Night in October Dress for 18-inch Doll

Free Doll Dress Knitting Pattern

I originally knitted this dress as a Halloween dress, but it can work as an evening dress for any occasion.

The dress features raglan-style sleeves. It is gathered at the waist using rib stitches to provide definition. It features a rear snap closure. I added lines in a contrast color at the sleeves, waist and hem for additional decoration.

Skills Required/Techniques Used:

-Knit & purl, cast on & bind off

-Increasing:yarn over (YO), knit front and back (kfr&b)

-Working in the round on double pointed needles

Materials: Comfy Fingering by Knit-Picks fingering weight yarn, 75% Pima Cotton, 25% acrylic, 218 yards (199 meters)/

50 grams, color lilac - 1 ball; small amount of black yarn;

Notions: yarn needle, 4 stitch markers, 4 sew-on snaps, sewing needle and thread to attach the snaps.

Needles: US # 0 (2.0 mm) circle and double pointed needles (dpn) OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE

Gauge: 28 sts x 40 rows = 4" x 4" (10 x 10 cm)

Pattern Notes:

Stockinette St in rows:

Row 1: knit

Row 2: purl

Repeat 2 rows

Stockinette St in Rounds:

All rounds: knit

Selvedge/edge Stitches: knit the first stitch as if to knit and purl the last stitch.

Raglan increases: All increases for raglan are done in odd/right side (RS) rows in the following way:

Work until 1 stitch remains before the marker, yo, knit 2 (the marker is between these 2 stitches, slip marker while working), yo. Repeat on all raglan lines, thus 8 stitches are added in each RS row. In each following wrong side row, purl the yo stitches.

Button bands (bb) are worked together with the body of the cardigan in garter stitch, all rows knit.

Abbreviations:

• k - knit
• p - purl
• psso - Pass slipped stitch over (slip 1 st knitwise to the right needle, knit the next 2 sts together, pass the slipped stitch over (2 sts decrease)
• kfr&b - knit into front and back
• yo - yarn over
• st, sts - stitch, stitches
• RS - right side
• WS - wrong side
• sm - slip marker

Dress

The dress is worked top-down, seamlessly, first back and forth, then in the round. The sleeves are worked in-the-round on dpn.

Yoke

Using circle needles, with purple yarn cast on 54 sts and work 2 rows in garter st - both rows knit.

In the second row place 4 markers: after the 8th, 20th, 34th, 46th sts.

You will have: 1 selvedge st, 2 button band sts, 4 back sts, 2 raglan sts (the first marker between them), 10 sleeve sts, 2 raglan sts (the second marker between them), 12 front sts. 2 raglan sts (the third marker between them), 10 sleeve sts, 2 raglan sts (the forth marker between them), 4 back sts, 2 button band sts, 1 selvedge st.

Row 3 (RS and all odd/RS rows): *knit till 1 st before the marker, yo, k1, sm, k1, yo - repeat from * 4 times, knit till the last st, p1. Thus you add 8 sts in each odd row.

Row 4 (WS and all even/WS rows): k3, purl till the last 3 sts, k2, p1.

Repeat rows 3 -4 nine more times working with purple yarn.

Repeat rows 3-4 one more time working in black yarn.

Stitch count after the increases:

After row 3 = 62 sts

After row 5 = 70 sts

After row 7 = 78 sts

After row 9 = 86 sts

After row 11 = 94 sts

After row 13 = 102 sts

After row 15 = 110 sts

After row 17 = 118 sts

After row 19 = 126 sts

After row 21 = 134 sts

After row 23 = 142 sts

Divide for sleeves and Bodice

Row 25 (RS, work with black yarn): k 19 (right back), transfer the next 34 sts to a piece of waste yarn (right sleeve), cast on 3 sts (for underarm), k 36 (front), transfer the next 34 sts of the sleeve toa piece of waste yarn (left sleeve), cast on 3 sts (for underarm), k 18, p1 (left back). = 80 sts

Rows 26 (WS, work in black): k 3, purl 74, k2, p1.

Row 27 (RS, work in black, increase row): k 3, kfr&b 74 sts, k 2, p 1 = 154 sts

Row 28 (WS, work in black): k3, purl to last 3 sts, k2, p1. Cut black yarn, continue with purple.

Row 29 (RS, and all RS rows): k 153, p1.

Row 30 (WS and all WS rows): k3, p to last 3 sts, k2, p1.

Repeat rows 29-30 nine more times.

Closing the work into round:

Row 49/Round 1: knit to last 3 sts, transfer the last 3 sts of the button band to a spare needle, position it over the beginning 3 sts of the button band, left and spare needle in left hand. Insert the right needle in the first stitch on the spare needle, then in the first stitch on the left needle and knit both sts together. Repeat with the remaining 2 sts. Place a marker before the second st of the formar button band to mark the beginning of the round. knit all sts to the end of the round (= 151 sts).

Work 29 more rounds - all rounds knit.

Round 31 purl, round 32 knit.

Change to black yarn: round 33 - purl, 34 - knit, 35 - purl, 36 - knit. Cut black yarn.

Change to purple yarn: round 37 - purl, 38 - knit. Bind off. Cut yarn.

Sleeve

Transfer 34 sts from piece of waste yarn to dpn, distributing them evenly, pick up and knit 3 sts underarm = 37 sts, work 5 rounds with black yarn - all round knit.

Round 6 (decrease round): knit in purple, 3 underarm sts: psso = 35 sts

Round 7: purl 35 sts.

Change to black yarn.

Round 8: knit, round 9: purl, round 10: knit, round 11: purl. Cut black yarn.

With purple yarn: round 12: knit, round 13: purl. Bind off. Cut yarn.

Finishing

Weave in all yarn ends. Sew snaps onto the button band.

Enjoy!