Have You Ever Knit Leggings? These Patterns Make it Easy

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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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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