Boot Cuffs: Trendy, Useful, & Quick
Special alert crochet project! See the spiking blue line, below? Googling for crochet boot cuffs is way up.
Yep, boooot cuffffs. This is specifically a crochet trend. Along with boot toppers (yellow line), a breakout* number of Google searches are specifically for crocheted boot cuffs! (The red line is knit boot cuffs.) This is a cropped Google Trends map. See the full size one here. *relative to the past 8 years or so.
Just Use a Pattern & Yarn You Already Have!
That’s what I did with all the boot cuffs shown in this issue. I used my existing patterns for scarves, cowls, and even a coffee cozy. Sometimes I changed almost nothing about the pattern to make the boot cuffs.
Take a scarf you never finished and seam it into a tube. Slip it onto your leg before you put your boot on. Try folding it over the top of the boot. Too loose? Add a drawstring to the top of it and scrunch it down like leg warmers. Try it on the outside of the boot; weave ties through the middle section of it and cinch it tight around the boot for a boot “wrapper.” I did that with Starspats at right.
Too thick? Wear on the outside of the boot; see Bootlegged Eva at right. Too thin? I like to scrunch those. I made the Boot Orbits (at right) longer so that I can scrunch them even more than they are in the photo. I'm going to add suede lacing to control the folds. Or, double layer them (This looked cool with Undaria but I forgot to get a photo).
Let's Talk Finished Dimensions
At the very least, a simple boot cuff needs to be 4” {10 cm} long: enough to show over the edge of the boot, and give a true impression of being much longer. My personal minimum is 6" {15 cm}. I like the option of folding it over the boot top.
I love having slip stitch ribbing at one edge, as shown at left above.
To scrunch it or use as a leg warmer, make it much longer, at least 12". You could pull it up over the knees or slouch it down over the ankles, and even the boot heels. It also needs to fit looser around the leg than a sock would, if you want to scrunch it.
More to Boot Cuffs Than I Expected
1. I thought boot cuffs were only for cuffing boots. It turns out they can make other kinds of shoes appear to be boots. These are clogs. Now I wear any socks I wish with the clogs under these ankle warmers.![](https://gallery.mailchimp.com/8d9b0b0df0b73f0fdcb7f4729/images/c76d6c51-ad00-4e32-9c00-09d46133ac5e.jpg)
2. I thought you had to be careful not to make boot cuffs too thick. It's not a big deal, unlike the thick boot socks I used to avoid wearing up north. I suspect boot cuffs are inspired by thick boot socks, but without the bulk of the sock part. Like boot socks, boot cuffs fill in the gap between the boot tops and legs.
3. I thought they had to be really stretchy, or else they don't stay up. Again, just not a big deal.
4. They're surprisingly practical. I thought they were a limited and frivolous sort of thing. You know, just for looks—they look warm but aren't. In reality, they're versatile and practical. Their uses (and patterns) overlap greatly with legwarmers, spats, and boot socks. When I've thought other people were wearing long leg warmers or thick socks, they might have been wearing boot cuffs!
That's it for #66! If you know someone who would enjoy this kind of newsletter, please forward this to them so that they can subscribe. (Click here to subscribe: ) If you have any comments or suggestions, please email me. Thanks! --Vashti Helpful links:
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