In my previous post, I mentioned having begun a pair of bottom-up wool pants/slacks. In this post, I’ll lay out the pattern, such as it is. It’s really such basic knitting, that a pattern is almost not needed!
The legs are easily tried on for length and circ., and once the legs have been joined, the whole shebang can be tried on, if half the sts are first slipped to another long ckn.
As mentioned, I’ve used 3 different worsted wt. wool yarns.
Materials
3 skeins YarnUndyed worsted/aran wt. non-superwash extra fine merino (A)
3 skeins Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted in Buckskin (B)
1 skein Kelbourne Woolens Germantown, in Pink (a salmony pink) (C)
The pants weigh 22.4 ozs. (635 g), not incl’g the tie.
Size 7 (4.5 mm) ckns (16” and 29-32”)
3 different color stitch markers
Stitch holders or waste yarn
Tapestry ndl
Length of t-shirt yarn – for the tie
Gauge: 5 sts and 7 rnds/1” in St st, and 6.5 sts/1”, in k2, p1 rib, with size 7 ndls or size to give gauge.
Size: about size 8.
Finished Dimensions
Leg Inseam: 29”
Leg Circ. from Lower Edge to Mid-Knee: 17.5”
Circ. of Upper Thighs (mid-knee to crotch): 20”
Hips: 36”
Rise: 10”, measured along the front
Waist: 32”
Legs (make 2)
With C and shorter ckn, long tail CO 114 sts, place rnd marker.
Setup Rib: (K2, p1) around.
Work rib until 2” from CO edge.
Dec Rnd: (K2, k2tog)28x, k2 = 86 sts.
With B, knit 2 rnds.
With C, knit 2 rnds.
Rep last 4 rnds 3x more = approx. 4.5” from CO edge.
With B, knit 2 rnds.
With A, knit 2 rnds.
Rep last 4 rnds 16x more, then knit 2 rnds B = approx. 16.25” from CO edge.
Try On: At any point, you can slip the sts to a long ckn and try the leg on, to make sure it has the amount of ease you desire.
Thigh Shaping
On the next rnd, with A, k1, m1, knit to end of rnd, m1 = 88 sts.
Work 11 rnds in est. stripe patt.
Rep last 12 rnds 6x more = 100 sts.
Try On: At this point, you can slip the sts to a long ckn and try the leg on again, to ascertain if enough sts have been inc’d.
Knit around in stripe patt for 20 more rnds, end after finishing the 2-rnd B stripe = 29” from CO edge, or knit to desired length. Break both colors.
Crotch
Slip the first and last 10 sts of the rnd onto a holder or waste yarn. Rep for the 2nd leg. The crotch sts will be seamed or 3-ndl BO, later.
On the next rnd, with B and the longer ckn, join yarn and knit around on the rem 90 sts, then knit the 2nd leg’s 90 sts onto the same ckn = 180 sts.
Hips
Knit around in stripe patt for 39 more rnds = approx. 5.75” from the crotch.
Waist Shaping
Place a different color stitch marker at the outer right hip (between sts 90 and 91), so that the front and rear each have 90 sts, to facilitate the waist shaping, as well as the short rows that need to be worked across the rear only.
Rnds still begin at outer left thigh.
Keeping to stripe patt, on the next rnd, k1, k2tog, knit to 2 sts before the next marker (at right hip), ssk, k1, k2tog, knit to 2 sts before the end of rnd, ssk = 176 sts.
Patt 3 rnds even.
Rep last 4 rnds 3x more, then rep the dec rnd with A, then knit 1 rnd in A = 160 sts, 8.75” from the crotch and has approx. a 32” circ. Break A.
With B, knit 1 rnd, dec 1 st = 159 sts.
Short Rows
The short rows will be worked within the ribbed waistband. If working the pants in one color, the short rows could be worked earlier, if desired, at approx. 4 to 5” from the crotch.
Short Row 1
With B (k2, p1) all the way around to 3 sts before the first (rnd) marker at outer left thigh, W&T, rib to 3 sts before the marker at outer right thigh, W&T.
Short Row 2
Rib to 6 sts before the rnd marker at outer left thigh, W&T, purl to 6 sts before the marker at outer right thigh, W&T.
Rib 1 rnd, ending at the right hip marker, working the wraps along with their sts.
Short Row 3
Rib to 9 sts before the first (rnd) marker at outer left thigh, W&T, rib to 9 sts before the marker at outer right thigh, W&T.
Short Row 4
Rib to 12 sts before the first (rnd) marker at outer left thigh, W&T, rib to 12 sts before the marker at outer right thigh, W&T.
Rib 1 rnd, ending at the right hip marker, working the wraps along with their sts.
Short Row 5
Rib to 15 sts before the first (rnd) marker at outer left thigh, W&T, rib to 15 sts before the marker at outer right thigh, W&T.
Rib 1 rnd, ending at the right hip marker, working the wraps along with their sts.
At this point, the rear has 15 rows worked, while just 5 rows have been worked across the front = a 10 row (1.4”) difference in height.
Try On: At this point, you can slip half the sts to another long ckn and try the pants on, to see of you need more short rows worked.
Eyelets for Waist Cord/Tie
Place the 3rd marker at center front, between sts 40 and 41.
On the next rnd (k2tog, yo, p1) to the center front marker, k2, then (p1, yo, k2tog) to the end of the rnd.
Work 3 more rnds in rib = a 11.75” rise at the rear and a 10.25” rise at the front. BO in rib on the next rnd.
Finishing
To seam the crotch, you can either place the sts onto 2 ndls and work 3-needle BO from the WS, with B, or weave the 2 edges together. By leaving a tail at the beg and end of your joining method, the tails can be used to sew up the gaps at both ends of the crotch seam.
Waistband Tie
When it comes to waistband ties, I have become very fond of this simple solution – just cut a length of t-shirt yarn, like Hoooked Zpagetti or Ribbon XL. Thread through the eyelets, then tie a couple overhand knots into each end. Every time I need to replace the tie in some sweat pants or PJs, a length of t-shirt yarn does the job, as it stretches so well!
Naturally, if you prefer, you can knit an I-cord tie or crochet a slip stitch tie.
Drops Nepal, in a med. grey mix, is on its way to me, for a 2nd pair. As it will mainly be in a solid color, I will likely work the short rows within the hip area. Will post pics when they are done, although it will take quite awhile, as life, right now, isn’t allowing for hardly anything enjoyable, but that’s for another post, if I decide to actually post how I feel about the current situation.
Here's to somehow finding the time and energy to work on new knitting designs, or at least finish up the 4-design set I began last year!
Onward!
Dawn
