A Wee Post: Nozky Leg Warmers for the Chilly Air!

Lemme just say - it's effing freeeeeeezing, Mr. Bigglesworth!  Well, cold enough that a bike ride in the 32 degree (into the wind, I might add!) isn't exactly the coziest 25 minutes of my life - times two.

Anywho....cold is the word!  So, in these tough times, LOL, what does a 3.5 year old need?  Too right!  Leg warmers!  Luckily, this is one of those times when I did something as exciting as a free pattern - the Nozky by Monika Sirna.  They're cute and simple, and the directions are well-written.  Also, Monika was super fast to answer a question the other day in her Ravelry group, which I appreciated!  They're a quick knit....unless you're, as usual, like me, and do silly things (with this pattern, on the green pair, I thought I'd try to knit the same leg warmer twice, for some reason, so, there was some ripping out.).

I finished the orange pair first (Tomato on Madelinetosh DK), then I did the Jade pair.  I should have done the orange pair on size 5 needles, but I did not.  Ah, well - still cozy and warm, even if a bit loose.  I will say I also did NOT do the knitting with elastic in the top ribbing, as I'm lazy and figured they'd work fine enough.  Definitely not fine enough for gymnastics, but for the love of fashion and warmth, they'll do ;)

As I have a bajillion other knitting projects to do, these might be Camden's only two pairs of leg warmers this winter (Yikes!  I still want to do SOCKS!!  When will this allllll ever happen?!), so, I hope she enjoys.

I haven't yet blocked them, so, here they are in all their glory - unexciting photos notwithstanding.

And here she is because it's her REAL smile, and there is more knit-wear featured...LOL (though she is presently playing a RECORDER in her bedroom - NOT laughing about that!):

A test hat pattern that I'm totally blanking on - and her Magical sweater

Word Up! An Oldie But a Goodie!

For those who love comfort for their children (not that I abhor my daughter being cozy, but I just LOVE wovens!), the Heidi and Finn Cowl-Neck Dress is the way to go.  I've done several of these over the past couple of years, and they're soooo easy and fun!  The beauty of sewing a knit is that you can really pick and choose when/how you hem, and that mistakes don't show AS easily - and it's so FAST.  Like.....THIS FAST.  And the beauty of a simple pattern like this?  No need to read directions!

As many folk know, I'm that rare bird who prefers a paper pattern, but this dress IS a pdf.  As mentioned above, there are a few things I can change up:  I can hem or NOT hem at all, as knits are forgiving like that.  I can roll the hem with a serger, use a cover stitch hem - or use a twin needle on my regular 'ole sewing machine.  I do have a serger that can convert to a cover stitch, but I'm lazy (imagine that!) and often just use my twin needle.  I really need to get better about that.  In the case of both versions of this dress, this time around, I twin needled the sleeves, but I didn't hem the bottom, though I have done a rolled, serged hem, and that's lovely, too.  Some people like to play it up by not doing a simple, rolled hem, but a fancier lettuce (read: wavy) rolled hem.  When I use a twin needle or am in general sewing a knit, I lengthen the stitch to 3.0 and widen the stitch to 0.5 - the slightest of zigzags.  This is in the case of topstitching, as I really do prefer to serge my knits when piecing.

Also, with this particular pattern, it's great with a jersey knit, a double knit (which is a little warmer) or perhaps a sweater knit (I should way try that next time!).  I behaved and perused my stash of knits for fabric, and I found a Patty Young print from the Flora and Fauna line way back when - and then a lovely, thin knit I bought on Etsy at some point.  I found my daughter still fit into a size 3, so, I just lengthened the sleeves and bottom hem almost an inch for longer wear time.

As for pictures, here we go!

Such a silly girl!

This is her, saying, "I'm NOT tired!"