Not a Fashionista

Most people who know me will not know me for my fashion sense. I am never going to be a fashionista and I'm okay with that. I do like pretty things but mainly I go for practical. Especially in the footwear department and especially in the winter. I am genetically clumsy and so me and ice just don't go. So my winter foot wear is chosen by their likelihood of preventing me from landing on my backside. For a year I had Ugg boots. I hate Ugg boots. No offence to those who love them but I think they are just so ugly (told you I was never going to be a fashionista. The Ugg boots I picked out were leather and were short ones so could be worn under my trousers. I was told they would last me years and would be perfect for our horrible wintery weather (we don't get pretty snow, we get slush and ice). They leaked, my trainers were better on the ice and they lasted a year. This time I have went for Hunter boots. I actually quite like them so that's a plus already. I am hoping they won't leak. Sadly though, I have read that they are next to useless at ice walking. I remain hopeful though.

They don't keep you warm though which means I get to wear some of my handknit socks underneath. That's never a bad thing. They do rub on the backs of my legs though and so I decided to make something that would solve that.

So I made these boot cuffs or boot liners. Whatever you want to call them. I realise you can buy them but where is the fun in that? Confession, I have seen people knitting up boot cuffs on instagram and I honestly thought they were just for the pretty. As a person who has always worn her boots underneath her trousers I didn't see the point. Now it appeals to my practical side.

I got the pattern from ravelry. They are called 'Nautical But Nice' Boot Warmer by Raquel Gaskell and it's a free pattern. I don't take advantage of the free patterns on ravelry often enough. You can usually find little gems like this one. I call it a gem because I am sure people would gladly pay for this pattern. I was immediately taken by the cables. I love a cable. I love knitting them and I love the look. This is probably one of the more complex cable patterns I have used. The knitting on the round part is easy enough but one cable is worked over 8 row repeats and the other over 24. This just meant that I had to track the two so that I remembered where I was at. I love how it turned out.

The yarn used in the initial pattern is done in white (and fits in with the nautical theme). I decided to use a yarn that has been sitting for the last 6 months just waiting to be used. It's by Wendy and is called Roam Fushion. For anyone interested the colourway is called Fosse. I had picked it up in John Lewis when I really only went in for a crochet hook. It feels thicker than your normal sock yarn which is why I chose it for this. It also knits up lovely. I thought the variegated pattern of the yarn would drown out the cables (as often happens with variegated yarn) but I am pleased to say that I think they actually work well together.

On the other side of this I can now finally wear my new boots!