Ember Chevron Lounge Pants Free Knit Pattern

Ember Chevron Lounge Pants — Free Beginner Knit Pattern

Introduction

If you have ever wanted to knit something you can actually wear, these Ember Chevron Lounge Pants are the perfect first garment. They are made from just two flat rectangles — no complicated shaping, no scary circular knitting, no picking up hundreds of stitches — and then seamed into two cozy tubes. The bold saffron and burnt-orange chevron stripes look impressively intricate, but every single row is just knit, purl, increase, and decrease. The finished pants are soft, slightly oversized, and warm, with a squishy ribbed waistband and a little cluster of red cherry appliqués on one thigh for a playful finishing touch. If you can knit and purl, you can make these.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Bulky weight (category 5) wool yarn. 4 (5, 6, 7) skeins in Saffron (A), 3 (4, 5, 6) skeins in Burnt Orange (B), and 1 skein in Cherry Red (C) for the appliqués. Total yardage used: approximately 1,050 (1,250, 1,450, 1,650) yards.
• Main needles: US 10 (6.0 mm) straight or circular needles (circulars are easier because the fabric is wide).
• Waistband needles: US 9 (5.5 mm) needles.
• Stitch markers (at least 4) to mark the start of each chevron repeat.
• Tapestry needle (a big blunt sewing needle with an eye large enough for wool) for seaming and appliqués.
• Scissors for cutting yarn.
• Stitch holder or waste yarn to hold stitches if needed.
• Optional: 1-inch-wide elastic for the waistband casing; a crochet hook (any size around US H/5.0 mm) for making cherry stems.
• Finished sizes: XS (S, M, L) to fit hips 34 (38, 42, 46) inches. Finished hip circumference 36 (40, 44, 48) inches with 2 inches of positive ease. Finished inseam 30 inches for all sizes. Finished waistband circumference (unstretched) 28 (32, 36, 40) inches.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

• st / sts — stitch / stitches (one loop on your needle is one stitch).
• RS — right side (the outside of the fabric that people will see).
• WS — wrong side (the inside of the fabric).
• K — knit (insert the right needle into the front of the stitch from left to right, wrap yarn around, pull a loop through, slide the old stitch off).
• P — purl (insert the right needle into the front of the stitch from right to left, wrap yarn around the front, pull a loop through, slide the old stitch off).
• k2tog — knit two stitches together (a decrease: insert the needle through two stitches at once and knit them as one, making one stitch where there were two).
• ssk — slip, slip, knit (a decrease that leans the other way: slip one stitch knitwise, slip a second stitch knitwise, then knit both slipped stitches together through the back loops).
• yo — yarn over (an increase that also makes a small hole: wrap the yarn over the right needle before the next stitch, creating a new loop).
• kfb — knit front and back (an increase: knit into the front of the stitch, then knit into the back of the same stitch before sliding it off, making two stitches from one).
• m1 — make one (an increase: lift the horizontal bar between two stitches onto the left needle and knit it through the back loop).
• sl1-k2tog-psso — slip one stitch, knit two together, pass the slipped stitch over (a double decrease: three stitches become one).
• 2x2 rib — a stretchy pattern of knit 2, purl 2 repeated across the row.
• Bind off — the way to finish an edge so the stitches don't unravel (knit two, lift the first over the second, repeat).
• Mattress stitch — an invisible seaming technique that joins two edges row by row.

Gauge

14 sts and 20 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in chevron pattern on US 10 (6.0 mm) needles, measured unstretched after blocking. On the US 9 (5.5 mm) needles, 2x2 rib measures 16 sts and 22 rows = 4 inches.

Gauge matters because it is how we make sure your pants come out the size you planned. If your stitches are bigger than the pattern's, the pants will be too big; if smaller, too small. To check, cast on about 30 stitches on the US 10 needles, work 4 inches of the chevron pattern, bind off, and lay it flat without stretching. Count the stitches across 4 inches in the middle of the swatch. If you have more than 14, go up a needle size; if fewer, go down. Always swatch — it takes 30 minutes and saves hours of disappointment.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Count every right-side row. The chevron pattern keeps a constant stitch count because every decrease is paired with a yarn over. If your count is off, you dropped or added a yarn over — fix it right away rather than later.
• Use stitch markers between repeats. Place a marker every 12 stitches so you can see instantly if a repeat has gone wrong.
• Don't pull the yarn tight. Tension should be relaxed and even; tight stitches make the chevron peaks pucker and make seaming painful.
• Change colors at the beginning of a row. Simply drop the old color and pick up the new one — no need to cut the yarn, just carry it loosely up the side.
• Keep a row counter. A simple tally on paper helps you track the 6-row stripes and the 12-row chevron repeat.
• Work both panels identically. Make the second panel exactly like the first so the stripes line up when seamed.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Chevron Stitch Pattern (multiple of 12 sts + 2)

Row 1 (RS): K1, *k2tog, k4, yo, k2, yo, k4, ssk; repeat from * to last st, k1.

Row 2 (WS): Purl all sts.

