WIP Wednesday - Yarn Along - Leg Sweater Completed

Leg Sweater / Leg Cozy

 I am again (my second time) joining Ginny, over at her blog, Small Things, at her Yarn Along Hop this week. This is great fun! And it definitely pushes me to finish projects, which is a push I really need sometimes!

Last week you saw the beginnings of my idea for a Leg Sweater/Leg Cozy. My legs are eaten up with arthritis, my house is drafty (especially in my office area), and the cold on them hurts them terribly! I have tried putting a blanket, afghan, etc. over my legs, but not only does that still allow the cold to hit the back of my legs, it seems to actually trap the cold up under the covers and holds it against my legs! So I came up with the idea for a closed afghan of sorts, that covers my legs all the way around.

I worked this on somewhat large circular needles in a continuous circle/tube, with ordinary worsted acrylic yarn. And although I say it is finished, I am thinking I may go back and weave in  a couple rows of elastic thread on the back side of the top and bottom ribbing to help keep its shape, to hold it up better on my legs, and to seal off the cold air better. If you have ever worked with elastic thread on the ribbing on your knitted projects, I would love to hear your suggestions! I have seen this on a blog once (can't remember which one) used on some leg warmers, but have never tried it, yet.

I finished this Leg Sweater none too soon, too! The weather has been absolutely gorgeous the past few days! But after the sun sets tonight, the dreary rain and cold will set in. It won't be too cold tomorrow during the day, but there is a strong chance of cold rain all day, with temps really dropping by evening. Then the next whole week to follow, the highs will be upper 30s, to low 40s F. Brrrr...... Yep, I will be using this a lot! My hope is that, when I have to get up to go to the bathroom, I can just grab the bottom, (which is actually as large as the top) and just pull it up to my waist so I can easily walk  around the house.

I think these would not only be great for while you are sitting around working at the computer, on your knitting, or watching TV, but also for at ball games, sitting around a bonfire, and especially for the handicapped and wheelchair bound, whose legs often have poor circulation. For that, it would be better than leg warmers because usually, one leg has better circulation than the other, and this way, with both legs inside together, the healthier leg could help to keep the colder leg warmer. Well, that is my line of thinking, anyway. I will let you know next week how well it worked for me during our long, dreary, cold spell.

And here is what I will be using for the beginnings of my next project! Yes, it will be a knitting project. Have your curiosity up, don't I? Mine, too, because sometimes my crazy ideas don't always work. If it comes out, I will post the finished project next week (it is a small one). And if it doesn't, I still might, anyway, so I can get your suggestions on how to get the finished item to come out to looking like the idea I have in my head.

No books to post, again, this time. I used to be an avid bookworm, but, sorry to say, I have fallen into the modern clutches of reading on the Internet and have not read a hard copy book in ages. Maybe this will be just what I need to get me back into it. I really do love them more than the Internet, too. May everyone's projects come out beautifully this week!