This custom pattern includes a worksheet that allows you to calculate instructions for a classic “pleated” skirt for any size and any gauge. The skirt is surprisingly simple to knit and is as comfortable as sweatpants.

The skirt is worked from the top down in rounds, beginning with a waistband facing and ending with the lower edge bind-off. To create a smooth taper from the waist to the high hip, stitches are increased along four “dart” lines. At the high hip, purl stitches are added to create “gores” between “pleats.” Stitches are then added to these gores about every 2” to create a gentle A-line. The stitches added in the gores add inches to the circumference by the time the full hip circumference is reached so the fabric does not cling unattractively to the body.

The first part of the worksheet guides you through calculations based on your individual body measurements and your actual gauge. To create a custom fit, you only need three body measurements--waist circumference, high-hip circumference, and the vertical distance between the two. You will then subtract 2” from the high-hip measurement to create negative ease in the upper portion of the skirt and a slimming look.

In its simplest form, the skirt has stockinette pleats, each about 2” wide, separated by purl-stitch gores that taper from 1 to 7 stitches. To give good definition to the boundaries between pleats and gores, the first and last stitch of every pleat is worked through the back loop. The gore stitches are all purled. The waistband is finished with 2.5” waistband elastic.

Once you understand the basic construction, you can branch out and add alternate stitch patterns to either the pleats or the gores, always knitting the first and last pleat stitches through the back loop and always purling the first and last gore stitches. You can find examples of various designs on my website at https://annbuddknits.com/patterns/skirts.