Felted Ankle Sleeves
by Haley Waxberg Photography: Molly Crealock An experiment gone awry turns into a fashionistas delight! My mom always said that she couldn't wear something that she'd already lived through. Corinne Waxberg isn't a fashionista or a diva or even a clothes horse, but she makes a good point -- some trends die for a reason. It was the 80s - 'nuff said. When legwarmers reappeared a few years ago and teens were skulking around town with knitted acrylic sagging down around their ankles I thought maybe... not. I was soooooooo wrong! Thank god for marketers! Reinterpreted for the. cocooned & hyper internalized new millennium, I saw colour peeping out from under pant legs,a brief, unexpected transition between cuff & shoe and I was in Love! And then it got cold outside - ever since then we've been inseparable. This particular version of ankle sleeves were initially duds. They. stretched, pilled, sagged and got gross. With nothing to lose, I 'threw them in the wash & felted them. Now, they are the funky-funk. In the fall I wear them with short socks, in the_winter they give me extra insulation and extend the height of my boots. They stay put just as they are. Knit in the round using simple ribbing, these are a delight.
SKILL LEVEL: Beginner
Skills needed to execute this pattern: >>knit >>purl >>cast on >>castoff >>work on circular needles >>operate a washing machine >>follow basic pattern instructions
Ingredients
· >>2 balls Lang Sansibar [50% virgin wool, 50% acrylic; 50 m/55yds, per 50g ball], Purples, greens & blues #55 · >>8mm/16" circular needles · >>Jumbo tapestry needle or crochet hook ·>>laundry facilities
Possible Yarn Substitute
· >>Lionbrand Landscapes [50% virgin wool, 50% acrylic; 50 m/55yds per 50g ball]
Yarn Notes
· >>Normally you can't full a yarn that has so much arcylic, but this yarn is special because it has an acrylic core (the bright colours that peep_out) wrapped with an outer coating of wool (the darker colours). It will not shrink to the same extent that a regular wool yarn would, but the wool binding contracts and allows the core to peep out randomly. · >>I don't recommend playing with substitutions unless you find a yarn that is constructed in the same manner
Size
>>S[M,L] Size S will fit children, M will fit an average adult and L will fit someone with larger ankles. ShowninsizeM
Finished Measurements
12.5(13.75, 15)cm / 5(5.5, 6)"wide
GAUGE
gauge is not crucial for this project 11sts & 19 rows = 10cm/4" after felting
Stitch Pattern
Ribbing
>>k1, p1 rib >>k2, p2 rib
Method
>>Cast on 28[32, 36] sts and join in round, careful not to twist sts. ● >>Row 1: work in K1, p1 rib for 1 row. · >>Row 2: work in K2, P2 rib until piece measures 25.5" from cast onedge · >>Work 1 row in K1, p1 rib. · >>Cast off in k1, p1'rib · >>Weave in ends
FINISHING
Fulling (otherwise known as 'felting')
>>After weaving in ends, place ankle sleeves in top or front loading washing machine with a pair of old jeans and a small amount of laundry soap. Choose a hot water setting and, if possible, select'small ioad' and 'short cycle' (if neihter of these options are available, don't worry) · >>Run the machine for the whole cycle · >>When you take the ankle sleeves out of the washer don't pick too much at the fluff balls since you'll be pulling off the outer woolencoating. >>Leave to dry flat on a radiator or some other cozy spot. Copyright @ 2006 Knit-O-Matic, all rights reserved. No pattern or other material may be reproduced or distributed - mechanically, electronically, or by other means, including photocopying and printing - without written permission of Knit-O-Matic. Pattern is for personal use only and not to be used to create items for commercial sale. Author Haley Waxberg. For pattern corrections see our website at www.knitomatic.com.
