Home-made arm/leg warmers

[kygrrlinco]

Well, winter is definitely setting in here in Colorado, and it's time for warmer cycling clothing.
I knit and sew, and am wondering if anyone has ever made their own arm and leg warmers. I was thinking about knitting some nice lambswool armwarmers, and I have some windstopper fleece I could do leg warmers with, including ankle zippers. This came to mind as a way to save some money 'cuz I'm broke, but it seems like it may be a fun project.
Any thoughts?

[madscot13]

an old roommate knit armwarmers that go halfway up your palm and there are thumb holes. super comfy. they were snow proof with mittens over them.If she weren't in school I would commission her to make me a pair. they were perfect in the winter because

[skhill]

I've been thinking along the same lines here... The yarn for the legwarmers (or maybe stockings; I haven't decided yet) I'm planning on knitting should be here any day now! Turquoise and midnight blue stripes are what I'm planning...

I've also been thinking of cutting up an old sweat shirt from the days I was 50pounds heavier to make arm-warmers. Or maybe a bolero. We'll see... The thing is, these days I'm spending so much time on my bike that I don't sit down at the sewing machine very often.

Let me know how your experiments go!

[PamNY]

I'm definitely going to try to make arm warmers. I have tons of fleece, or I may use some old sweaters. I accidentally shrank some merino sweaters from the thrift shop and could use the sleeves from those.

I'll probably order gripper elastic online. Will report back results, even if they are comical in nature. You just never know with my sewing projects.

pam

[Red Rock]

Good luck on your kniting adventure. I have been thinking about doing the same thing. It will be neat to see your creations. If you saw the thread on my pumpkin, I had a few disasters before I was able to get it going correctly.

Red Rock

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I accidentally shrank some merino sweaters from the thrift shop...

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: AAGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

[MomOnBike]

I made a couple of pair of arm warmers. It was comically simple:

1) Go to cloth store and buy material. Knit, synthetic, warmish is what I got, though fuzzy would work, as well. I got (I think) 1 1/4 yards

2) Measure upper arm, wrist, and length of arm around a bent elbow. Add about an inch to the length measurement. You might consider writing these numbers down.

3) Draw a rectangle to those measurements directly on the fabric & cut out. Because the material is stretchy, you don't need to add ease.

4) Sew the long seam. (Serger, just shave the edges.)

5) Hem as pleases your fancy. You can slap some sport elastic on the top at this point, too. I did one pair with and one without, and they both work - but I ride a recumbent and my arms are up so gravity isn't pulling them down.

6) Pull 'em on and go for a ride. (Hey! They fit ME!)

Try it, you'll surprise yourself.

[DebW]

I cut the toes out of a pair of long socks and used them as arm warmers.

[newfsmith]

I cut the toes out of a pair of long socks and used them as arm warmers.

Me too.

[Cataboo]

My Mom rules.

I've been reading this thread and thinking about it and my Mom frequents the local thrift store, so I asked her to buy me a few wool sweaters if she saw them.

And she promptly gave me a lecture all about how I buy too much and don't need any more clothes.

So I say "No, I wanna cut them up and make arm warmers!"

And she's going "arm warmers???? " and I'm explaining they're leg warmers for the arm...

So she rushes off to the thrift store and buys... 4 wool sweaters for me!

And gets her arm & leg warmer production facility under way... She cut the arms off to make me arm warmers, and cut up the bodies to make me leg warmers.

So, they're kinda cute and they'll definitely work... My bf said "You're not seriously going to wear those are you???" And I said "My Mommy made them, of course I will... Are you not going to be seen with me?" So it looks like I'm cycling alone this winter...

But here they are in all their glory - and you should notice that she also made me a little cap & a scarf! I might tighten up some of the leg & arm warmers by sewing them closer together, but they will work. She sewed elastic in around the tops of them - but I can still take them in further.

I'm just pretty thrilled my Mom went out and did that for me.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_qnxyEZuNEmk/SSH-5yDCuII/AAAAAAAAB5E/isvpqpIwhoU/s400/IMGP1843.JPGhttp://lh4.ggpht.com/_qnxyEZuNEmk/SSH_BJuGAiI/AAAAAAAAB5M/gvrrrHCwvf0/s400/IMGP1844.JPG
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_qnxyEZuNEmk/SSH_JIJOYuI/AAAAAAAAB5U/0D-hrMApCI4/s400/IMGP1845.JPGhttp://lh4.ggpht.com/_qnxyEZuNEmk/SSH_RIFWjiI/AAAAAAAAB5c/tPNSpB9zKDw/s400/IMGP1846.JPG

[snapdragen]

Those are awesome Catriona! :D

[malkin]

Mom likes you!!!

