Knit Shorts?

Yes, I thought myself that knit shorts sounded like the strangest thing, but after reading the blog that sparked the commission, it all became clear to me. 

The concept behind these shorts is simple enough: cast on enough stitches that it will go around the legs; alt 5 rows of knit and purl; taper in slowly and evenly until you match the waist line.

What was not so simple was working out a formula to determine the number of cast on stitches. I eventually found a guide for knitting in the round sizes, which was very helpful!

The project itself was actually very fun and easy, but I would recommend doing it in a slightly thicker yarn than your standard dk, unless you are making them for a child, or have nothing but time on your hands. One thing I plan to change from the original blog in the next pair, is the number of stitches I reduce at a time. Rather than 10 per every 3rd purl row, I plan to do every 15. The way the first shorts turned out (only about hip high rather than waist high), I had to stop reductions in the last 3 sets of purl or so. This way, I can make the shorts higher without running the risk of them not conforming as evenly at the top. 

BIGGEST TIP:

CAST OFF AS LOOSELY AS POSSIBLE!!!

I had to go bad and redo the cast off. When I redid the cast off, I grabbed my 10s for the actually cast off, after having done the project on 8s (not highly advised). This left more of an open "chain" look to the top, but this way there is plenty of stretch to get over the thighs, but still enough tension to come in at the waist :)

Finishing touches:

I would advise lining the inside with some sort of stretchy material that closely matches the color yarn used. Although these look quite sexy with leggings, it still wouldn't hurt to have that extra layer! :)

***I'll try to get a pic of them on their owner soon***