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.

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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