Spring Blossom Dress for 18-inch Dolls

Free Doll Dress Knitting Pattern

Celebrate the beauty of spring with this delightful Spring Blossom Dress for 18-inch dolls. The design begins at the top and is worked seamlessly in one piece, with a back opening for easy dressing. The vibrant green yoke is crafted in stockinette stitch with raglan increases and garter stitch button bands, while the skirt transitions into elegant lace panels that flare into a soft A-line shape. This pattern is perfect for adding a fresh, seasonal outfit to your doll’s wardrobe.

Skills Required/Techniques Used:
---Knit & purl, cast on & bind off
---Increasing: yarn over (YO), 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
---Working lace patterns
---Picking up stitches

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 White – 1 ball
Knit Picks (affiliate link) Palette fingering weight 100% wool yarn 231 yds (210 m)/ 50 g, color Limeade Heather – 0.5 ball

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

Gauge: 30 sts x 40 rows = 4" (10 cm) in stockinette stitch.

Notions: yarn needle, 4 stitch markers, 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
ssk - (slip, slip, knit) : slip next 2 sts as if to knit, one at a time, to right needle; insert left needle into fronts of these 2 sts and knit them tog – 1 st decreased.
pu&k- pick up and knit
yo - yarn over
kfr&b – knit the stitch by the front loop then by the back loop
twist 2 – twist 2 sts: k2tog, but do not slip from the needle, insert right-hand needle between the sts just knitted and knit 1st st again, then slip both sts from the needle together.
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
sm - slip marker
pm - place marker
rm - remove marker
co – cast on

Pattern Notes:

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

Stockinette in rounds: all rounds knit.

Garter stitch in rows: all rows knit.

Little Lace Chain pattern:

Panel of 8 sts
Row 1 (WS and all WS rows): purl. Note on Row 5 (WS): work (k1,p1) into the double yo of previous row.
Row 2 (RS): k1, k2tog, yo, twist 2, yo, ssk, k1.
Row 4 (RS): k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, yo, ssk
Row6 (RS): k2, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2

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.

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 is worked top-down, seamlessly, back and forth with opening on the back. The yoke is worked in stockinette stitch with button bands in garter stitch and raglan increases. The skirt is worked in stockinette stitch and lace panels. A-shape of the dress is achieved by increasing the number of stitches in stockinette panels.
The sleeves are worked in rounds on dpn.


Dress

With light green yarn, cast on 56 st and work 2 foundation rows in garter stitch: both rows knit.

Check the sts and place markers: 1 edge -right 3 bb - 4 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) - 12 front - 2 raglan (place the third marker between these 2 sts) – 10 left sleeve - 2 raglan (place the forth marker between these 2 sts) - 4 left back - 3 left bb - 1 edge

Row 1 (RS): *knit till 1 st remains before marker, m1, k1, sm, k1, m1 - repeat from * 3 times, knit till last st, p1. + 8 sts

Row 2 (WS): k4, purl till last 4 sts, k3, p1.

Repeat rows 1-2 ten (10) more times.

The number of sts after
row 1 = 64
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): k20, rm, transfer the next 34 sts on a piece of waste yarn, rm, co 6, k36, rm, transfer the next 34 sts on a piece of waste yarn, rm, co 6, k19, p1. = 88 sts

Row 24: k4, p to last 4 sts, k3, p1.

Cut the green yarn, attach the white one and continue in white.

Row 25 (RS): k 4, m1, (k8, m1) x 10 times, k3, p1 = 99 sts

Row 26 (WS): k4, purl to last 4, k3, p1.

Row 27 (increase row and the start of lace panels): K4, kfr&b, * (k, k2tog, yo, twist 2, yo, ssk, k1), kfr&b – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1 = 110 sts

Row 28: like row 26

Row 29: K4, k2, *(k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, yo, ssk), k2 – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1

Row 30: p4, purl to last 4, but in double yo work k1, p1, work last 4 sts: k3, p1.

Row 31: k4, k2, *(k2, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2), k2 – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1

Row 32: like row 26

Row 33 (increase row): k4, k1, m1, k1, *(k1, k2tog, yo, twist 2, yo, ssk, k1), k1, m1, k1 – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1 = 121 sts

Row 34: like row 26

Row 35: k4, k3, *(k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, yo, ssk), k3 – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1.

Row 36: like row 30

Row 37: k4, k3, *(k2, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2), k3 - repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1.

Row 38: like row 26

Row 39 (increase row): k4, k1, kfr&b, k1, *(k1, k2tog, yo, twist 2, yo, ssk, k1), k1, kfr&b, k1 – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1 = 132 sts

Row 40: like row 26

Row 41:, k4, k4, *(k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, yo, ssk), k4 – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1

Row 42: like row 30

Row 43: k4, k4, *(k2, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2), k4 – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1.

Row 44: like row 26

Row 45: k4, k4, *(k1, k2tog, yo, twist 2, yo, ssk, k1), k4 - repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1.

Row 46: like row 26

Row 47: like row 41

Row 48: like row 30

Row 49: like row 43

Row 50: like row 26

Row 51 (increase row); k4, k2, m1, k2, *(k1, k2tog, yo, twist 2, yo, ssk, k1), k2, m1, k2 – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1 = 143 sts

Row 52: like row 26

Row 53: k4, k5, *(k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, yo, ssk), k5 – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1

Row 54 like row 30

Row 55: k4, k5, *(k2, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2), k5 – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1 = 143 sts

Row 56: like row 26

Row 57: k4, k5, *(k1, k2tog, yo, twist 2, yo, ssk, k1), k5 – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1

Row 58: like row 26

Row 59: k4, k5, *(k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, yo, ssk), k5 – repeat from 10 times, k3, p1

Row 60: like row 30

Row 61: k4, k5, *(k2, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2), k5 – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1

Row 62: like row 26

Repeat rows 57 – 62 one more time

Row 69 (increase row): k4, k2, kfr&b, k2, *(k1, k2tog, yo, twist 2,yo, ssk, k1), k2, kfr&b, k2 – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1 = 154 sts

Row 70: like row 26

Row 71: k4, k6, *(k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, yo, ssk), k6 – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1

Row 72: like row 30

Row 73: k4, k6, *(k2, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2), k6 – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1 = 154 sts

Row 74: like row 26

Row 75: k4, k6, *(k1, k2tog, yo, twist 2, yo, ssk, k1), k6 – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1

Row 76: like row 26

Row 77: k4, k6, *(k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, yo, ssk), k6 – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1

Row 78: like row 30

Row 79: k4, k6, *(k2, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2), k6 – repeat from * 10 times, k3, p1

Row 80: like row 26

Repeat rows 75-80 one more time.

Work 6 more rows in garter stitch.


Finishing the sleeves.

Work one sleeve at a time.

Transfer 34 sts from waste yarn on 3 dpn, pu&k 6 underarm sts = 40 sts.

Work 5 rounds in stockinette – all rounds knit.

Bind off, cut yarn.


Finishing:

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

Have fun!