Cable Dress, Tunic or Sweater for 18-inch Dolls

Free Doll Dress Knitting Pattern

Give your 18” doll a warm and stylish cabled garment to wear this winter! Depending on the length to which you knit this pattern, it can be a short sweater, a tunic or a dress.

Skills Required/Techniques Used:
-Knit & purl, cast on & bind off
-Increasing: make 1 (m1)
-Working in the round on double pointed needles
-Working simple cable
-Picking up stitches

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

Materials: the pattern was tested with different yarns, including

Paton (affiliate link)s Lace light fingering weight yarn (80% acrylic, 10% mohair, 10% wool) 85g/3 oz 455m/498yds) – 1 ball ;

Paton (affiliate link)s Lace Sequin light fingering weight yarn (344 yards (315 meters) /70 g, 68% Acrylic, 14% Polyester, 9% Mohair, 9% Wool) lace weight yarn, color Ruby - 1 ball

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

Gauge: 33 sts x 44 rows = 4" (10 cm) in stockinette st

Notions:
yarn needle, sew-on snaps, sewing needle and thread of matching color, small embellishments of your choice (optional).

Abbreviations:
k - knit
p - purl
m1 - make 1 increase - 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
pu&k - pick up and knit
2/2 LC - 2x2 cable with left cross

Pattern Notes:

Reversed stockinette in rows:
Row 1 (RS): purl
Row 2: knit
Repeat 2 rows

Reversed stockinette in rounds:
All rounds purl

Garter stitch in rows: all rows knit.

Garter stitch in rounds: knit the first round, purl the next round. Repeat 2 rounds.

2x2 Cable with left cross (2/2 LC) in rows:

Rows 1 and 3 (RS): k4

All WS (even) rows purl.

Row 5 (RS): slip 2 sts on a cable needle and hold before the work, k the next 2 sts, return the sts from the cable needle to the left needle and knit them one by one.

Repeat rows 1-6

2x2 Cable with left cross (2/2LC) in rounds:

Rounds 1,2,3,4,6 knit

Round 5 (RS): slip 2 sts on a cable needle and hold before the work, k the next 2 sts, return the sts from the cable needle to the left needle and knit them one by one.

Repeat rounds 1-6.

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 in the beginning and in the end of each row.


Short Overview of the Pattern:

The dress/sweater is worked top down, in one piece and seamlessly. The sweater is worked in rows, back-and-forth, with opening on the back. The dress is worked first in rows, back-and-forth, with opening on the back, then in-the-round. A-shape of the garments is achieved by increasing the number of reversed stockinette stitches between the cable stitches. The increases are made in the purl section in each fifth row/round, in which you cross the cable. Alternate the increases: first make them in the beginning of the purl section, then make them at the end of the purl section between the cables: make a backward loop over the right-hand needle and in the next row/round purl/knit as a regular stitch.

Button bands are worked in garter stitch together with the rest of the garment: k4 in the beginning of each row and k3,p1 in the end of each row.

The sleeves are worked in rounds on dpn.


Dress

Cast on 79: 1 edge -right 3 bb – 71 for the pattern - 3 left bb - 1 edge

Rows 1 and 3 (RS): k4 (1 edge, 3 button band), *p1, k4 (for cable) - repeat from * 14 times, p1, k3 (button band), p1 (edge).

Rows 2 and 4 (WS): k4, *k1, p4 - repeat from * 14 times, k4, p1.

Row 5 (RS, increase row): k4, *m1, p1, 2/2LC,- repeat from * 14 times, m1, p1, k3, p1 = 94 sts

Rows 6, 8 and 10 (WS): k4, *k2, p4 - repeat from * 14 times, k5, p1.

Rows 7 and 9 (RS): k4, * p2, k4 - repeat from * 14 times, p2, k3, p1.

Row 11 (RS, increase row): k4, *p2, m1, 2/2 LC,- repeat from * 14 times, p2, m1, k3, p1 = 109 sts

Rows 12, 14 and 16 (WS): k4, *k3, p4 - repeat from * 14 times, k6, p1.

Rows 13 and 15 (RS): k4, * p3, k4 - repeat from * 14 times, p3, k3, p1.

Row 17 (RS, increase row): k4, *m1, p3, 2/2LC - repeat from * 14 times, m1, p3, k3, p1 = 124 sts

Rows 18, 20 and 22 (WS): k4, *k4, p4 - repeat from * 14 times, k7, p1

Rows 19 and 21 (RS): k4, *p4, k4 - repeat from * 14 times, p4, k3, p1.

Row 23 (RS, increase row): k4, *p4, m1, 2/2 LC - repeat from * 14 times, p4, m1, k3, p1 = 139 sts

Rows 24, and 26 (WS): k4, *k5, p4 - repeat from * 14 times, k8, p1

Row 25 (RS): k4, *p5, k4 - repeat from * 14 times, p5, k3, p1.


