Welcome back to Fair Isle PANTS week. Today is Fair Isle SHORTS day. Don't forget to get the pattern for half off (just $3) all week long.
Here are my shorts version of the pants:
You want some too? That's great! I'm all about knitted bottoms. I have two pairs of knitted shorts now and I seriously love them. I wear them to bed all the time. So comfy. Here's how I modified this pattern into shorts:
First, yarn. My main color is Knit Picks Swish in Squirrel Heather, and I used just about 3 skeins. My colors are all Cascade 220 Superwash. The pinks are something I had leftover from a long ago project. Love it when leftover yarn is exactly what you need. And really, the great thing about shorts is how little yarn you need total, and how quickly they come together.
I made the size M, which is the same as my pants. I wanted my shorts to sit a little lower on my hips than my pants do, so I worked one fewer round between each hip increase. Otherwise I knitted them to the pattern up until the leg divide.
Once I got to the leg divide, I measured a pair of lounging shorts that I like to determine how long of an inseam I wanted. It was 1.5" (which sounds totally scandalous, but is definitely not). That meant that I needed to work just one more motif. After that motif, I worked some short rows across the back of the legs, to be sure that my booty was completely covered. I started the short rows at the middle of the crotch, and worked the first short row all the way to the side of the shorts. I did three sets of short rows, each set with one unworked stitch between wrapped stitches. In hindsight, I wish I would have done only two sets of short rows. The legs dip just a bit lower than I would have liked, but really, no big deal. I'm wearing these to bed. After the last short row, I knitted 6 rounds in stockinette, then did 5 rounds in garter. On the first purl round of the garter section, I purled 10 stitches, then purled two stitches together, all the way around the leg. I've found that garter stitch flares out on the bottom of shorts, so I figured that fewer stitches = less flare. Then I just bound off fairly loosely and ta da! Shorts.
Once I got to the leg divide, I measured a pair of lounging shorts that I like to determine how long of an inseam I wanted. It was 1.5" (which sounds totally scandalous, but is definitely not). That meant that I needed to work just one more motif. After that motif, I worked some short rows across the back of the legs, to be sure that my booty was completely covered. I started the short rows at the middle of the crotch, and worked the first short row all the way to the side of the shorts. I did three sets of short rows, each set with one unworked stitch between wrapped stitches. In hindsight, I wish I would have done only two sets of short rows. The legs dip just a bit lower than I would have liked, but really, no big deal. I'm wearing these to bed. After the last short row, I knitted 6 rounds in stockinette, then did 5 rounds in garter. On the first purl round of the garter section, I purled 10 stitches, then purled two stitches together, all the way around the leg. I've found that garter stitch flares out on the bottom of shorts, so I figured that fewer stitches = less flare. Then I just bound off fairly loosely and ta da! Shorts.
I hope all you warm-weather dwellers make some shorts so that I can see them and get all excited!
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