Rowan Sage Knitting Pattern

Rowan Sage Knitted Pants

What is Being Made

Sage is a pair of knitted pants designed by Chloe Thurlow for Rowan. This intermediate-level knitting project creates fitted pants with an elegant lace panel detail positioned on the front leg. The garment is available in five sizes with hip measurements ranging from 92 cm to 132 cm (36¼ to 52 inches), offering options for various body proportions.

Techniques Used

The Sage pants employ several key knitting techniques to achieve their refined appearance. The construction begins with a folded hem created by casting on stitches, working stockinette stitch, then folding the cast-on edge to the wrong side and securing it with a joining row. This creates a professional, finished edge at the waistband.

A lace panel forms the centerpiece of the design, positioned strategically on the front leg using stitch markers to define its placement. The panel uses yarn forward increases (yfwd) combined with decreases to create an openwork pattern that adds visual interest while maintaining the garment's structure. The decreases are worked using both knit two together (K2tog) and slip, knit, pass slipped stitch over (sl 1, K1, psso) techniques, which create balanced decreases on either side of the lace motif.

The main body is constructed in stockinette stitch, a fundamental knitting technique that creates a smooth, flat fabric ideal for fitted garments. The pattern uses circular needles for working in the round, which allows for seamless construction and easier management of the large stitch counts required for pants.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch (st st): The primary stitch throughout the garment, creating the smooth base fabric
• Garter stitch: Used for the fold line in the hem (knit on wrong-side rows)
• Yarn forward (yfwd): Creates decorative eyelet holes in the lace panel
• Knit two together (K2tog): Right-leaning decrease used in the lace pattern
• Slip, knit, pass slipped stitch over (sl 1, K1, psso): Left-leaning decrease used in the lace pattern
• Purl (P): Used on wrong-side rows and for the fold line

Materials and Tools

The Sage pants are knitted using Cotton Cashmere yarn by Rowan, a luxurious blend that combines the breathability of cotton with the softness of cashmere. The pattern requires 4 to 6 balls of 50-gram yarn, depending on the chosen size, photographed in the colorway Dark Olive 218.

Two different needle sizes are required to achieve proper fabric tension and construction. 3½mm (US 4) needles are used for the initial cast-on and hem creation, while 4mm (US 6) circular needles are used for the main body of the pants. Additionally, two double-pointed 3½mm (US 4) needles are needed for specific techniques during construction.

The pattern specifies a tension of 20 stitches and 28 rows to 10 cm (4 inches) measured over stockinette stitch using the 4mm needles. Achieving this tension is essential for the pants to fit correctly across all five size options.

Pattern Structure

The left leg construction begins by casting on between 124 and 164 stitches depending on size. The hem is formed through a multi-step process: stockinette stitch rows create the body, a purl row creates a fold line, and then the cast-on edge is folded and secured. The lace panel is introduced after the hem is complete, positioned precisely using stitch markers that divide the leg into sections. The panel pattern repeats rows 35 through 38, which include yarn forwards, decreases, and purl rows, creating the characteristic openwork design that runs down the front of the leg.