Leg warmers · Beginner

Boot cuffs

A boot cuff is a short leg warmer without the taper: it sits at the calf, folds over the top of the boot and shows a band of knitting. One flat rectangle with a cuff at each end, a little narrower than the calf so it stays up. A small, quick project, and a good one for stripes or a punch-card pattern.

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Virtual test knit

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Every row of every piece on this page has just been knitted on a model of your machine, for the size, machine and gauge you chose. The model follows each needle's loops through transfers, held needles, hems and cast-offs, then measures the finished pieces.

216 rows and 19,872 stitches knitted, 0 stitches transferred, 0 held-needle passes: no dropped stitch, no hole, no lost loop, every stitch cast off or secured at the end.

Measured on the simulated pieces
Measurement	Should be	Simulated
Circumference	29.6–31.6 cm	✓ 30.7 cm
Length	17–19 cm	✓ 18.5 cm
Rows end where they started	0–0 rows	✓ 0 rows
Cuff depth	3–5 cm	✓ 4 cm

The simulation checks the instructions and the arithmetic. Yarn, tension and blocking still differ from knitter to knitter, so knit the gauge swatch first and type in your own numbers. Knitted one? We would love a photo: support@purlbed.com.

Women · Single bed, punch card · Gauge (stocking stitch, after steaming): 30 sts × 40 rows

Sizes

Measurement	Women	Men
Calf circumference	34 cm	38 cm
Length	18 cm	20 cm
Cuff depth	4 cm	4 cm

You will need

Yarn: Soft, stretchy wool or wool blend: 4-ply / fingering on a standard machine, DK on mid gauge, worsted on bulky.

About 60 g in total for this size (an estimate from the area of the pieces; buy a little more).

Also: Tapestry needle, Waste yarn (single bed)

Gauge swatch first

Cast on 40 needles with waste yarn and knit a few rows. Change to the main yarn and choose a tension that gives a fabric you like (see the starting points below).
Knit 60 rows. Tie a contrast thread to the 11th needle from each side at row 10 and row 50, so the marks are 20 needles and 40 rows apart.
Knit a few rows of waste yarn and take the swatch off. Steam or wash it the way you will treat the finished piece, and let it rest flat for a few hours.
Measure between the marks: stitches in 10 cm = 20 ÷ width in cm × 10, rows in 10 cm = 40 ÷ height in cm × 10. Type the two numbers into the gauge boxes above; that tension is your main tension (MT).

Pieces

Boot cuff (knit 2)

Cast on 92 sts, 108 rows. Flat size about 30.7 × 18.5 cm.

Row by row

Bring 92 needles into work (L46 to R46). Cast on with waste yarn, knit about 10 rows, 1 row of ravel cord, then change to the main yarn. Set RC to 000.
Turned hem: knit 16 rows at MT−1, 1 row at MT+2 (the fold line) and 16 rows at MT−1. Hang the loops of the first main-yarn row (just above the waste yarn) back on the needles, then knit 1 row at MT (RC 034). Remove the waste yarn later.
Knit 41 rows at MT (RC 075).
Closing hem: knit 16 rows at MT−1, 1 row at MT+2 and 16 rows at MT−1 (RC 108), then a few rows of waste yarn, and release. Fold the hem inside along the loose row and sew the open loops to the first hem row.

Bed chart

Row 1 is at the bottom. Arrows mark the transfers; the key under the chart names each colour.

Needle notation

Step 1 at the bottom; only the needles around the changes are shown.

Row sequence (7)

Rows	What the carriage knits	Tension
1–16	Stocking stitch	MT−1
17	Stocking stitch	MT+2
18–33	Stocking stitch	MT−1
34–75	Stocking stitch	MT
76–91	Stocking stitch	MT−1
92	Stocking stitch	MT+2
93–108	Stocking stitch	MT−1

Opens a copy of this piece as an editable bed chart in your browser.

Finishing

Weave in the ends and remove the waste yarn.
Fold each piece lengthwise, right sides together, and sew the long edge with mattress stitch.
Turn right side out and steam lightly. Fold the top over the boot.

Notes and changes

The length is a starting value from common boot cuffs, not a rule: 15–25 cm is usual. Change it in the size boxes to suit your boots.
They are cast on at 90 % of the calf so they hug the leg and stay up. Measure the top of the calf, where the boot ends.

What the words mean

Short rows (引返): knitting only some of the needles for a few rows while the others wait. The middle grows taller than the sides, which makes a cup: that is how the heel and toe of a sock get their curve.
Hold: the needle position for short rows: a needle pushed all the way forward keeps its stitch and does not knit while the carriage is set to hold.
Turned hem: a neat double edge: knit a strip, then fold it up and hang its first row back on the needles, so the edge is a fold instead of a raw cast-on.
1×1 rib: one stitch on the main bed, one on the ribber, side by side: the stretchy edge of socks, cuffs and hat brims. Needs a ribber or a double bed.
Decrease / increase: making the piece one stitch narrower or wider at the edge. Fully fashioned means moving the 2 edge stitches in (or out) with a transfer tool, so the edge stays smooth for sewing.
Transfer tool: the small hook (1, 2 or 3 prongs) that lifts stitches off needles and puts them on others.
Waste yarn: a few rows in a spare colour knitted before or after the piece and pulled out later, leaving open loops to hang back or sew.
MT (main tension): the tension dial number of your gauge swatch. MT−1 is one number tighter, MT+2 two numbers looser.
RC (row counter): the counter on the carriage. Set it to 000 after casting on; every step says what it should read when the step is done.
L10 / R10: needle numbers, counted outwards from the middle (0) of the needle bed.
Mattress stitch: the usual way to sew knitted pieces together: you catch the bar between the first two stitches on each side, so the seam disappears.
Duplicate stitch: embroidery that follows a knitted stitch's V shape with a needle and a second colour, so the pattern looks knitted in.

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Boot cuffs

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