i've been wanting to try something like this ever since my friend catharine designed a diaper cover pattern using the knifty knitter. but want i wanted was tights or leggings. i tried a prototype this past weekend and this is what i came up with (click to enlarge):
these fit my 2-year-old great, but she didn't want to model them--it was jammie day and she wanted nothing to do with anything that wasn't jammies. :) they took about 3 hours to make from start to finish.
catharine worked her pattern from the waist down, but that makes the stitches upside down, so i worked from the bottom up. the following is what i did, with suggestions for adapting for a larger or smaller child:
materials: two balls of worsted weight yarn; knifty knitter loom (red for infant, green for small toddler, yellow for large toddler--sorry, yellow doesn't show up well on a white background). knitting tool of your choice; tapestry needle
first leg: using two strand held together, cast on 14 (16; 18) pegs and knit 2 X 2 ribbing for 4 rows. this forms a non-roll cuff at the ankle. then e-wrap and knit for a flat panel, as many rows as needed to make a leg that is the length of the child's inseam (i knit 50 rows, for a 12" inseam--measure your child and knit accordingly). cut yarn but do not bind off.
second leg: move over 2 pegs, cast on 14 (16; 18) pegs and make a second leg. when you have the desired number of rows, DO NOT CUT YARN. instead, begin knitting in the round, from that leg to the other, including the pegs inbetween. wrap only one row--then knit the pegs that have two loops (the leg pegs). from there, continue wrapping in the round and knit as usual, until the trunk is long enough to reach from the child's crotch to the waist (i knit 30 rows).
NOTE--on the red loom you will have two pegs between the legs on one side and only one peg on the other. on the green loom, you will have two pegs between the legs on both sides. on the yellow loom, you will have two pegs between the legs on one side and three pegs on the other. the uneven number of pegs does not affect the fit, so don't fret.
waistband: here is a place where i wish i had done something different. i knit 1 loop over 2 for 6 rows. this created a rolled waistline, which i thought would be cute. i wish instead that i had knit 2 X 2 ribbing, because i discovered that i didn't really care for the roll after all. you might like it, and if you do, then by all means, use it, but if you want a flat waistline, use the 2 X 2 ribbing.
bind off: use the super stretchy bind off method.
finishing: using a single strand of yarn and the tapestry needle, seam the legs closed, starting from the hem of one leg, up to the crotch, and back down the other leg. (if you had an uneven number of pegs between legs, just fudge it at the crotch).
