Willow Easy Crochet Leg Warmers – Free Pattern

These easy crochet leg warmers are super cozy, and so quick to work up! 

This free pattern is written for 8 sizes, from Baby up to Adult Large, so you can whip up a pair of crochet leg warmers for everyone in your family!

Each leg warmer is a simple rectangle, which is worked flat in one piece and then seamed to form a tube. The main body of the leg warmer is a combination of half double crochet (hdc) and slip stitches (sl st), which creates a fun ribbed texture. And the ribbing at the top and bottom has the most satisfying knit/purl look!

If you haven’t tried hdc-slst ribbing before, then this is a great opportunity to learn a new skill. It’s not a difficult stitch, but it does require a little practice to get the tension just right. I think it’s well worth the effort though as it gives such a lovely neat ribbing.

What you’ll need for these ribbed crochet leg warmers

Yarn

Any #4/medium/worsted weight yarn will work great for this pattern. For my leg warmers, I used WeCrochet Wool of the Andes Tweed, which is a toasty combination of Peruvian wool and Donegal tweed. Definitely guaranteed to keep legs warm!

If wool allergies are a concern, then any #4 acrylic yarn would work great. 

Some suitable alternatives include:

• WeCrochet City Tweed Worsted (merino wool, alpaca, Donegal tweed)
• Lion Brand Heartland (100% acrylic)
• WeCrochet Brava Worsted (100% acrylic)
• Paintbox Yarns Simply Aran (100% acrylic)

Hook

For my leg warmers, I used a 5.5mm (I-9) crochet hook. The slip stitches rows especially can tend to end up a little tight (more on this below!), so the slightly larger hook size helps a lot here.

Other supplies

You will also need a yarn needle to weave in those ends, and an optional stitch marker if you need help with the stitch placement for the hdc rows.

Crochet Leg Warmer Sizing

The leg warmer is designed to fit snugly around the widest part of the calf. Your finished leg warmers will measure approx. 1″/2.5cm less than the calf measurement for the Baby-Child sizes, and 2″/5cm less for the Adult sizes.

The calf circumference measurements that I used for each size are as follows:

How to crochet these cozy Leg Warmers

Each leg warmer starts with a long ribbing panel (using the hdc-slst technique outlined in the pattern). Next, you will work the body of the leg warmer into the long edge of the ribbing. The body section consists of alternating rows of hdc and sl sts.

Top tip! If you are having trouble finding where to insert your hook on the hdc rows, place a stitch marker in the last slip stitch of the previous row, just after you work it, and it will be there, ready and waiting to guide you once you start the hdc row.

Once the body is complete, the final step is to work the top ribbing section. This is worked directly into the last body row, joining the ribbing to that last row with a series of slip stitches.

The full written instructions for this technique are in the pattern below, but if you would like to see step-by-step photos and a video, you can check out my tutorial on “How to add ribbing to crochet”. (The tutorial is based on attaching single crochet ribbing to a hat, but the technique is exactly the same.)

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Leg Warmer Crochet Inspiration

For some style inspiration, have a look at the gorgeous projects created by some of my testers!

Finished Sizes

Gauge

Ribbing: 7 sts x 14 rows = 1.5″ x 4″ / 4 cm x 10 cm measured over hdc-slst (blo) ribbing.

Body: 14 sts x 12 rows = 4″ x 4″ / 10 cm x 10 cm measured over alternating rows of hdc/sl st (blo).

Materials

Yarn

Any #4/Medium/Worsted weight yarn.

The amounts given in this pattern are for WeCrochet Wool of the Andes Tweed (110yds/100m per 50g skein; Weight: #4/Medium/Worsted; 80% Peruvian Highland Wool, 20% Donegal Tweed).

Hook

5.5mm (I-9) crochet hook (or hook required to meet gauge)

Misc

• Yarn needle

Pattern Notes

Skill Level

Abbreviations (US Terms)

• ch = chain
• st = stitch
• sl st = slip stitch
• hdc = half double crochet
• blo = back loop only
• hdc-slst = half double crochet slip stitch (see Special Stitches)
• beg = beginning
• rem = remaining

Construction

• Each leg warmer is crocheted flat from the bottom up as follows:
  • Work bottom ribbing in a long strip.
  • Work body into the edge of the bottom ribbing.
  • Work the top ribbing, joining as you go to the body.
• The leg warmer is then seamed at the back to create the tube.

General Pattern Notes

• Ch 1 at the start of each row does not count as a stitch.
• The stitch count for each row is given in [ ] at the end of the row.
• Instructions are given for the smallest size, with all larger sizes given in ( ).

Slip Stitch Rows

• It is important to maintain a loose tension when working the slip stitch rows in the BODY section of the pattern. If they are too tight, you may find it difficult to work the next hdc row into those slip stitches.
• If you are unsure of where to insert your hook on the hdc rows, I recommend using a stitch marker to mark the last slip stitch of the previous row – this will make it easier to see both loops of the slip stitch.

