American Girl Doll Leggings

Free Doll Leggings Knitting Pattern

Skills Required/Techniques Used:
-Knit & purl, cast on & bind off
-Increasing: make 1 (m1)
-Decreasing: knit 2 together (k2tog), slip-slip-knit (ssk)
-Working in the round on double pointed needles
-Picking up stitches
-Working short rows

Size: fits 18-inch dolls like American Girl, Our Generation and other dolls with similar body.

Materials: Knit Picks (affiliate link) Palette fingering weight 100% wool yarn 231 yds (210 m)/ 50 g, 1 ball

Needles: double pointed US #1 (2.25mm (dpn) OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE

Gauge for stockinette st: 28 sts x 40 rows = 4"x4" (10 x10cm)

Notions:
- 2 stitch markers
- Stitch holders or 2 pieces 10” long of contrasting color waste yarn to hold stitches
- Yarn needle

Abbreviations:
dpn – double pointed needles
K – knit
P – purl
St, sts – stitch, stitches
pu&k - pick up and knit
as est. - as established, work as the pattern demands,
co – cast on
m 1 - make 1 increase - make a backward loop over the right-hand needle and in the next row/round purl/knit it as a regular stitch.
w&t - wrap and turn
pu&k - pick up and knit
pm - place marker
sm - slip marker


Pattern Notes:

Stockinette in rounds:
All rounds knit

1x1 Rib in rounds:
All rounds:: *k1, p1 - repeat around.


Short Overview of the Pattern:

Leggings are worked top-down, in rounds, seamlessly. The height of the back of the pants is shaped with short rows, then the pants are worked with increases at markers till they are divided for the legs. Each leg is worked separately in rounds. Before you start, I'd recommend to divide the ball of yarn into 2 balls: leave 2/3 of the yarn in the main ball and rewind about 1/3 into a second ball.

Leggings:

Cast on 72 sts, distribute them evenly on 4 dpn, close into a round, taking care not to twist the sts. Place a marker at the beginning of the round.

Round 1:* k1, p1 - repeat from * around.

Repeat round 1 five more times.

Round 7 with short rows for shaping the back of the pants: k17, w&t,

purl back 17, sm, p17, w&t

k17, sm, k12, w&t,

purl back12, sm, p12, w&t

k 12, sm, k7, w&t
purl back 7, sm, p7, w&t

k7, sm, knit around. To avoid holes, pick up wraps and knit them together with sts around which they were wrapped.

Round 8: sm, k36, pm, k36.

Round 9: m1, sm, k1, m1, knit all sts till the next marker, m1, sm, k1, m1, knit to the end of the round. = 76 sts

Rounds 10, 11, 12 - knit around

Repeat rounds 9-12 five more times. After round 13 number of sts =80, round 17 = 84 sts, round 21 = 88 sts, round 25 = 92 sts, round 29 = 96 sts.

After round 32, leave on one needle 3 sts before the first marker and 4 sts after the marker, remove the marker. Transfer all sts to a piece of waste yarn, untill 3 sts remain before the second marker, put the 3 sts before the second marker on another needle, remove the marker, put the 4 sts after the marker on the needle. Transfer the remaining sts to the second piece of waste yarn.


Shaping the crotch

To shape the crotch, work the back 7 sts: k7, turn, p7, turn, k7.Leave them on the needle.

Attach another ball of yarn and work the front 7 sts in the same way: k7, turn, p7, turn, k7. Now you can either make a 3-needle binding-off or sew the back and front sts together. Do not cut yarn.


Making pant legs:

Transfer the sts from one piece of waste yarn on 3 dpn, distributing them evenly. On the forth needle pu&k 7 sts from the edge of the crotch. Place a marker before the 4th stitch to mark the beginning of the round. = 48 sts

Rounds 1-3: knit around

Round 4: k1, k2tog, knit around till last 2 sts, ssk. (=46 sts)

Repeat rounds 1-4 six more times, in every 4th round the number of stitches decreases by 2, until you have 34 sts left after round 28. Work 2 more rounds in stockinette: all rounds knit.

Round 31: *k1, p1 - repeat from *around.

Repeat round 31 fifteen more times (for fitting in high boots) or to desired length.

Make the second leg in the same way.


Finishing:

Weave in all yarn ends.

Have fun!