Fern & Faerie FREE Hand-knit diaper soaker pattern
Please Note:  This pattern is the older, more experimental version of the pattern we have for sale now.  For a better-fitting, more comprehensive pattern, please see our Patterns page.

Please ask permission of the author before linking to this pattern from your website.
Printing or distributing this pattern for sale, and the use of this pattern for commercial use is strictly prohibited.  Contact the author for information on obtaining a Cottage Industry License if you wish to use this pattern for home-based commerial use.
©2003 Fern & Faerie

Sizes: Newborn, Small, Medium, Large, Toddler, Super

Measurements taken over a diaper

Pattern Size        Clothing Size        Hip meas.        Crotch depth        Leg Circ.
Newborn                  newborn                  12"                           16"                               6"
Small                       0-6 month                14"                           18"                               7"
Medium                  6-12 month              16"                           20"                               8"
Large                      12-24 month             18"                           21"                              10"        
Toddler                   24 month-2T             20"                           22"                              12"
Super                      2T-4T                         22"                           24"                              13"

Materials: worsted weight wool yarn (a little bit of nylon is okay – even preferable), double-pointed needles and 16” circular needle in size needed to attain gauge (7), and 2 sizes smaller (5), crochet hook big enough to work worsted yarn.

Gauge: 5 stitches & 7 rows per inch

Directions given for Nb (Sm, Med, Lg, Tod, Sup)

Soaker knitted in the round
You will need to choose between crotch seaming techniques - either woven using a variation of the duplicate stitch, or grafting using kitchener stitch.

Using size 5 dp needles for nb & small sizes or circular needle for larger sizes, cast on 60 (72, 80, 92, 100, 112) stitches using a stretchy cast-on technique (like knitting on or similar)

Join and mark for beginning of round. Work circular in k2p2 ribbing for 2” (2”, 2 ½”, 2 ½”, 3”, 3”)

Change to size 7 needles; work in stockinette (knit all rounds) until soaker measures 3 ½” (4” for all other sizes) after ribbing.

For woven seam technique:
K 7(9, 10, 11, 12, 14) stitches.  Bind off 15(18, 20, 23, 25, 28) stitches.

For grafted seam:
K 7(9, 10, 11, 12, 14) stitches.  On new dp needle, k 15(18, 20, 23, 25, 28) stitches.  Transfer those stitches to a stitch holder, or reserve that needle as unworked.

Continue for both seam methods:
Transferring to a circular needle (if not already using one) for easier knitting, work in the following pattern:
K2, ssk, knit across to the last 4 stitches.  K2 tog, k2, turn work. Purl across, turn.
Continue working in this manner until 15(18, 20, 23, 25, 28) stitches remain.  Work in stockinette (k 1 row, p 1 row) for 2(0, 0, 6, 10, 12) rows.

For woven seam technique:
Cast off remaining stitches.

For grafted seam technique:
Transfer remaining stitches to a new dp needle.
Transfer st from holder to a new dp needle.

Continue for both methods:
Lay out soaker with ribbing at the top and the crotch in the center (a).  Fold the bottom edge up so the bound-off edges or stitches on the dp needles meet (b).  Weave together or graft together using kitchener stitch.

Fold the soaker piece in half, right sides together, so the ends of the ribbing meet.  Stitch the ribbing seam. (h)
Lay out the soaker with the ribbing at the top and the newly sewn seam at the center, still wrong side out. (i)
Fold the point up so the cuff ends meet and stitch from cuff to cuff. (j)  
Turn right side out.


Once the soakers are done, they should be lanolized for water resistance.

Note:  The instructions for the cast-on, bind-off, and weaving/grafting techniques mentioned in this pattern are found in the Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Needlework book.

Knitting on: pg 274
Knitting on uses two needles and one yarn length.  Each new stitch is formed as in knitting, then is transferred back on to the left needle.
Hold the needle with the slipknot in the left hand.  Insert the right needle knitwise and take the yarn around it as for knitting (a).  Draw yarn loop through to form a stitch, but do not drop the first loop from the left needle (b). Transfer the new stitch back to the left needle, then knit into it to form the next new stitch.

