Pattern description from Knitty:
These unisex baby jeans knit up quickly. They are comfy as PJs, and get more faded and jean-like with every trip through the washer and dryer. An added benefit is that the baby wearing them will look like James Dean (or Marilyn Monroe) in the movie ‘Giant’. The fun here is in the knitterly details. The jeans are constructed of two mirror-image pieces, one for each leg, joined in the center. The cuffs are knitted in a lighter shade of true denim yarn to mimic the wrong side of denim twill fabric. The inseams, sewn in orange cotton yarn, use a flat, overlapping seam for a realistic look. The seat shaping lends authentic cowpoke chic (and makes room for the cowpoke’s diaper). Faux side seams give you a chance to try Elizabeth Zimmerman’s ingenious ‘phony seam’ technique, which prevents the legs from twisting with wear. Easy embroidery recalls riveted pockets. The final touch is an optional handmade label. Too crafty for ya? No worries: you can still rock the baby shower by recycling a label from an old pair of jeans, or snagging the one that comes in a pack of Rowan Denim.

Pattern Description from Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines: “We love these pants. The original, cuffed jeans version was first published in knitty.com, the online knitting magazine. Babies who wore these pants were mobbed with admirers asking where they got them. We even heard from a Swedish kids boutique that wanted to produce them for sale. They are so irresistible, so comfortable for babies to wear, and so hardwearing and easy-care, that we are on a mission to make Blu baby jeans a staple of the modern baby’s wardrobe. It is a crime to put tender baby legs into stiff fabric jeans, when this cuter, stretchier, softer version is there for the knitting. Moms, grans, and aunties of the world: Git going! Make it happen! Because we can never stop fiddling with an idea, we also cooked up a pattern for unisex baggy shorts. Baby surfers, with their tiny huarache sandals and bushy bushy blond hairdos, need a fringed, cropped version. To make the cropped pants, simply omit the cuff instructions, cast on at the point indicated in the pattern for the cropped version, and otherwise follow the pattern to completion. The instructions for the fringe appear at the end of the pattern.”

Finished Measurements (before shrinking):

• Waist: 13 (15, 17, 20, 22)“ (33 38, 43, 51, 56cm)
• Inseam Length: 7 (8, 9, 10, 11)“ (18 20, 23, 25, 28cm)
• Side Length: 12 (13, 14.5, 16, 18)“ (30 33, 37, 41, 46cm)

Materials:

• Medium/Worsted Yarn
• Rowan Denim 100% cotton, 103 yd (93m), 1.75 oz (50g), 2 (2,3,3,3) skeins in Nashville (dark indigo) (A); 1 (1,1,1,1) skein in Tennessee (light blue) (B)
• Light/DK Yarn
• Small amount of Rowan Handknit Cotton, 100% cotton, 93 yd (85m), 1.75 oz (50g), orange (or desired color) for seams and embroidery
• Size 6 (4mm) straight needles, or size needed to obtain gauge
• Size 11 (8mm) needle for cropped version
• Size D-3 crochet hook (optional)
• Smooth cotton waste yarn
• 18” (45.5cm) length of 0.75” (2cm)-wide elastic
• Sewing needle
• Sewing thread
• Optional: Small piece of wool felt for label
• Small amount of blue embroidery floss for label
• Button

Additional Gauge: 20 stitches and 28 rows = 4” (10cm) in stockinette stitch after washing

Difficulty: A handful of knitting, a bit of finishing.

Note on Substituting Yarn: “Although denim yarn best imitates the look of real blue jeans and makes people laugh with delight, you can substitute any DK-weight yarn with no difficulty. The only adjustment you need to make is the to the length of the legs. The pattern has you knit the legs to a specific measurement, for example, 10” (25.5cm) for the 12-18 month size. If you are using a yarn other than denim, you should subtract 15 percent, in this case 1.5” (4cm), from the length. You need not modify any measurements other than leg length. Confession: If it were me doing the knitting, I would not alter the measurements at all, but simply let the baby grow into the slightly longer pants. If there is one thing that we can count on babies to do, it’s to grow. But remember, if you use another yarn, ignore our washing instructions, and follow the care instructions for your yarn. If you wash any other cotton yarn in a hot wash, it is likely to shrink just like denim. If you wash wool pants in hot water, you’ll get an adorable pair of hamster pants.”

Note: “Because the selvedges will be visible, slip the first stitch of every row purlwise throughout the pattern.”