[withm]

Wow! I really really like the red ones!

How about a close up photo of the inside so we can see how she did it?

You are very lucky to have a mother who looks out for you like that.

[SouthernBelle]

NIfty. When she cut those up, how did she stave off raveling?

[Cataboo]

I'll take pics tonight - she did a tight zig zag stitch on the edges with the sewing machine.

[jobob]

Very clever!

[Eden]

a little OT... but a little related.. Catriona's leg/arm warmers reminded me of a project I started last winter. I was making kitty beds (or tiny dog, I guess) out of recycled thrift store wool sweaters (I was shrinking them down with hot water so that they were nice and felty - there's also a thrift store outlet here.... they sell stuff by the pound....). I was doing two styles, round ones and rectangle sleeves for putting over a pet bed warmer (my cats love their heated bed). It kind of went by the wayside when I broke my sewing machine.... so I never really got enough of them finished to think about finding someplace to perhaps sell them and I'm not even sure if anyone would want them or not. They are a bit rustic, but they are one of a kind and made out of all recycled materials (well, not the thread, but everything else).

[momof4greatkids]

My Mom rules.

I'm just pretty thrilled my Mom went out and did that for me.



I just want to say that your story about your mom's "arm warmer production facility" really warmed my HEART! First that you are obviously so proud and appreciative of your mom's efforts, and second, that you have such a super mom who would take such a great interest in looking after you. :D:D It's just so nice on so many levels, TFS!

Colleen

[Cataboo]

When I was young, my Mom used to hand me the Sears or Montgomery Ward catalog, have me point to a dress I like, and then when I woke up in the morning, she'd have made it in whatever fabric she had spare... No patterns, no anything.

But when fabric got more expensive, an outlet mall opened nearby, and she started working, she didn't really bother to sew much anymore...

And as I get older, there's less that my Mom can do for me or that I need her to do for me - so things like this make her really happy, she's helping me make something for something I like doing, even if she doesn't understand why I'm doing it. She knows I know how to sew, because she taught me how to when I was young - and I'd have never asked her to make them for me, she just got excited, and started making them for me.

I took pictures of the inside of the warmers, but I've been a bum and haven't gotten them off the camera yet. Tonight maybe.

[Cataboo]

Eden, those are really cute - I don't have a dog or cat though.

[AnnieBikes]

One of the ladies that I cycled the Underground Railroad with uses winter weight tights, cuts the feet off them and makes arm warmers. Some of them have light fleece on the inside. She also said that some of them have no feet so then you don't have to cut them off!!

I bought a long underwear shirt and cut the arms off them for arm warmers, then I use the "vest" which is left under my cycling shirt if it is really cold for an extra layer. I bought a slightly smaller size than what I normally wear so it fits tight. When I wore it recently, I was amazed at how warm my core stayed with that extra layer.

The arm warmers worked great, not too heavy, and they fit my arms well. I may look into some sport elastic that is kind of "sticky" like expensive arm warmers just to keep from having to pull them up so much.

[PamNY]

Catriona, those arm warmers (and the other things) are lovely. It's lovely that your Mom wanted to do that for you.

Eden, I love the cat/small dog beds. Is there anything in the edge piece to give it some heft, or is that simply a roll of wool? I would love to make some like that (if I can think of anyone who has a small animal -- everyone I know tends toward the big dogs). Also, can you wash the wool after you've felted it like that?

Pam

[Eden]

Catriona, those arm warmers (and the other things) are lovely. It's lovely that your Mom wanted to do that for you.

Eden, I love the cat/small dog beds. Is there anything in the edge piece to give it some heft, or is that simply a roll of wool? I would love to make some like that (if I can think of anyone who has a small animal -- everyone I know tends toward the big dogs). Also, can you wash the wool after you've felted it like that?

Pam

the sides are the sweater sleeves trimmed down and folded into thirds or fourths depending on the width of the sleeve. I stuffed the corduroy pieces with sweater scraps. Sewing those is how I broke the machine.... (I've had it fixed since then) They are small and thick enough to have pretty good stiffness. I haven't washed any of them after I put them together, but I assume if I've sewn them well enough they should wash fine. I've already shrunken the wool quite a bit with hot water and a hot dryer.