Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Have You Ever Knit Leggings? These Patterns Make it Easy

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I have long had a goal in my knitting life that I wanted to knit a pair of leggings. Leggings are a huge project but I reasoned it would be worth it because they would be really warm and comfortable, like immensely long socks, or a sweater for your legs.

I had the opportunity to test knit the Malone Leggings by Sheila Toy Stromberg (available on Ravelry) at the end of last year, and luckily we only had to knit to the leg split because I am still working on them (they’re down to about the knees at this point). They use sock yarn so I’m using a lot of leftovers and balls I’ve never gotten around to using, so that’s been fun.

They’re also great because they can be made with any weight yarn at any gauge. You plug in your measurements, gauge and desired ease and the pattern does the math for you so you can knit the leggings of your dreams.

If you want to knit yourself some pants, they’re a great option, but there are others. Here are a few that have caught my eye recently.

The Tan Line Joggers by Little Wolf Knits are worked from the top down and designed to have a more relaxed fit through the legs. They use light fingering weight yarn and are available in 10 sizes, ranging from a waist measurement of 25 to 58 inches.

If you’d like a stripey option (of course you can make them solid, too!) the Rainbow Stripes Leggings from the Real Knitty Kitty are super cute and a lot of fun to knit. These come in five sizes up to a 31 inch waist/41 inch hips and use a DK to medium weight yarn. You can buy the pattern on Etsy.

Boring Joggers is not the most exciting name, but if you’re looking for a good, basic pair of knit pants this is a good option. Designed by Spektakel – Mie Firring, they’re available in six sizes. You can find the pattern in English or Danish on Ravelry.

And Knittatude’s Cable Crush Joggers are a great pair of lounge pants (named Cable Crush because the coordinate with a cabled top, not because they themselves have cables). They’re available in nine sizes up to a 50 inch waist and use medium weight yarn. You can grab the pattern kit from Lion Brand Yarn.

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Yarn Cozy Knitting Patterns

I’ve been toying with the idea of making a yarn cozy or yarn ball holder on the circular knitting machine, but I haven’t gotten to it yet. In the meantime, here are some yarn cozy knitting patterns you can make with knitting needles. Use yarn to hold you yarn!

In its simplest form, a yarn cozy is just a sleeve or a little basket that holds your yarn when you’re working with a center-pull ball so it doesn’t fall apart when you knit. The easiest ones I could find are from Love in Stitches KN, which has a regular size and a mini size. They’re worked with sock yarn and there are options for making them with ribbing, faux cables and with self-striping yarn.

For bigger cakes there’s a project called We call it the “bail holder” from Nicole LeBlanc. This pattern is available on Ravelry and you can use any yarn and make it any size you like. It features an I-cord edging that has a loop in it so you can thread they yarn through the loop to keep it extra contained as you knit.

Another large one that has a slightly fancier pattern is this one by Mareike Meye. You can use any yarn and any gauge, and slip stitch pattern worked in different colors on the sides makes it a little more fun and uses a bit more stash. A strap buttons across the top to hold the ball in place and you can add a buttonhole to the middle of the strap to thread the yarn through. Check this one out on Ravelry.

Adding lace to a yarn cozy makes it fit a wider variety of balls and expand or shrink a bit as needed. Jennifer Sugarman’s Ball Sack uses sock yarn and is made to hold sock yarn. It has the option of making I-cord or using ribbon or cord you already have to make a drawstring at the top. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

Another lacy option is the yarn ball holder from Frugal Knitting Haus. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has an easy mesh lace pattern and an I-cord drawstring that’s sewn together at the ends so you could loop it over your wrist while you knit if you like. This pattern is also on Ravelry.

Speaking of wrist yarn holders, I also found this one form Knituition. This one uses sport weight yarn and has a spiral rib pattern on the body. The strap is attached to the bag with D-rings, or you could make it a little longer and just sew it into the bag.