Cream Stripe Baby Pants with Denim Cuffs Free Crochet Pattern
Introduction
These little striped baby pants are a sweet throwback to 90s baby style, with cream and denim blue stripes running up the legs and solid denim cuffs at the ankles. They are made from two simple straight tubes joined at a crotch seam, so there is no shaping, no increasing, and no decreasing to worry about. The DK weight yarn and double crochet fabric make them soft, stretchy, and quick to work up, perfect for a 0-3 month baby. If you can chain and double crochet in the round, you can make these pants.
Materials Needed
- Yarn: DK (3) Light weight, acrylic or cotton blend. Cream (A): approx 130 yd (119 m). Denim blue (B): approx 110 yd (101 m).
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E/4), or size needed to match gauge.
- Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker, scissors, measuring tape.
- Finished size: 0-3 months: waist 16 in (40.5 cm) relaxed, hip 18 in (45.5 cm), inseam 7 in (18 cm), rise 7 in (18 cm).
Abbreviations
- ch – chain: make a loop of yarn and pull it through the loop on your hook.
- sl st – slip stitch: insert hook, yarn over, pull through both the stitch and the loop on your hook.
- dc – double crochet: yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through 2 loops, yarn over, pull through last 2 loops.
- st(s) – stitch(es).
- rnd – round: one complete circle of stitches worked in the round.
- join – slip stitch into the first stitch of the round to close it.
Gauge
5 dc x 2.5 rows = 1 inch (2.5 cm) in double crochet. Work a small swatch in dc and measure a 2-inch section; if you have more stitches than 10, go up a hook size, and if you have fewer, go down.
Tips Before You Start
- Each leg is a straight tube with no shaping, so check your stitch count at the end of every round (34 sts) rather than measuring as you go.
- When you join the starting chain into a ring, double-check it is not twisted before working the first round.
- Carry the unused color loosely up the inside of the leg, or fasten off and rejoin, so the stripes do not pull tight.
- Keep your color changes at the same spot (the join) so the stripe steps line up neatly up the leg.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Legs (make 2, identical, worked bottom-up)
Cuff (B): Ch 34, join with sl st to form a ring, being careful not to twist.
R1-3: Ch 2, dc in each st around, join (34 sts).
Change to A.
R4-5: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to B.
R6-7: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to A.
R8-9: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to B.
R10-11: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to A.
R12-13: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to B.
R14-15: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to A.
R16-17: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to B.
R18-19: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to A.
R20-21: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to B.
R22-23: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to A.
R24-25: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Fasten off A, leaving a 12 in (30 cm) tail. Make the second leg the same way, but do not fasten off B on the second leg.
Joining the Legs
With B, ch 2, dc 17 along the front of Leg 1 (17 sts), dc 17 along the front of Leg 2 (34 sts), ch 2, turn.
Crotch/Seat (B)
R1: Dc 17 along the back of Leg 2, dc 17 along the back of Leg 1, join to first st (34 sts).
R2-3: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to A.
Body (worked in joined rounds)
R4-5: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to B.
R6-7: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to A.
R8-9: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to B.
R10-11: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to A.
R12-13: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to B.
R14-15: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to A.
R16-17: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to B.
R18-19: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to A.
R20-21: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to B.
R22-23: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to A.
R24-25: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to B.
R26-27: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to A.
R28-29: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Change to B.
Waistband (B)
R30-33: Ch 2, dc around, join (34 sts).
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Edging
With B, sl st around each cuff edge and around the waistband top edge. Fasten off and weave in ends.
Assembly and Finishing
Turn the pants inside out. With matching B yarn, whipstitch the 2 in (5 cm) crotch gap closed at center front and center back. Weave in all remaining ends. Block lightly to the finished measurements: waist 16 in (40.5 cm), hip 18 in (45.5 cm), inseam 7 in (18 cm), rise 7 in (18 cm).
Pro Tips and Variations
- Swap the cream for white or gray for a different retro colorway, keeping the denim blue cuffs and waistband.
- Add a round of single crochet in B at the waistband top if you want a slightly firmer edge.
- Work the stripes in 3-round bands instead of 2 for a bolder look, keeping the same total round count.