Divide for sleeves and bodice:

Row 27 (RS): k4, (p5, k4) x twice, p3, transfer the next 26 sts onto a spare length of yarn, co 8, p3, (k4, p5) x 3 times, k4, p3, transfer the next 26 on a spare length of yarn, co 8, p3, (k4, p5) x twice, k3, p1 = 103 sts

Continue to work the bodice:

Row 28 (WS): k4, *k5, p4 - repeat from * 10 times, k8, p1

Row 29 (RS increase row): k4, m1, p5, (2/2LC, m1, p5 ) x twice, k4, m1, p5, (2/2LC, m1, p5) x4 times, k4, (m1, p5, 2/2LC) x twice, m1, p5, k3, p1 = 114 sts

Row 30: k4, *k6, p4 - repeat from * 10 times, k6, k3, p1.

Row 31: k4, *p6, k4 repeat from * 10 times, p6, k3, p1.

Row 32: k4, *k6, p4- repeat from * 10 times, k5, p1.

Row 33 like row 31, row 34 like row 32

Row 35 (RS, increase row): K4, p6, m1, *2/2LC, p6, m1 - repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1 = 125 sts

Row 36: k4, (k7, p4) x 10 times, k10, p1

Row 37: k4, p7, (k4, p7) x 10 times, k3, p1

Row 38 and 40 like row 36, row 39 like row 37.

Row 41 (RS increase row): k4, *m1, p7, 2/2LC - repeat from * 10 times, m1, p7, k3, p1 = 136 sts

Row 42: k4, (k8, p4) x 10 times, k11, p1

Row 43: k4, *p8, k4) x 10 times, p8, k3, p1

Rows 44 and 46 like row 44, row 45 like row 43.

For the sweater only: do not make more increases between the cables. Continue till the desired length. Finish either with 6 rows of garter stitch - all row knit, or with the rib:

Row 1 (RS): k4, *p2, k4 - repeat from * till the last 6 sts, p2, k3, p1.

Row 2 (WS): k4, *k2, p4 - repeat from * till the last 6 sts, k5, p1.

Repeat 2 rows two more times, or as desired. Bind off. Proceed to Sleeves.


For the dress continue as follows:

Row 47 (RS increase row): k4, *p8, m1, 2/2 LC - repeat from * 10 times, p8, m1, k3, p1 = 147 sts

Row 48: k4, (k9, p4) x 10 times, k12, p1

Row 49: k4, (p9, k4) x 10 times, p9, k3, p1.

Rows 50 and 52 like row 48, row 51 like row 49.

Row 53 (RS, increase row): k4, *m1, p9, 2/2 LC - repeat from * 10 times, m1, p9, k3, p1 = 158 sts

Row 54: k4, (k10, p4) x 10 times, k13, p1

Row 55/Round1: k4, (p10, k4) x 10 times, p10, transfer the last 4 sts of the bb 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 = 154 sts. Place a marker after these 4 sts to mark the beginning of the round.
These 4 sts will be worked as a cable from now on.

Rounds 2 - 4: (p10, k4) x 11 times

Round 5 (increase round):* p10, m1, 2/2 LC - repeat from * 11 times = 165 sts

Rounds 6-10 : (p11, k4) x 11 times

Round 11 (increase round) m1, p11, cable - repeat from * 11 times = 176 sts

Rounds 12 -16: (p12, k4) x 11 times

Round 17 (increase round) : *p12, m1, 2/2 LC - repeat from * 11 times = 187 sts

Rounds 18 - 22: ( p13, k4) x 11 times

Round 23 (increase round): *m1, p13, 2/2 LC - repeat from * 11 times = 198 sts

Rounds 24- 28 : (p14, k4) x 11 times

Round 29 (increase round): * p14, m1, 2/2 LC - repeat from * 11 times = 209 sts

Rounds 30 - 33: (p15. k4) x 11 times

Rounds 34 -40 work in garter stitch: even rounds knit, odd rounds purl. Bind off. Cut yarn.


Sleeves.

Work one sleeve at a time.

Transfer 26 sts from the length of yarn on 3 dpn: 9-8-9 sts per needle

Round 1: starting with the forth underarm st, pu&k 4 sts, work all sts around as the pattern tells: p2, (k4, p5) twice, k4, p2, pu&k 4 underarm sts. The beg. of the round is between 4 and 4 underarm sts.

Round 2: k2, p4, (k4, p5 ) twice, k4, p4, k2. Repeat round 2 42 times more (or to desires length), making cable cross in each 6th round starting with round 3, these will be rounds 3, 9, 15, 21, 27, 34, 40.

Work 4 more rounds in garter stitch: odd rounds knit, even rounds purl. Bind off, cut yarn.


Finishing:

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

Have fun!