Rainbow Legwarmers

So, what makes a pattern original? I started with this pattern and changed the colors and length and sizing a bit, and added instructions to improve the color changing, but while I am proud of the results, I would not call this a design of my own making. But aren't those colors fun?



These legwarmers are slouchy and will fit very loosely. Directions are for small (medium, large) sizes.

Materials:

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Encore Knitting Worsted Weight (75% acrylic, 25% wool), one skein (100g/200 yds.) each in the following colors: purple (1384), red 1386), orange (1383), yellow (1382), green (054),and blue (133).

Needles: 4 double-pointed needles, size 8 or size to obtain gauge.

Gauge: 5 sts = 1" over St st.

Directions:

Cast on 64 (72, 80) stitches. Divide across 3 needles.

Knit a color band in each color (see directions for color band below). To create the rainbow effect, alternate primary colors with their composite secondary colors, i.e. blue, green, yellow, orange, red, purple. For longer legwarmers, knit additional color bands to desired length.

Bind off in pattern.

Color band:
Row 1: K all around. (If using long-tail cast on, cast on row counts as first knit row of first color band.)
Row 2-8: K2, P2 ribbing all around.

How To Make a Jogless Color Change:
When changing colors, on the first stitch of second row of the new color, pick up the first stitch of the old color from below, place it on the left needle, and knit along with first stitch of row 2.

How to Add Laces to Make Them Stay Up

If you don't like legwarmers that puddle around your ankles, here is one way to modify this pattern to make them stay up:

On the last (top) color band, knit row one, k2 p2 rows 2-4, create eyelet in row 5 (*k2,p2,yo,k2tog,p2,repeat from *), k2 p2 rows 6-8, BO; knit 2 3-stitch i-cords long enough to thread through eyelet and tie in a bow.