Watercolor Legwarmers

All along I thought I'd use a stitch pattern and a single color, but when I sat down and thought about them I kept coming back to colorwork.

I wanted something subtle, so at first I thought I'd just alternate between 2 colors to get a really muted, shaded effect. I started drawing out little stitch patterns and eventually I got to an actual pattern.

Now, I know you can't clearly see what pattern is there. Occasionally the 2 colors of yarn that are next to each other almost match. But I like the overall effect -- it's blended, but you can definitely tell something is going on there.

I've used a total of 4 colors -- the MC, plus 3 others in the stranded area. The stranded area can use little scraps -- making this the perfect project for using up scraps from leftover socks.

My stranded knitting technique is probably my weakest and this project is giving me some great practice. Gauge isn't terribly important as long as I can slip them over my ankle and let them slouch a bit on my leg. Blocking will be my best friend for this project!

I've found my stranding is pretty even in the middle of the row. My problem is deciding how loosely to strand when it's between the 2 needles. I still need some practice before I know just how much to leave. I was thinking about cutting a piece of cardboard and inserting it so the yarn would be forced to follow the shape of the cylinder. I'm open to other suggestions though. Maybe it's just something I need to work on for a while longer?

The stitch pattern is really versatile. I can easily see making these up as armwarmers as well, and with less stitches they could definitely be made in a heavier wool. I'm already thinking about other lone balls of yarn I have in the stash to pair up for a totally different look.

All this inspiration from "too much" sock yarn!