I bought a pair of leg warmers in Taiwan for Otis, and I love love love them. I wish he could wear them everyday, but what can you wear with leg warmers? If you’re a girl, then you wear them with dresses and skirts, but boys? I guess there’s just shorts. Can I in good conscience dress my baby in shorts if it’s cold enough for leg warmers? I love leg warmers almost as much as the tight leggings that I bought for him in Japan. I wish they sold them here, but no go. The closest thing available here is girls’ tights. Can I in good conscience put my baby boy in tights?
This is good practice for next week, since Tiff and I are going to be rocking the double-pointed needles next week during our bad TV watching/knitting tutorial evening. I can finally get my dose of laugh tracks and saccharine dramas.
10.13.06 at 4.10 pm
Shisomama–
Found your blog through your recent apartment therapy post and have enjoyed the nursery pics, your art and the recent tales.
Those legwarmers are excellent. My 5 month old girl is about to bust out of some knit legwarmers that used to cover her entire skinny newborn legs, but now barely fit around her calves. Was wondering if you’re following a pattern for yours or making it up as you go? Sizing can be such a challenge…
10.13.06 at 7.51 pm
Ah, the joys of parenting in a postmodern age. Can you in good conscience let societal constructions of gender norms keep you from doing what you feel is right? On the other hand, do you really want to raise a freak of nature? Tough call ;)
10.14.06 at 9.00 pm
Geograrian – Thanks for the compliment on the leg warmers. I’m plugging away while I watch the final few episodes of Lost, season 2 on DVD. I’m just making the pattern up as I go, and it just took a few calculations at the beginning. Hopefully I’ll finish them soon and post hte results, along with something that resembles a pattern.
Nathan – I think the question is, can I in good conscience risk raising a kid who might one day be a 40-year old leg warmer-wearing freak? Or worse, what if he grows up with an irrational fear of leg warmers?
10.20.06 at 8.56 am
Hi Shisomama,
I love the leg warmers you are knitting. The background and the layout of the photo is great too. As a stylist, I believe that it would look so cute with brown wool or corduroy straight leg pants.If you can get or knit a thick leggings it would be great. Striped one is fun too. Do not put them together with shorts! You need to balance it with nubby wool sweater with a shirt or light weight turtleneck underneath. A quilted or wide wale corduroy jacket would be cute. May be a matching cap, mittens and a muffler. Do an Oilily for boys ( I don’t remember the brand name ) look. He can wear a chunky boots with it. I believe leg warmers for little boys are great for outdoors. It is too fussy indoors. You can only do this until Otis is about 3 or 4. Do it while you can.
Vogue Bambini and Oilily catalogue have great examples for cute boys fashion. Enjoy!
10.20.06 at 9.03 am
You don’t want to raise a boy to be strange or a sissy, but you can raise him to be cool looking without being fussy. He might reject it when he is about 5, so you need to work on him right now to set a good solid foundation. It is nice to see a well dressed or cool looking straight guy.
10.20.06 at 9.22 am
A second thought. Leggings under shorts and leg warmers worn over the leggings like a knee socks by tucking it into the longish boots would work. Shorts need to be made of a thick material ( I could go on forever!). Otis can carry his wonderful bag with the outfit. You need to take samples of all the things you made for Otis to Milk. Venders are always looking for something wonderful. Also check with department stores for a go see day. Most of them have certain days of the month set for looking at new things. You might start a new line! Good luck.
10.22.06 at 8.35 pm
Yasuko – The problem with making an outfit with the leg warmers is that it’s just not that cold here in Northern California. I do buy/love sweaters for Otis, but I think I can’t quite figure out how to wear the leg warmers with pants. Over the pants? Under pants with a short hem? I also like leggings very much; we bought some fantastic ones in Japan that are tight, like girls’ tights, but without feet, but I can’t find anything like that here unfortunately.
10.23.06 at 7.57 am
Hi Shisomama,
I forgot all about the climate across the Baybridge (I used to live in San Francisco). I think you did a great job on Sunday. Otis looks so cute! He is the best dressed little boy. I love his leggings and his bag too.
10.23.06 at 6.50 pm
Correction: I love his leg warmers ( not leggings ).
Japanese stores always had leggings that are like tights for children. Many parents in Japan make their kids wear them under slacks during winter to keep warm. Now they have fashionable ones that you can wear on its own. You can knit or sew them out of knit fabric. You can get a light weight knit fabric. Find a pattern for leggings or tights under costume section.