Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Stitch Up a Pair of Comfy Pants

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When it comes to knit garments, I think pants are probably the most overlooked project out there. Pants are a big project, much bigger than a sweater, and they will take a long time to knit.

But knit pants are also super comfortable, and they can be made exactly to the fit you want. Add more ease in the legs, make them longer or shorter, whatever you want!

I’ve knit a pair of leggings in sock yarn, and I love them, but the Sierra Pants by Safiyyah Talley have a looser fit in the leg that would also be nice for lounge pants.

These are worked from the top down with a folded over elastic waistband. There are short rows to make the back longer than the front, as well as increases for hips and more short rows to fit the backside. The legs are worked straight and have a rolled edge, but you could easily work a folded over hem at the bottom of the leg if you wanted.

The pants are worked in fingering weight yarn held double, and they come in a whopping 17 sizes, to fit a waist from 24 to 56 inches, or 61 to 142 cm. There’s meant to be about 2 inches/5 cm of negative ease at the waist.

The pattern calls for a cotton/acrylic blend (Knit Picks Comfy Fingering), which comes in 19 different colors. This would be great for a summer pair of pants, but you could also use a wool blend if you want to make them warmer for the colder part of the year.

And of course you can add stripes or use up your whole stash of sock yarn on this project if you want.

You can grab the pattern on Ravelry or from Saifyyah’s website.

Can’t get enough knit pants? Check out this collection of pants and shorts knitting patterns.

[Photo: Safiyyah Talley]

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Pencil Knitting Patterns

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns! 

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil. 

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn. 

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point. 

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up. 

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.