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EasyFree Girl Dress Knitting Pattern
This is a quick, simple dress that's great for a not very experienced knitter. The dress is worked in garter stitch, top down, without seams or a back seam (optional; read more below). The yoke features raglan sleeve construction and decorative white stripes. There also stripes along the bottom of the skirt and the sleeves.
I was going for a navy theme, which was why I used the navy blue yarn and white stripes. Some sort of red accessory, such as a bow or ribbon would go well with this color combo. Other "nautical" color combinations you might like to try are white with navy stripes, navy with red stripes and white with red stripes.
Sizes: 2 (4, 6, 8)
Shown in size 2 with 3 inches of positive ease.
Finished Measurements
Chest: 24 (26, 28, 29.5) inches [60 (65, 70, 74) cm]
Length: 16 (18, 20, 21) inches [40 (45, 50, 53) cm]
Materials:
Worsted weight yarn (103 yards (94 meters) / 50 grams, 100% wool), color Navy - 6 (8, 10, 12) balls (MC)
Worsted weight yarn (103 yards (94 meters) / 50 grams, 100% wool), color Natural - 1 ball (all sizes) (CC)
4-5 small snaps
Needles: US 6 (4.0mm) circular needles OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE.
For the sleeves, I use the “magic loop” method and 32” circular needles. You can also use dpn.
Gauge for garter st: 17 sts x 36 rows = 4" x 4" (10cm x 10cm)
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).
k2tog tbl - knit 2 together through back loop
kfr&b - knit into front and back
w&t - wrap and turn
pu&k- pick up and knit
yo - yarn over
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
Pattern Notes
Garter St in rows:
All rows – knit
Garter st in rounds
Round 1: knit
Round 2: purl
Repeat 1-2 rounds
Dress
The dress is worked top-down in garter st. The yoke is worked back and forth with raglan sleeves.
The skirt is worked back and forth, and then in the round.
Raglan increases are worked with M1 increases before and after the marked raglan stitches in each right side (RS) row, thus the number of stitches in each RS row is increased by 8.
Selvedge stitches are worked in the following way: slip the first stitch in a row, purl the last one.
Yoke
With MC yarn and circular needles cast on 50 (53, 53, 54) stitches and knit 1 row.
Distribute the stitches in the following way:
1 selvedge – 10 (11, 11, 11) right back + button band - 1 raglan (place a marker) - 5 right sleeve - 1 raglan (place a marker) – 14 (15, 15, 16) front - 1 raglan (place a marker) - 5 left sleeve - 1 raglan (place a marker) - 10 (11, 11, 11) left back + button band - 1 selvedge
Row 1 (RS) and all odd rows knit making M 1 increases before and after raglan sts. In this way you increase the number of stitches in every odd row by 8.
Row 2 (WS) and all even rows knit.
Work 26 (30, 34, 36) rows as established = 154 (173, 189, 198) sts
Work rows 19-20 (23-24, 27-28, 29-30) and 23-24 (27-28, 31-32, 33-34) in CC
Divide for sleeves and bodice:
Row 27 (31, 35, 37): work right back sts + raglan st, transfer right sleeve sts to a piece of waste yarn, cast on 9 sts for underarm, work front sts + 2 raglan st, transfer left sleeve sts to a piece of waste yarn, cast on 9 sts for underarm, work left back sts + 1 raglan st. Continue to work in garter st back and forth.
Skirt
Next row: sl 1, *k 2, m 1, repeat to the end of the row, increasing the amount of stitches by 50% (the stitch count is not very important at this point, give or take 1-2 sts).
Work 40 (44, 48, 52) rows.
Next row: bind off 4 sts at the beginning of the row, *k 9, m 1, repeat to the end of the row (the stitch count is also not very important at this point, give or take 1-2 sts), join to the beginning of the row, place marker and continue to work garter st in rounds.
Alternatively, you can continue to work back and forth, if you prefer only knit stitches (no purls). However, you will have to make a seam at the back of the dress. You still need to bind off 4 sts.
Work 40 (44, 48, 52) more rounds.
Next round work *k 10, m 1, repeat to the end of the round.
Work 26 (32, 34, 38) more rounds. If you would like to change the dress length, do it at this point, keeping in mind that the last 12 rounds, below, will add about 1.5” (4 cm) to the length of the skirt.
Work next 2 rounds in CC.
Work next 2 rounds in MC.
Work next 2 rounds in CC.
Work next 6 rounds in MC.
Bind off.
Sleeve
Transfer sleeve sts to circular needles, pu&k 9 sts underarm. Place marker to mark the beginning of the round.
Work 66 (84, 92, 102) rounds. Decrease by 1 st in every 12th round in the middle of the underarm sts (place another marker there). Total 6 (7, 8, 9) times.
If you would like to change the sleeve length, do it at this point, keeping in mind that the last 12 rounds, below, will add about 1.5” (4 cm) to the length of the sleeve.
Work next 2 rounds in CC.
Work next 2 rounds in MC.
Work next 2 rounds in CC.
Work next 6 rounds in MC.
Bind off.
Finishing
Weave in ends. Sew on snaps.
Have fun!
