Flamingo Sweater for 18-inch Dolls

Free Doll Sweater Knitting Pattern

This cute summer top for your doll features chevron motif around the midline and sleeves. It’s the perfect casual warm-weather garment for any activities around town.

Skills Required/Techniques Used:
-Knit & purl, cast on & bind off
-Increasing: make 1 (m1), knit into front and back loops of the same stitch (kfr&b)
-Decreasing: knit 2 together (k2tog), slip-slip-knit (ssk)
-Working in the round on double pointed needles
-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, 3 colors of blue shades: light, middle, and dark. If you're using flamingo decoration, try pale pink instead of light blue.

Needles: circular and double pointed needles (dpn) US #1 (2.25mm) OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE

Gauge: 32 sts x 40 rows = 4" x 4" (10 x 10 cm) in stockinette st.

Notions:
yarn needle, 4 stitch markers, sew-on snaps, sewing needle and thread of matching color, small embellishments of your choice (optional), I had 2 flamingo buttons.

Abbreviations:
k - knit
p - purl
ssk - slip- slip- knit
k2tog - knit 2 together
kfr&b - knit into front and back
pu&k- pick up and knit
yo - yarn over
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


Pattern Notes:

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

Garter stitch in rows: all rows knit.

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

Chevron Pattern in rows: multiple of 10
Row 1 (RS): *ssk, k2, (kfr&b) twice, k2, k2tog - repeat from *
Row 2: Purl
Rows 3 - 4: Repeat rows 1-2
Rows 5-8: knit
Repeat rows 1-8.

Chevron Pattern in rounds:
Round 1: *ssk, k2, (kfr&b) twice, k2, k2tog - repeat from *
Round 2: knit
Rounds 3-4: repeat rounds 1-2
Rounds: 5 and 7 knit
Rounds 6 and 8: purl.
Repeat rounds 1-8.


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 sweater is worked top-down, seamlessly, back and forth with button bands on the back. The yoke is worked in stockinette with button bands in garter stitch and raglan increases. The sleeves are worked in rounds on dpn. The A-shape of the sweater is achieved by increasing the number of stitches between the chevron pattern repeats.

Sweater

On circular needles, with the light blue yarn, cast on 64 sts: 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.

Work 2 rows in garter stitch - both rows: k63, p1.

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

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

Repeat rows 3-4 twelve (12) more times.

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
row 23 = 152
row 25 = 160
row 27 = 168

Cut the light blue yarn, attach the middle blue yarn.

Divide for sleeves and bodice:

Row 29 (RS): k24, rm, transfer the next 38 sts on a piece of waste yarn, rm, cast on 3, k44, rm, transfer the next 38 sts on a piece of waste yarn, rm, cast on 3, k23, p1. = 98 sts

Row 30: k4, p90, k3, p1.

Row 31: k4, *ssk, k2, (kfr&b) twice, k2, k2tog - repeat from * 9 times, k3, p1

Row 32: K4, p90, k3, p1

Repeat rows 31-32 one more time. Change yarn to dark blue

Rows 35-38: k97, p1

Change to middle blue:

Row 39 (RS) : knit 97, p1

Row 40: k 4, p90, k3, p1

Rows 41-44: repeat rows 31-32 two times

Change to dark blue yarn:

Rows 45-46: k 97, p1.

Continue in dark blue yarn:

Row 47 (RS, Increase row): k4, m1, *k10, m1 - repeat from * 9 times, k3, p1 = 108 sts

Row 48: k107, p1

Change to middle blue yarn:

Row 49: k107, p1

Row 50: k4, purl 100, k3, p1

Row 51: k5, *ssk, k2, (kfr&b) twice, k2, k2tog, k1 - repeat from * 9 times, k3, p1

Row 52: k4, p100, k3, p1

Rows 53-54 like rows 51-52

Change to dark blue: rows 55-58: k107, p1

Change to middle blue: rows 59-60 like rows 49-50, rows 61-62 and 63-64 like rows 51-52.

Change to dark blue: rows 65-70 knit till last st, p1. Bind off.


Sleeves

Work one sleeve at a time.

Transfer 38 sts from waste yarn on 3 dpn, pu&k 3 underarm sts = 41 sts. Place a marker before the second underarm st to mark the beg of the round.

Rounds 1-10: knit around with light blue yarn.

Change to middle blue:

Rounds 11-12 knit around

Round 13: k1, *ssk, k2, (kfr&b) twice, k2, k2tog - rep from * 4 times

Round 14: knit around.

Repeat rounds 13-14 one more time.

Change to dark blue yarn and work 5 more rounds in garter stitch: rounds 17, 19, 21 knit; rounds 18 and 20 purl.

Bind off, cut yarn.


Finishing:

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

Have fun!