Little Red Dress for 18-inch Doll

Free Doll Dress Knitting Pattern

Skills Required/Techniques Used:

-Knit & purl, cast on & bind off

-Increasing: make 1 (m1), knit front and back (kfr&b)

-Decreasing: knit 2 together (k2tog), slip-slip-knit (ssk)

-Working in the round on double pointed needles

-Picking up stitches

Size: fits 18-inch dolls like American Girl, Our Generation and other dolls with similar body.

Materials:

Brown Sheep (affiliate link) Nature Spun Sport Weight yarn (100% wool ) 184 yd (168 m)/50g, color Red Fox -
1.5 skeins (about 220 yards).

Needles: US 2 (2.75mm) circular needles and US 2 (2.75 mm) dpn needles OR SIZE NEEDED
TO OBTAIN GAUGE

Gauge for stockinette stitch: 28 st x 38 rows = 4" x 4" (10 x 10 cm)

Notions: yarn needle, 4 stitch markers, 2 pieces of waste yarn, 6 plastic or metal snaps, sewing needle and thread to attach the snaps.

Abbreviations:

dpn – double pointed needles

K – knit

P – purl

St – stitch

Sts - stitches

as est. - as established, work as the pattern demands, here knit the RS rows and purl the WS rows.

co – cast on

RS – right side

WS – wrong side

pu&k- pick up and knit
kfr&b - knit first in the front of the st then in the back of the same st.

m 1 - make 1 increase - I used the increase described by Elizabeth Zimmerman: make a backward loop over the right-hand needle and in the next row/round purl/knit it as a regular stitch.

bb – button band

pm - place marker

sm - slip marker

Pattern Notes:
Stockinette Stitch in rows:
Row 1 (RS) and all RS rows: knit
Row 2 (WS) and all WS rows: purl

Repeat 2 rows

Stockinette Stitch in rounds: all rows - knit

1 x 1 Rib in rows: multiple of 2, plus 1
Row 1 (RS): *k 1, p 1 - repeat from * to last st, k1

Row 2 (WS): *p1, k1 - repeat from * to last st, p1

Repeat 2 rows.

The selvedge/edge stitches are worked as follows: knit the first stitch and purl the last one.

Raglan increases: Increase for raglan by making 1 st (m1) on each side of indicated, marked, stitch in every right side (RS) row: m1, sm (slip marker), k1 (raglan st), m1. Thus the number of sts will increase by 8.

Short Overview of the Pattern:

The dress is worked from the top to the bottom, first back and forth with the back opening a little bit
below the waistline. Then it's worked in rounds. Sleeves are worked in rounds on dpn. The button band is worked in stockinette along the left edge of the back opening after the dress is done.

Dress

Cast on 43 sts and purl 1 foundation row.

Row 1 (RS): k42, p1.

Row 2 (WS): k1, p42.

Check the stitches and place markers on raglan lines:
1 edge st, 5 sts (right back), 1 st (the first raglan line, place marker before this st),
8 sts (right sleeve), 1 st (the second raglan line, place marker before this st), 11 sts (front),
1 st (the third raglan line, place marker before this st), 8 sts (left sleeve), 1 st (the forth raglan line, place marker before this st), 5 sts (left back), 1 edge st.

Row 3 (RS): k1, (k1, p1) twice, k1, m1, sm, k1 (raglan line), m1, k8, m1, sm, k1, m1, (k1, p1) - five times, k1, m1, sm, k1, m1, k8, m1, sm, k1, m1, (k1, p1) three times = 51 sts

In WS rows, on bodice parts, work 1x1 rib as the pattern demands, work m1/ increased stitches as 1x1 rib pattern demands; purl the raglan line sts; on sleeves, purl all sts including m1/increased sts:

Row 4 (WS and all WS rows): k1, *work 1x1 rib as est. till the raglan st, p1 (raglan), sm, purl till the next raglan st (sleeve), p1 (raglan), sm - repeat from * twice, work 1x1 rib till last st, p1.

Row 5 (RS and all RS rows): k1, *work 1x1 rib as est. till marker, m1, sm, k1 (raglan), m1, knit all sts till the next marker, m1, sm, k1 (raglan), m1 - repeat from * twice, work 1x1 rib as est. till the last st, p1. = +8 sts

Repeat rows 4 and 5 twelve more times. Repeat row 4 one more time.

After Row 3 the number of sts = 51sts

Row 5 = 59 sts

Row 7 = 67 sts

Row 9 = 75 sts

Row 11 = 83 sts

Row 13 = 91 sts

Row 15 = 99 sts

Row 17 = 107 sts

Row 19 = 115 sts

Row 21 = 123sts

Row 23 = 131 sts

Row 25 = 139 sts

Row 27 = 147 sts

Row 29 = 155 sts

Divide for sleeves and bodice

Row 31 (RS): k1, *k1, p1 repeat 10 times, transfer the next 36 sts on a piece of waste yarn, co 3, p1, *k1, p1 - repeat 20 times, transfer the next 36 sts on another piece of waste yarn, co 3, p1, *k1, p1 - repeat 10 times. = 89 sts

Row 32 (WS): *k1, p1 - repeat from * to last st, p1.

Continue to work bodice as est.: back and forth in 1x1 rib 6 more rows.

Row 39 (RS, increase row): k1 (edge), k1, p1, *kf&b , p 1 - repeat from * 42 times, k1, p1. = 131 sts.

Row 40 (WS): k1, p130

Row 41 (RS): k130, p1.

Repeat rows 40- 41 one more time. Repeat row 40 one more time.

Row 45/round 1: k130, work as row 43. till last st, join in round by knitting the last and the first sts together = 130 sts. Place marker before these 2 knitted together sts to mark the beginning of the round. Continue to work in rounds. Slip marker while working.

Round 2: k130.

Repeat round 2 forteen (14) more times

Round 17: *k4, p1 - repeat from * across. Work 4 more rounds this way (5 rounds in all).

Round 22 (increase round): *k4, m 1, p 1, m 1, - repeat from * across. = 182 sts

Round 23: *k4, p3 - repeat from * across. Repeat round 23 three more times.

Round 27 (increase round): *kfr&b, k2, kfr&b, p3 - repeat from * across. = 234 sts

Round 28: p1, *k6, p3 - repeat from * across.

Repeat round 28 four more times or to desired length. Bind off.

Sleeve

Sleeves are worked in stockinette st in rounds (all sts knit) on dpn:
Transfer 36 sts of the sleeve on dpn, evenly distributing the sts; pu&k 3 sts underarm. = 39 sts
Place a marker before the second underarm st to mark the center of the sleeve and the beginning of the round.
Work 2 rounds in stockinette.

Round 3 (decrease round): k1, ssk, knit around until 2 sts remain before marker, k2tog = 37 sts

Rounds 4 and 5: knit around

Repeat rounds 3-5 four more times. The number of sts after round 6 = 35 sts; round 9 = 33 sts, round 12 = 31 sts, round 15 = 29 sts

Rounds 18-30: knit around, bind off.

Button Band:

Along the left edge of the back, starting from the skirt end, pu&k 36 sts. Stop 4 rows before the
neckline. Purl the row back. Knit one row, purl the next row. Bind off. Block.

Finishing:

Weave in all yarn ends. Sew on snaps.

Enjoy!