Fashion Friday :: boot toppers

Last fall, I saw a lot of super-chunky boot toppers in store windows around central campus (of the University of Michigan), and I saw a couple of co-eds wearing them atop ankle boots. I loved the looks of them, and thought they were a fun variation on the boot toppers I have often seen on Ravelry for the tops of tall boots.

For Christmas, I made a pair for my stepson’s girlfriend:

Whitefish Point Boot Toppers

Whitefish Point Boot Toppers

They can also work on top of regular tall boots, too, of course. They are super-chunky though, so I sort of think they look best around the ankle as opposed to around the knee.

(with the cable turned to the side)

(with the cable turned to the side)

I created this pattern to pair with the Whitefish Point Armwarmers pattern I released a couple of weeks before Christmas.

Whitefish Point Armwarmers

Whitefish Point Armwarmers

They also pair with the Fisherman’s Cowl, which I also made as part of the Christmas gift. A fun, fast, super-chunky set of knits:

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The boot toppers can also be worn as cozy legwarmers:

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But me being me, I didn’t get the pattern written up in a timely fashion, and now here it is, almost spring. Of course, here in Michigan, winter seems likely to last until May, so perhaps people will still be getting use out of chunky woolies. But I’m guessing it would just be depressing for people to be knitting boot toppers in March. So for now I’ll just show them to you, with plans to release the pattern sometime late next fall.

I hope they will still be fashionable then. Have you ever made boot toppers? Do you ever wear them? Have you seen them around your town?

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Fashion Friday :: let’s talk about legwarmers

Are they still a thing?

I mean, for awhile they were really hot in the knitting world. Legwarmers were one of the first thing I wanted to make when I first learned to knit. Specifically, I was taken with these Postmodern Legwarmers by Stefanie Japel. I never made them, but I always loved the looks of them.

But I finally made my own pair in early 2010:
52.2 - redemption of a 12 year-old
These are made from my own handspun and I LOVE them. They were a kind of loveletter to my twelve year-old self. You can read all about that here (as well as reading about how I made them).

for Rav: Jam legwarmers
These legwarmers still make me happy, but I mostly wear them in ways unseen. Either under my jeans when it’s super cold:
for Rav: Jam legwarmers

Or around the house with multiple other handknits when I’m looking for some extra cozy. Don’t you think I need to add a pair to this fetching ensemble of knee-high handspun socks and handspun slippers?
Handknit handspun socks+slippers

But to be honest, I never wear them out in public, where they can actually be seen as legwarmers – like with a skirt, for instance, or on top of skinny jeans. And I’m not sure if I’ve noticed other people wearing them much either. So I’m wondering – are legwarmers a thing right now or not? Do people besides knitters like them these days? (and are they even a thing in the knitting world right now?) I feel totally out of touch with where we all stand on this particular trend at the moment.

Legwarmers are such a handy thing to make out of a 4-ounce bump of handspun. I’ve thought of occasionally making some for gifts (I certainly don’t need more for myself), but I don’t like making things for people that won’t actually get used.

What are your thoughts on this very pressing fashion question?