Adjustments

• These leg warmers are very easy to adjust! To make the legwarmer narrower or wider, begin with any EVEN number of ribbing rows until the desired circumference is reached.
• In general, you want the finished circumference to be slightly less than the widest part of the calf. In this pattern I made the finished legwarmers 1″/2.5cm less than the calf measurement for the Baby-Child sizes, and 2″/5cm less for the Adult sizes.
• To adjust the length, simply continue working the BODY rows until your desired length is reached. Don’t forget that the Top Ribbing will also add a little bit of length!

Special Stitches

Half Double Crochet Slip Stitch (hdc-slst)

Step 1: Yarn over, insert hook into indicated st, yarn over and pull up a loop. [3 loops on hook]

Step 2: Do NOT yarn over, continue to pull hook through bottom 2 loops on hook.

Written Pattern (Make 2)

SIZES: Baby (Toddler, Child 3-5, Child 6-10)

RIBBING (BOTTOM)

Row 1: Ch 6 (7, 8, 8), hdc-slst in second ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. [5 (6, 7, 7)]

Row 2: Ch 1 (does not count as a st, here and throughout), hdc-slst (blo) in each st across, turn.

Rows 3 – 20 (22, 26, 30): Repeat Row 2.

Do not fasten off.

BODY

Row 1: Ch 1 (does not count as a st, here and throughout), hdc evenly along edge of ribbing (working one hdc for each ribbing row), turn. [20 (22, 26, 30)]

Row 2: Ch 1 (does not count as a st, here and throughout), sl st (blo) loosely in each st across, turn.

Row 3: Ch 1, hdc (both loops) in first st and each st across, turn.

Rows 4 – 15 (21, 27, 33): Repeat Rows 2 and 3.

Row 16 (22, 28, 34): Repeat Row 2.

Do not fasten off.

RIBBING (TOP)

Work the ribbing perpendicular to the leg warmer, joining to the final BODY row as you go. At the end of each odd-numbered row, the second sl st is in place of a turning ch-1.

ROW 1: Ch 6 (7, 8, 8), hdc-slst in second ch from hook and in each ch across, sl st in each of first 2 sts of BODY row, turn. [5 (6, 7, 7) hdc-slst]

ROW 2: Sk 2 sl sts just made, hdc-slst (blo) in each st across, turn.

ROW 3: Ch 1, hdc-slst (blo) in each st across, sl st in each of next 2 sts of BODY row, turn.

ROW 4: Repeat ROW 2.

ROWS 5 – 20 (22, 26, 30): Repeat previous 2 rows.

Cut yarn and fasten off, leaving a long tail (approx twice the length of the leg warmer) for seaming.

Go to FINISHING.

SIZES: Adult XS (Adult S, Adult M, Adult L)

RIBBING (BOTTOM)

Row 1: Ch 12, hdc-slst in second ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. [11]

Row 2: Ch 1 (does not count as a st, here and throughout), hdc-slst (blo) in each st across, turn.

Rows 3 – 38 (42, 50, 56): Repeat Row 2.

Do not fasten off.

BODY

Row 1: Ch 1 (does not count as a st, here and throughout), hdc evenly along edge of ribbing (working one hdc for each ribbing row), turn. [38 (42, 50, 56)]

Row 2: Ch 1 (does not count as a st, here and throughout), sl st (blo) loosely in each st across, turn.

Row 3: Ch 1, hdc (both loops) in first st and each st across, turn.

Rows 4 – 37 (39, 45, 51): Repeat Rows 2 and 3.

Row 38 (40, 46, 52):Repeat Row 2.

Do not fasten off.

RIBBING (TOP)

Work the ribbing perpendicular to the leg warmer, joining to the final BODY row as you go. At the end of each odd-numbered row, the second sl st is in place of a turning ch-1.

ROW 1: Ch 12, hdc-slst in second ch from hook and in each ch across, sl st in each of first 2 sts of BODY row, turn. [12 hdc-slst]

ROW 2: Sk 2 sl sts just made, hdc-slst (blo) in each st across, turn.

ROW 3: Ch 1, hdc-slst (blo) in each st across, sl st in each of next 2 sts of BODY row, turn.

ROW 4: Repeat ROW 2.

ROWS 5 – 38 (42, 50, 56): Repeat previous 2 rows.

Cut yarn and fasten off, leaving a long tail (approx twice the length of the leg warmer) for seaming.

Go to FINISHING.

Finishing

With RS facing, fold leg warmer in half and seam long edges using the mattress stitch. (Alternatively, whip stitch the edges together on the WS).

Weave in ends.

All done!

If you wish, you can purchase an inexpensive, ad-free PDF version of this pattern through Ravelry, Etsy or LoveCrafts.

I hope you have enjoyed this pattern, if you have questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact me. And be sure to tag your finished project on Instagram or Facebook using @nedandmimi or #nedandmimi!

Happy crocheting!

Sarah