Wild Island Knee Huggers

My friend Patty loves wearing my homemade socks, but when she asked for knee high socks, I balked. Knee high socks are gorgeous, but the section above the ankle uses loads of yarn, and takes a long time to knit, so they always seemed a waste, since the bottoms wear out long before the tops. But Patty persisted. She wanted knee high socks to keep her legs warm, which was a reasonable request, so I kept pondering. The solution was to separate the top of the socks from the bottom. That way, when the bottom of the socks eventually wore out, the top sections, the Knee Huggers, would still be useful. Knee Huggers & Foot Cozies are more than just matching leg warmers and socks. They are about creating clothing that maximizes form and function. They also recognize that some stuff wears out faster than other stuff, and that our time and resources are both limited and valuable. Knit on 5mm needles using bulky weight yarns, this pattern knits up super quick, and makes a lovely gift, especially for folks who might be in hospital or long term care. Materials & Equipment: Set of FOUR (4) double pointed needles size 5mm, crochet hook, scissors, and bulky weight yarn (5). One pair of large socks uses roughly 150 yards of bulky weight yarn, and the large size leg warmers use roughly 185 yards of the same yarn. Both the Knee Huggers and the Foot Cozies in this pattern are knit IN THE ROUND on 5mm needles, and I get the best results using bulky size yarn (5), but you can blend finer yarns together to create a similar weight. Thicker yarn, super bulky (6), also works, but it might fit a bit bigger. I use a set of four double pointed needles, so my instructions are based on that, but I think circular needles or Magic Loop will work as well.