Black-and-Pink Party Dress for 18-inch Doll

Free Doll Dress Knitting Pattern

This is the dress your doll picks out when she's going to that awards dinner she's being recognized at. The intarsia colorwork adds a whimsical splash to this otherwise formal dress.

Skills Required/Techniques Used:
-Knit & purl, cast on & bind off
-Increasing: knit front, back, front (kfr,b,fr), make 1 (m1)
-Decreasing: knit 2 together (k2tog), slip-slip-knit (ssk)
-Working in the round on double pointed needles
-Picking up stitches
-Intarsia : work from 3 balls of yarn

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

Materials: Knit Picks (affiliate link) Palette fingering weight 100% wool yarn 231 yds (210 m)/ 50 g, color black (MC) 1 ball, color pink (CC) small amount.

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

Gauge: 28 st x 42 rows = 4" x 4" (10 x 10 cm) in stockinette stitch.

Notions: yarn needle, 4 stitch markers, 2 pieces of waste yarn 10"-12" long, 6 black sew-on snaps, sewing needle and thread of matching color, small embellishments of your choice (optional).

Abbreviations:
k - knit
p - purl
k2tog - knit 2 together
kfr&b&fr - knit into front, then back, then again front loops of the stitch
pu&k- pick up and knit
m1 - 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 as a regular stitch.
RS - right side
WS - wrong side
sm - slip marker
pm - place marker
rm - remove marker
MC - main color
CC - contrast color


Pattern Notes

Stockinette in rows:
Row 1 (RS): knit
Row 2: purl
Repeat 2 rows.

Stockinette stitch in rounds: all rounds knit

Garter stitch in rows: all rows knit.

Garter st in rounds
Round 1: knit
Round 2: purl
Repeat 2 rounds

2x3 Rib pattern in rounds: All rounds: *p2, k3 - repeat from * around.

1x1 Rib pattern in rounds: all rounds *k1, p1 - repeat from * around.

Raglan increases: in every right side (RS) row, work till 1 st remains before the marker, m1, k1, slip marker (sm), k1, m1. There are 4 raglan lines, repeat on each raglan line, thus the number of sts in each RS row will increase by 8.

Side line increases: are worked in every 8th RS row on both sides to shape the body of the dress: work till marker, m1, slip marker (sm), k1, m1. There are 2 side lines and 2 markers, thus the number of sts in each 8th row will increase by 4.

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

Button Bands (bb) are worked in garter stitch on 3 stitches at the beginning and at the end of each row.
Intarsia - worked from different balls of yarn. Work to the place of color change, drop the old color, pick up the new color from under the old color and work to the next color change.


Short Overview of the Pattern:

The dress is worked top-down, seamlessly, first back and forth till the skirt. Then the skirt is worked in rounds in 2x3 rib pattern. The front of the dress is worked with a CC stripe using intarsia method. The short sleeves are worked in rounds on dpn in stockinette and 1 x 1 rib pattern.

Dress

With MC cast on 64: 1 edge – 3 right bb - 6 right back - 2 raglan (place the first marker between these 2 sts) - 10 right sleeve - 2 raglan (place the second marker between these 2 sts) - 16 front - 2 raglan (place the third marker between these 2 sts) - 10 left sleeve - 2 raglan (place the forth marker between these 2 sts) - 6 left back - 3 left bb - 1 edge = 64 sts

Work 2 rows in garter stitch: k63, p1.

Row 3 (RS): *knit till 1 st remains before marker, m1, k1, sm, k1, m1, - repeat from * 2 times, k 5, drop black yarn, pick up pink yarn and k6, drop pink yarn, pick up black yarn from the second ball, * knit till 1 st remains before marker, m1, k1, sm, k1, m1, - repeat from * 2 times, knit till last st, p1. + 8 sts

Row 4 (WS and all WS rows): k4, purl from the black ball till the pink section, drop black yarn, purl 6 sts in pink, drop pink yarn, continue with the second black ball: purl till last 4 sts, k3, p1.

Row 5 (RS): *knit till 1 st remains before marker, m1, k1, sm, k1, m1, - repeat from * 2 times, knit till the pink section, drop black yarn, pick up pink yarn and k6, drop pink yarn, pick up black yarn from the second ball, * knit till 1 st remains before marker, m1, k1, sm, k1, m1, - repeat from * 2 times, knit till last st, p1. + 8 sts

Repeat rows 4-5 eight more times. Repeat row 4 one more time.

The number of sts after
row 3 = 72
row 5 = 80
row 7 = 88
row 9 = 96
row 11 = 104
row 13 = 112
row 15 = 120
row 17 = 128
row 19 = 136
row 21 = 144

Divide for sleeves and bodice:

Row 23 (RS): k21, rm, transfer the next 32 sts to a piece of waste yarn, rm, co 3, k16, drop black yarn, k6 with pink yarn, drop pink yarn, continue with black from another ball: k16, rm, transfer the next 32 sts to a piece of waste yarn, rm, co 3, k20, p1. = 86 sts

Row 24 (WS and all WS rows): k4, purl till the pink section, drop black yarn, purl 6 with pink, drop pink yarn, continue with black yarn from another ball, purl till last 4 sts, k3, p1.

Further on the pattern does not tell when to drop one yarn and pick another, this is well seen on the working piece.

Row 25: k22, pm, k41, pm, k22, p1.

Row 27 like row 25, sm while working.

Starting with row 29 make increases before and after the marked sts in every 8th rows.

Rows 29, 37, 45, 53, 61 (RS, increase rows): *k till marker, m1, sm, k1, m1 - repeat from * 2 times, k till last st, p1.

The number of stitches after
row 29 = 90
row 37 = 94
row 45 = 98
row 53 = 102
row 61 = 106

After row 62 (WS), cut yarns from all 3 balls, leaving tails 2"-3" long.

Attach pink yarn at the beginning of the row.

Row 63/round 1 (with pink yarn): knit tilll last 4 sts, transfer them to a spare needle, fold the work and overlap the right and left button bands: 4 sts on the spare needle over the 4 sts on the left needle, hold both needles in left hand. Insert the working needle in the first st on the spare needle, then in the first st on the left needle, yo, pull yarn through both sts. Repeat with the remaining 3 sts. Thus you close the work into round = 102 sts. Place a marker at the beginning of the round.

Work 5 more rounds with pink yarn. cut pink yarn, attach black yarn

Round 7: knit around with black yarn

Round 8: *kfr&b&fr, p2 - repeat from * around. = 170 sts

Round 9: *k3, p2 - repeat from * around.

Repeat round 9 sixteen (16) more times, or to desired length. Bind off.


Sleeves

Work one sleeve at a time.

Transfer 32 sts from waste yarn on 3 dpn, pu&k 3 underarm sts = 35 sts.

Work 10 rounds in stockinette: all rounds knit.

Round 11: *k1, p1 - repeat around till last 3 sts, k1, p2tog.

Round 12: *k1, p1 - repeat around.

Repeat round 12 four more times. Bind off, cut yarn.


Finishing:

Weave in all yarn ends. Sew 6 snaps on the button bands.

Have fun!