The Journey towards Tights!

I've wanted a pair of nice warm tights ever since we moved to this part of the Wheatbelt and finding a nice serviceable pair has been well nigh impossible. So I thought "Hey! I have an obscene number of books and patterns and an equally obscene collection of yarn. What ho! I will make a pair of my own!"

As with most great ideas, it didn't turn out anywhere near as easy as that!

Despite having at least one pattern for tights on hand I decided to try a pattern I'd bought for leggings and put a foot on it. That way it becomes a pair of tights, yes?

I decided to use up all the random greys that I had on hand. 4 balls of a 50g per ball crepe yarn (acrylic) and 6 balls of a 20g per ball acrylic yarn. This was my starting palette. I decided to knit both feet (and therefore legs) at the same time so off I went. I got as far as the calf section and then had a really good look at them...

I don't like it. The blocks of different grey look revolting! So I unravelled it down to the foot and started again this time alternating the yarns each row so it knit up a really fine stripe. A lot better looking.

So, off I go again!

When I got up to the knees I decided to do a little rib stitch just behind the knee to try and reduce sagging. As you see the faux seam is centred through the strip. This little point will be important later. I didn't realize it until I'd finished the whole leg!

Okay, both legs finished and now to join the crotch stitches...oh, wait...something doesn't match up here. Oh crap!

Note to self: When the pattern describes the faux seam as in INseam they probably mean it is a seam on the INSIDE of the leg, like on leggings, not the centre back as with socks...OH. CRAP!

 So I refolded them and lay them out and found that the feet seemed to be pointing in different directions but I could eventually make some sense out of it. To be honest I even chopped off one of the feet and tried to reattach it facing the way I thought it should go but ended up re-grafting it the way it was in the first place which was the way it was supposed to be anyway. I have no photos of that. Still feel like a goof for doing it!

So now wonderful rib strips are actually positioned on the sides of my knees...Great.

By now I was beginning to get pipped off with the whole project and just wanted to finish it but I had to keep threading the body of the tights onto waste yarn so I could try them on. Not nearly as much fun as it sounds! To knit this beastie I had to roll up the legs and pin them together or it looked like I was being attacked by a very aggressive grey octopus! So unravelling everything to try it on wasn't something I wanted to do terribly often. So I guessed by figuring out the gauge and the height I thought I needed and just kept knitting till I got there. And I was SO pleased to finally get there.

I sewed the waistband, threaded the elastic and put these suckers on. They fit! Or rather they weren't too tight. Nope, not tight which had been my primary fear...walk around admiring legs...not tight...hoik up waist as the crotch sags a bit low...lovely and warm too...pull up legs and waist again...might have to shorten the elastic band on the waist...cosy and warm...knees and ankles keep sagging...wish I had a full length mirror...mmm....

Yes. I have to confess the truth to myself. After 28 days knitting...these are too big! Aaarghhhh!!! Not a huge amount, if it was by a big amount it'd probably be easier to alter the fit but these are only a bit too big. The crotch sags like on an ill-fitting pair of stockings and the legs are slightly too long for my legs. Botheration!!

But it's winter and at night, bitterly cold so whether I look like the saggy baggy elephant or not, for the time being I will wear these babies and feel proud of myself for having finished it at all!

Yay me!!

See ya later!

Dx