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I’ve shared knit shorts patterns and a couple of sets of shorts sewing patterns, so it’s high time we get some crochet shorts patterns, too!
Crochet shorts are quick and easy to make and you might be surprised they are generally good for new crocheters to make because they usually use simple stitches. There might be a little math involved to get them to fir your body just right, but once you know how to do it you’ll love making all sorts of shorts for yourself and your family.
Written Patterns for Crochet Shorts
KnitCro Addict has great free patterns for beginners in both knitting and crochet, and her crochet shorts pattern is a nice one for beginners. They come in sizes XS to XXL and call for DK weight cotton yarn. There are lots of photos in the pattern post as well as a video you can watch if you need more help. I love the foldover cuffs and the picot edging at the waistband on these.
She also has a pair of wide-legged shorts if that’s a look you prefer. These use fingering weight/size 1 yarn and are also sized XS to XXL. They include belt loops so you can style with a purchased belt, rope or tie.
Another pair of baggier shorts comes from Muki Crafts, and these also have pockets, which isn’t something you see in crochet or knit shorts all that often. The pattern comes in six sizes and calls for sport/weight 2 yarn. The pattern also includes a 20-minute stitchalong video to help you with the techniques.
This pair of shorts from Skeins and Stitches uses a picot edging on the leg openings, as well as a ribbed waistband with drawstring. This pattern is just in her size but you can make them your size because they’re worked from the waistband and you can try them on as you go and adjust on the fly as needed. These call for a heavy worsted or bulky weight yarn.
The Peachy Beachy shorts from By Shayla East are super cute, using three colors and worked in granny stitch. The pattern is made to measure for your body and calls for fingering/weight 1 yarn.
Another great pair of stripey shorts comes from BLONDESdk. These shorts are shown in five colors but you can use more or fewer or make it a scrappy project. The pattern shows you how to make them to fit.
I also love these striped shorts from Joslin Crochet, which is a full ebook with a video tutorial to help you figure out how to make shorts that fit you just right.
Adding just a bit of granny stitch to the legs of your shorts gives them a great retro vibe, which you can see in the Kiss My Shorty Shorts pattern from Inchworm Crafts Co. I kind of love the idea of making this pattern into pants with granny stitch all the way down the legs. These use DK/weight 3 yarn and have sizes ranging from 33 to 62 inches (around 84 to 157.5 cm).
Another fun edging on otherwise plain shorts can be found on the Staycation Shorts from Heart Hook Home. These have a fun lace pattern on the legs. They’re worked in a worsted/weight 4 cotton yarn and come in six sizes.
The Summer Tiffany Pants from Kuema Tutorials can be made as shorts or pants and have a fun stitch pattern and stripes. They use DK/weight 3 yarn and you can make them any size you like.
If you want to stitch some crochet shorts that are more like a bathing suit, you’ll want to try the Nella Boy Shorts from The Knotty Lace. These call for a yarn that includes elastic for a clingy fit. They are sized by hip circumference and come in nine size.
The Manaya Short Pants pattern from Catalina Ungureanu (available as a free download from Hobbii) has a sort of plaid look thanks to the use of color-changing yarn. They’re rated for intermediate stitchers and come in five sizes.
Video Tutorials for Shorts
There are a lot of great videos that show how to make crochet shorts, but often these patterns only show you the size that the designer is, so you need to follow along to determine how to adjust the pattern to fit you. The good news is because you can try shorts on as you go it’s pretty easy to adjust even if you’ve never designed a garment before.
Start with a pattern like the crochet simple shorts from BR Crochet, which uses a 4.5 mm crochet hook, so you would probably want to use worsted weight/medium yarn for this project (or hold two strands of lighter weight yarn together as shown in the video). It starts from the waist and hip measurement but you’ll want to calculate negative ease as they should stretch to fit.
The paper bag shorts from Chenda DIY are super cute with their belt loops and tie (she also has a coordinating top to go with them). They use a fingering weight cotton yarn and should be pretty easy to adjust sizing on since the fit is forgiving.
Paige Higgins has a great tutorial for scrappy shorts you can make with any worsted weight yarn you have on hand (she uses acrylic but you could use cotton or a mix). It starts with the waistband so you can make it the size you need, then try them on to get the length you want.
Another fun pair of scrappy shorts comes from Crochet by Jen. These are worked based on the thigh measurement and they’re meant to have a loose fit so don’t measure too close to the body. They’re worked in two pieces, one for each leg, then sewed together.
If you’d rather work stripes than scraps, this pattern from Bianca Gover is a good one. I like how she shows herself trying on the shorts as she works so you can see how they should look on your body and how to adjust. She uses three colors of worsted weight acrylic yarn for hers.
It’s Erin B has a cute pair of booty shorts (you can certainly make yours longer if you don’t like that look!) that’s made with Caron Simply Soft, which she calls a DK weight yarn but it’s really a light worsted. Either way, these shorts start with your waist measurement and you make a chain that stretches a bit to fit. I like the shell stitch edging on these.
AC Crochets has another short pair of shorts (she calls hers biker shorts) that have a shell edging. This pattern uses DK weight yarn and starts from your hip measurement.
These granny square shorts are so fun, and you can see a full video tutorial for how to make them from Myzayi Yunus. It looks like she’s using a fingering or sport weight yarn held double, but with a granny square you can probably use whatever yarn you like and just work to the size you need.
