Livie Legs - Free Original Pattern

BabyLegs are all the rave with new moms, and they’re awfully darned cute, so when my niece asked me if I could crochet a version for her daughter, Olivia, I was delighted!

I used Baby Yarn and an F (4mm) hook.

Choosing the yarn:
You want to use a baby weight acrylic yarn. Two of the pairs shown here are made with Bernat Softee Baby. The mint colored pair is made from a partial skein of baby weight yarn I had in my stash. I don’t remember what yarn it is, but I really enjoyed working with it.

You want the yarn to be soft as it will be up against baby’s skin. You also want a sturdy yarn that will survive a lot of crawling. I advise staying away from novelty yarns with fuzz, fur or other fibers that can catch or shed easily.

Also note if your yarn has any sort of pattern. The pink and mint yarn I used is an all over pattern, and the leggings are solid colored. The blue/green/yellow pair was made with Bernat Softee in Dreamy Blue. The pattern on the yarn created a pattern in the leggings. This was not by design, but pure chance. The top of the legging made a great diagonal stripe pattern, but as I decreased in rows and the leggings tapered to the ankle, the pattern changed. This is not good or bad – some will like it, some won’t. Just keep it in mind when you choose your yarn. If you don’t like the change in color pattern, you will want to stay away from this sort of variegated yarn.

For my first attempt at this design, I used a traditional chain base row. A few rows later, I realized that this method didn’t provide enough stretch, and that the top cuff could cut into Sweet Livie’s thighs, so I started over using the Double Base Chain Stitch method. I had never used this starting method before, and I love it! It has a lot more stretch and give, and I think it offers a cleaner look. Follow the visual tutorial in the link for easy instructions.

I have written the pattern in two size versions – they are basically the same, but Version 1 is a bit thinner on top for lean babies, and Version 2 gives a bit more room at the top for deliciously chubby babies.

Version 1

Row 1 - using the Double Base Chain Stitch, make a base row of 32 stitches. Join to form a loop being careful not to twist your work. (32 stitches)

Row 2 – chain 3 (counts as first DC), DC around, join to top of 1st chain 3 (32 DC)

Row 3 – Front Post DC in first 2 stitches, Back post DC in next 2 stitches. Repeat this pattern all the way around to form a ribbed cuff. Join

Row 4 – chain 2 (counts as first HDC), HDC all the way around, join w/ slip stitch

Rows 5–17 – Repeat Row 4

Row 18 – HDC in first 6 stitches, decrease HDC over next 2 stitches, repeat this pattern around. join (28 HDC)

Rows 19-35 – chain 2 (first hdc) HDC all the way around (28 hdc)

Row 36 – chain 3 (first dc) DC around (28 dc)

Row 37 - Front Post DC in first 2 stitches, Back post DC in next 2 stitches. Repeat this pattern all the way around to form a ribbed lower cuff. Join

For Girls: Scalloped bottom edging
Row 38: chain 1, sc around, join

Row 39 – chain 3 (first dc) 4 dc in same stitch (forms shell), skip next stitch, sc in next stitch, skip next stitch Shell (5 dc) in next stitch – continue around. Join. Finish off.

For Boys or Girls: Simple Ribbed edging
Row 38 – repeat row 37 ( do a FDC in each FDC of previous round, and a BDC in each BDC of previous round), join
Row 39 – sc around, join and finish weaving in tail of the yarn.




Make a second following the same instruction to complete the pair.


Version 2 (for a slightly larger legging):

Row 1 - using the Double Base Chain Stitch, make a base row of 36 stitches. Join to form a loop being careful not to twist your work. (36 stitches)

Row 2 – chain 3 (counts as first DC), DC around, join to top of 1st chain 3 (36 DC)

Row 3 – Front Post DC in first 2 stitches, Back post DC in next 2 stitches. Repeat this pattern all the way around to form a ribbed cuff. Join

Row 4 – chain 2 (counts as first HDC), HDC all the way around, join w/ slip stitch (36 stitches)

Rows 5–17 – Repeat Row 4 (36 hdc)

Row 18 – HDC in first 7 stitches, decrease HDC over next 2 stitches, repeat this pattern around. join (32 HDC)

Rows 19-26 – chain 2 (first hdc) HDC all the way around (32 hdc)

Row 27 - HDC in first 6 stitches, decrease HDC over next 2 stitches, repeat this pattern around. join (28 HDC)

Row 28- chain 2 (counts as first HDC), HDC all the way around, join w/ slip stitch (28 hdc)

Rows 29-35 – Repeat row 28 (28 hdc)

Row 36 – chain 3 (first dc) DC around (28 dc)

Row 37 - Front Post DC in first 2 stitches, Back post DC in next 2 stitches. Repeat this pattern all the way around to form a ribbed lower cuff. Join

For Girls: Scalloped bottom edging
Row 38: chain 1, sc around, join

Row 39 – chain 3 (first dc) 4 dc in same stitch (forms shell), skip next stitch, sc in next stitch, skip next stitch Shell (5 dc) in next stitch – continue around. Join. Finish off.

For Boys or Girls: Simple Ribbed edging
Row 38 – repeat row 37 ( do a FDC in each FDC of previous round, and a BDC in each BDC of previous round), join
Row 39 – sc around, join and finish weaving in tail of the yarn.

Make a second following the same instruction to complete the pair.


This pattern is easy to modify to fit your baby.

Add or reduce the straight hdc rows to change the length for a perfect fit.

You can make the whole tube larger or smaller in diameter by adding or reducing stitches per row. Just be sure that your starting row and all subsequent rows have a stitch count in multiples of 4s.

I made mine in solid yarns, but have fun adding stripe patterns. Just make sure to leave a long tail when you change colors and weave it into your work going back and forth in the row. You don’t want to tie knots as babies will be crawling in these and knots will cause uncomfortable pressure on their knees and legs.

While I wouldn’t want to embellish these in too many ways as embellishment like buttons can be choking hazards, and sewn seams can irritate baby, I think it might be fun to sew fleece patches onto the knees or decorative bows to the tops.

If you have any questions you can e-mail me at wormswords@gmail.com.
And please send pictures of your finished Livie Legs! I love seeing what other people create from my patterns!


This is an original copyrighted pattern. Feel free to use it for personal or charity work. Do not sell this pattern, publish it, or post it on the web. You may feel free to link to the pattern here. If you like this pattern, please consider donating a completed pair of Livie Legs to Operation Marine Corps Kids to help support the families of our troops.