How to Turn Old Socks Into Toddler Leggings!

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I have a confession: I love a good knee-hi trouser sock. It may not be the sexiest accessory, but it certainly adds an unexpected sass when it comes to wintertime; there is nothing cozier to me than to squish my lower leg into a heavy-knit sweater sock and tie off the circulation around my knee. I feel extra warmth (numbness?) from the knees down and suppose that this feeling of comfort is what Laura Ingalls Wilder felt every day after Christmas.

Shockingly, the elasticity on my trouser socks are less than reliable and I find that by the next winter, my year-old knee-hi's find themselves puddled around my ankle before I even make it to work. My husband calls this syndrome "drunken socks," as in falling down drunk. These poor, inebriated souls have been sequestered to my sock drawer after pestering me throughout the day and find themselves amongst a growing batch of loosey goosies every year.

As I clean out my closet every season, I continue to come across these forlorn hosiery not knowing what to do with them, until I found my two-year-old the other day, dressed up in a pair of jean shorts and a cloth belt tied around her forehead. She definitely has an eighties baby's soul in her (oh, joy!) and I immediately knew how to extend the life of my beloved trouser socks.

In three easy steps, you can make awesome leggings for your toddler:

Step 1: Turn Your Unused Knee-hi's Inside Out.

Fold the opening of the sock approximately 1/8 of an inch above the heel of the sock. Using the opening as a guide, cut the sock above the heel. Repeat with the other sock.

Step 2: Using a Straight Stitch on Your Sewing Machine, Sew Approximately Around the Edge to Secure the Cut.

Finish with a zigzag stitch, or an overcast stitch used for stretch fabrics. Repeat with the other sock. The stitched end will be obviously larger. Put the leggings on this end first.

Step 3: Find a Fashion-forward Toddler and Dress Accordingly.

Take pictures that will make them proud (or embarrassed) when they turn nineteen.

Step 4: Now...what to Do With the Foot Portion? Maybe It's Best Just to Trash Them.

Or recycle? Does anyone have any advice on how to compost socks if they were all cotton or wool?