How to Cable Knit Leggings

Choose a bulky yarn to knit these warm leggings.

Knitted leggings, often called leg warmers, are accessories that both warm and decorate the legs. Leggings can be used to accentuate an outfit or to simply keep the cold away from your legs when you wear shorts or a skirt. The simple, tube-like construction of leggings allows knitters to add their own embellishments into either the knitting pattern itself or to the finished pieces. Knitted cable stitch patterns make attractive shapes that often look like ropes or braids. This pattern features cables that twist to the right. These leggings are meant to fit small and medium-sized legs.

Things You'll Need

• About 215 yards bulky-weight yarn
• 4 US size 11 double-pointed knitting needles
• Stitch marker
• Cable needle
• Scissors
• Tapestry needle

Instructions

Knitting Techniques Used

1. Make the cast-on stitch by making a slipknot with the yarn and placing it on a knitting needle. Then make a small loop so that the working yarn is between the loop and the needle and place the loop on the needle next to the slipknot. This is a backward loop cast on. Pull the yarn tight to secure the stitch. Continue making loops and securing them on the needle until you have reached the instructed number of cast-on stitches.

2. Make the knit stitch by inserting the right-hand knitting needle front to back through the first stitch on the left-hand needle, so that the tip of the right-hand needle is behind the left-hand needle. Wrap the yarn counterclockwise around the right-hand needle tip. Then bring the right-hand needle downward through the stitch on the left-hand needle, catching the wrapped yarn with the tip as you go. Draw up a new loop with the caught yarn and drop the stitch from the left-hand needle.

3. Make the purl stitch by inserting the right-hand knitting needle back to front through the first stitch on the left-hand needle, with the tip of the right-hand needle in front of the left-hand needle. Wrap the yarn counterclockwise around the right-hand needle's tip. Bring the right-hand needle upward through the stitch, catching the wrapped yarn as you go to bring up a new loop onto the right-hand needle. Drop the worked stitch from the left-hand needle.

4. Make the "cable six back" stitch pattern using the cable needle. Slip the first three stitches from the left-hand knitting needle onto the cable needle. Let the cable needle hang down behind the work. Knit the next three stitches on the left-hand needle. Then knit the three stitches on the cable needle, using the cable needle as a replacement for the left-hand needle.

5. Bind off stitches by knitting the first two stitches. Use the tip of the left-hand knitting needle to lift the first stitch up and over the second stitch, dropping the first stitch from the needle completely. Knit another stitch. Then use the tip of the left-hand needle again to lift the first stitch on the right-hand needle over the second stitch and off the needle. Keep repeating this until you have one stitch remaining. Cut the yarn with scissors and draw it through the last stitch, going from left to right.

Cable Leggings Pattern

1. Use the yarn to cast on 32 stitches onto one of the double-pointed knitting needles. Divide the stitches onto three knitting needles, with 11 stitches on two needles and 10 stitches on one needle. Make sure the stitches are all even and that the yarn is not twisted. Place the stitch marker to indicate the beginning of round.

2. Purl the first two stitches of the first round. Then knit the next two stitches. Continue the purl two knit two ribbing pattern to complete the round. Repeat this round four times so that you have five complete rounds of ribbing.

3. Purl the first two stitches of the next round and then knit six stitches. Continue this pattern until you reach the end of the round. Then repeat the round to complete seven rounds.

4. Make the next round by purling two stitches and making the "cable six back" stitch pattern. Repeat this pattern until you complete the round.

5. Repeat Step 3 and Step 4 six more times. Purl the first two stitches of the next round and then knit the next six stitches. Continue this pattern to finish the round. Repeat the pattern to complete three more rounds.

6. Complete nine rounds of purl two knit two ribbing. Bind off all of the stitches.

7. Use the tapestry needle to weave in the loose ends. Make a second legging exactly the same as the first to complete the pair.

References

• Knitting Daily: Backward-Loop Cast-on
• How to Knit Guide: How to Knit
• How to Knit Guide: How to Purl
• How to Knit Guide: How to Bind Off
• Wine and Needles: Irish Hiking Legwarmers