dye yarn, too. Carla, if you are out there, I hope you are enjoying SF!

FO: Knee Warmers
Pattern: I cast on 51 stitched and worked a 2x1 rib until I had a 12" tube
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Grey Heather (stash busting some yarn I bought years ago!)
Needles: 5.0mm Bamboo DPNs

Inside out:

Struttin' its stuff in Union Square:

This is a practical project, requested by N to help keep him warm on crack o dawn bike rides. I consciously avoided wool because I suspect he need the warmers to function as a wind break more than anything else, and feared wool would induce sweating.

I cast off today, baking in the warm October sun. I wanted a very stretchy bind off, to accommodate the knee and thigh for which they are intended. I wanted them to be snug enough to stay up, so I cast on for 2 inches less fabric than the leg circumference, making a snug warm leg warmer. However, that tightness meant I needed a loose cast off. My usual cast off (k1, pass knit stitch over) is usually much tighter than the fabric I have knitted, sometimes creating a flare at one end of a scarf, etc. Referencing an old Knitting Daily email, I found a looser cast off: k2tog, slip the new stitch on to the left needle, k2tog, slip the new stitch onto the left needle. Its not nearly as stretchy as my cast on, but still much better than my usual bind off.On the leg:Rosa