Wheel of Hearts Leggings in Cascade 220 Fingering - FW171 - Downloadable PDF

Wheel of Hearts Leggings in Cascade 220 Fingering

Project Overview

The Wheel of Hearts Leggings, designed by Laura Farson, are women's legwarmers and boot cuffs created using the fingering weight Cascade 220 yarn. This advanced knitting project produces fitted leg coverings with a circumference of 12 inches at the ankle, 14 inches at the top, and a length of 15 inches. The design features a sophisticated colorwork pattern that showcases the interplay between multiple yarn colors.

What Is Being Made

These leggings are constructed as circular knit leg warmers or boot cuffs designed to fit women's sizing. The garment is worked from the cuff downward in the round, creating a seamless tube that fits snugly around the leg. The finished piece measures approximately 15 inches in length, making it suitable as a decorative leg warmer or boot topper rather than full-length leggings.

Knitting Techniques

This advanced pattern employs stranded colorwork knitting, a technique that involves carrying multiple yarn colors across the back of the work to create intricate patterned designs. The pattern specifically instructs knitters to carry the dark color in the left hand or "under" the light colors to maintain consistent tension and appearance. Proper float management is essential—knitters must catch all floats when working the stranded pattern to prevent long loops on the interior of the garment. When cutting yarn strands, a 4-inch tail should be left for weaving in ends securely.

The cuff section is worked in ribbing, which provides elasticity and helps the leggings maintain their shape around the leg. The ribbed cuff begins with two burgundy strands held together, establishing a sturdy foundation for the colorwork sections that follow.

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch (K): The primary stitch used throughout the ribbed cuff and colorwork sections
• Ribbing pattern: A combination of knit stitches worked in alternating sequences to create vertical columns of texture and stretch
• Stranded colorwork: Multiple colors are worked simultaneously, with unused colors carried as floats across the back of the work to create the Wheel of Hearts pattern

Materials and Specifications

This pattern requires Cascade 220 Fingering yarn, a 4-ply fingering weight yarn. One skein each of six coordinating colors is needed: Burgundy (2401), Orange (7825), Dark Green (9429), Yellow (7827), Light Green (8903), and Pink (9478). The yarn choice provides excellent stitch definition for the colorwork pattern while maintaining the delicate drape appropriate for legwarmers.

Needles required include one 16-inch US #3 circular needle or a set of four double-pointed needles in the same size. The pattern specifies that 104 stitches will just fit on a 16-inch needle; however, for a looser, slouchy fit, knitters may begin with 112 stitches and skip the increases. Additional notions include 7 stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and shaping, and a blunt sewing needle for weaving in yarn ends after completing the stranded colorwork sections.

Gauge and Fit

The pattern is worked at a gauge of 18 stitches over 2 inches in the stranded pattern. This gauge is measured using the colorwork sections and ensures that the finished leggings will achieve the intended circumference measurements. Proper gauge is particularly important in colorwork projects, as tension variations can distort the pattern design and affect the fit of the garment around the leg.

Skill Level

This project is rated as Advanced difficulty. The combination of stranded colorwork, float management, and circular knitting techniques requires solid foundational knitting skills and experience with color work patterns. Knitters should be comfortable managing multiple yarn colors simultaneously and maintaining even tension throughout the project.