Row 3: K1, *k2tog, k3, yo, k4, yo, k3, ssk; repeat from * to last st, k1.

Row 4: Purl all sts.

Row 5: K1, *k2tog, k2, yo, k6, yo, k2, ssk; repeat from * to last st, k1.

Row 6: Purl all sts.

Row 7: K1, *k2tog, k1, yo, k8, yo, k1, ssk; repeat from * to last st, k1.

Row 8: Purl all sts.

Row 9: K1, *k2tog, yo, k10, yo, ssk; repeat from * to last st, k1.

Row 10: Purl all sts.

Row 11: K1, *k1, yo, k10, yo, k1; repeat from * to last st, k1.

Row 12: Purl all sts.

Repeat Rows 1–12 for the chevron pattern. Each 12-row repeat forms one full chevron wave. Work stripes by changing color every 6 rows: 6 rows A, 6 rows B, alternating throughout.

Back and Front Panels (make 2 identical)

With US 9 (5.5 mm) needles and color A, cast on 62 (74, 86, 98) sts.

Waistband: Work in 2x2 rib (k2, p2) for 2 inches / 5 cm, ending with a WS row. (62 sts)

Change to US 10 (6.0 mm) needles.

Set-up row (RS): K1, [k2tog, k4, yo, k2, yo, k4, ssk] repeat to last st, k1 — 62 (74, 86, 98) sts. (For sizes where the multiple does not divide evenly, adjust the final repeat by working k2tog, k4, yo, k2, yo, k3, ssk to end at the correct count; the chevron will still read correctly.)

Rows 1–6: Work chevron pattern in color A. (62 (74, 86, 98) sts)

Rows 7–12: Work chevron pattern in color B. (62 (74, 86, 98) sts)

Continue alternating 6-row stripes (A, B, A, B…) in the chevron pattern until the piece measures 28 inches / 71 cm from the cast-on edge, ending with a WS row. The piece will measure approximately 30 inches / 76 cm total including the waistband. This works out to about 140 rows of chevron after the waistband (7 full 12-row repeats plus 8 rows), which at 20 rows per 4 inches gives roughly 28 inches.

Bind off loosely in pattern.

Leg Seaming

Place the front and back panels with RS together. Using mattress stitch, sew the side seams from the bottom edge up to the crotch point, leaving the top 2 inches of the side seam open for the crotch curve. Then sew the inner leg seam from the bottom edge up to the crotch. Repeat for the second leg. Finally, sew the crotch seam joining the two legs.

Waistband Finishing

The ribbed waistband is already worked into the top of each panel. Fold the waistband to the inside along the cast-on edge and whipstitch it in place, leaving a 1-inch opening. Thread a 1-inch-wide elastic through the casing if desired (this drawstring-free design uses elastic only). Close the opening.

Cherry Appliqués (make 5–7)

With US 10 (6.0 mm) needles and color C, cast on 3 sts.

Row 1: Kfb, k1, kfb — 5 sts.

Row 2: Purl. (5 sts)

Row 3: K1, m1, k3, m1, k1 — 7 sts.

Row 4: Purl. (7 sts)

Row 5: K1, ssk, k1, k2tog, k1 — 5 sts.

Row 6: Purl. (5 sts)

Row 7: K1, sl1-k2tog-psso, k1 — 3 sts.

Row 8: Purl. (3 sts)

Bind off all sts. Weave in ends and shape into a small rounded cherry. Make a 1-inch stem by chaining 6 with a crochet hook (or twisting yarn) and attach it to the top of each cherry.

Appliqué Placement

Arrange 5–7 cherries in a scattered cluster along the outer thigh of the left leg, approximately 8–14 inches / 20–36 cm below the waistband. Pin in place and whipstitch around each cherry with matching red yarn, catching only the surface of the knitted fabric.

Assembly and Finishing

Seaming: Mattress stitch is your friend here. Lay the two pieces flat with RS together. Thread a tapestry needle with matching yarn and, working from the edge, pick up one horizontal bar from each side, alternating sides, and pull gently every few stitches. This creates an invisible seam that looks like a continuous row of knitting.

Weaving in ends: Thread each tail onto the tapestry needle and weave it in and out of the back of the fabric for about 2 inches, then trim close to the fabric. Never knot your ends — knots create lumps.

Blocking: Soak the finished pants in cool water for 15 minutes, gently squeeze out excess water (do not wring), and lay flat to dry, shaping to measurements. Do not hang. Lightly steam the chevron peaks to open the stitch pattern.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Color play: Swap the saffron and burnt orange for any two contrasting bulky wools — deep teal and mustard, or charcoal and cream — to change the whole mood of the pants.
• Size adjustments: To make the pants longer or shorter, simply add or remove 12-row chevron repeats before binding off. Each repeat adds about 2.4 inches of length.
• Yarn substitution: Any bulky (category 5) wool or wool-blend works. If you use a superwash yarn, the fabric will be less fuzzy but easier to wash. Always swatch to confirm gauge.
• Cherry variations: Skip the appliqués for a minimalist look, or scatter them down both legs for a bolder, more playful finish.