Suspended bind-off: pg 282
Suspended bind-off is similar to a plain bind-off, but is more flexible, making it suitable for binding off ribbing and other areas where stretch needs maintaining.
Work 2 stitches.  *Pull the first stitch over the second (a), but keep the pulled stitch on the left needle (b).  Work the next stitch (c), and drop both stitches off the left needle at the same time (d)* Repeat instructions between * until 2 stitches remain; knit these together.

Weaving a seam: pg 344
Lay sections right side up, corresponding stitches lined up.  Attach the yarn to the right end.  *Insert needle under the next knit stitch from the bind-off on one section, then under the next knit stitch on the other section*

Grafting a seam: pg 344
Kitchener Stitch:
Bring needle purlwise through the bottom, then the top end stitches.  Re-insert the needle knitwise through the bottom stitch, then purlwise through the next bottom stitch. *Put needle through knitwise in the top stitch where the thread emerges, purlwise through the next top stitch (a).  Put needle through knitwise in the bottom stitch where the thread emerges, purlwise through the next bottom stitch (b)*  

Work cuffs:
Anchor end of yarn to the inside of cover at the joined part of a leg-hole.  Working clockwise around the leg-hole with a crochet hook, pull a loop through the end stitch of each row, transferring loops to size 5 dp needles (evenly distributed). (c) You should have 32 (36, 40, 52, 60, 68) stitches on your needles.

Work cuff circular in K2P2 ribbing until 1 ½” (1 ½”, 2”, 2”, 2 ½”, 2 ½”), bind off using suspended bind-off or similar elastic bind-off technique.

Work second cuff as for the first
Weave in & trim yarn ends
Fold cuffs back

Cover knitted flat

On size 5 needles, cast on 60 (72, 80, 92, 100, 112) stitches using a stretchy cast-on technique (like knitting on or similar).

Work k2p2 ribbing for 2” (2”, 2 ½”, 2 ½”, 3”, 3”)

Change to size 7 needles.  Work in the following pattern:
*K2, ssk, knit across to the last 4 st, k2tog, k2.  Turn work.
P across, turn.
After working 4 (4, 4, 6, 6, 10) rows, k across, turn, p across.*
Continue working in this manner until 6 st remain.
K1, ssk, k2tog, k1, turn.
P across, turn.
Ssk, k2tog, turn.
P2, turn.
K2tog, fasten off.

For circular-knit cuffs:
Fold the resulting triangle in half, right sides together, so the ends of the ribbing meet.  Stitch the ribbing seam. (d)
Lay out the soaker with the ribbing at the top and the newly sewn seam at the center, still wrong side out. (e)
Fold the point up and stitch from the point down. (f)  Stitch for only 26 (31, 33, 30, 30, 29) rows, leaving an opening 32 (36, 40, 52, 60, 68) rows in circumference.  
Turn right side out.

Work cuffs:
Anchor end of yarn to the inside of cover at the joined part of a leg-hole.  Working clockwise around the leg-hole with a crochet hook, pull a loop through the end stitch of each row, transferring loops to size 5 dp needles (evenly distributed). (c)  You should have 32 (36, 40, 52, 60, 68) stitches on your needles.

Work cuff circular in K2P2 ribbing until 1 ½” (1 ½”, 2”, 2”, 2 ½”, 2 ½”), bind off using suspended bind-off or similar elastic bind-off technique.

Work second cuff as for the first.
Weave in & trim yarn ends.

For flat-knit cuffs:
Holding work right side up, with the ribbing at the top, count up 26 (31, 33, 30, 30, 29) rows from the point of the triangle (or 26 (31, 33, 30, 30, 29) rows down from the end of the ribbing).  Anchor yarn to the piece at that point. (g)
Working from left to right, right side of the work facing up and the working selvedge edge at the top, use a crochet hook to pull up a loop through the end stitch of each row, transferring loops to a size 5 knitting needle. (c)
Work cuff in K2P2 ribbing until 1 ½” (1 ½”, 2”, 2”, 2 ½”, 2 ½”), bind off using suspended bind-off or similar elastic bind-off technique.

Work second cuff as for the first.
Weave in & trim yarn ends.

Attach yarn