Sunny Seamless Dress for 14-inch Dolls

Free Doll Dress Knitting Pattern

This knitting pattern guides you through creating a summer dress for 14-inch dolls, worked top-down and seamlessly back and forth. The design features a light, airy skirt worked in a delicate lace pattern, perfect for warm weather. It’s a project for knitters with some experience who enjoy seamless construction.

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 14-inch dolls like American Girl Wellie Wishers, Ruby Red, Glitter Girls and other dolls of similar size.

Materials: for white-lilac dress Grace by Paton (affiliate link)s sport weight yarn (100% cotton), 136 yards(124 meters) /50g – 1 ball.
for white-green dress Simply Cotton Sport by Knit Picks (affiliate link), 100% organic Cotton 164 yards/50grams – 1 ball.

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

Gauge: 28 sts x 32 rows = 4" x 4" (10 x 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
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
pm - place marker
sm - slip marker
rm - remove marker
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.
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.
pu&k- pick up and knit
yo - yarn over

Pattern Notes:

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

Garter st in rows: all rows knit

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

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 marker, yo, slip marker, yo. 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. The main stitch pattern on the yoke is stockinette. The garter stitch, either in rows or in rounds, is used on hems and button bands. The yoke is shaped with yarn over (yo) increases on 4 raglan lines. The skirt is worked in lace panels between panels in stockinette stitch. To widen the skirt, the increases are made in the stockinette panels. The short sleeves are worked in rounds on double pointed needles.


Dress

With white color yarn cast on 38 sts, work 2 foundation rows in garter stitch - knit both rows.

Check the stitches and place markers: 1 selvedge - 3 button band - 3 back - 1 raglan (place the first marker before this st) - 6 sleeve - 1 raglan (place the second marker before this st) - 8 front - 1 raglan (place the third marker before this st) - 6 sleeve - 1 raglan (place the forth marker before this st) - 3 back - 3 button band - 1 selvedge. = 38 sts

Row 1 (RS and all RS rows, increase rows): *knit all sts till the marker, yo, sm, k1, yo - repeat from * 4 times, knit the remaining sts till the last one, p1.

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

Repeat rows 1-2 seven (6) more times.

Stitch count after:
row 1 = 46 sts, row 3 = 54 sts, row 5 = 62 sts, row 7 = 70 sts, row 9 = 78 sts, row 11 = 86 sts, row 13 =94 sts

Row 15 (RS): k4, m1, *knit all sts till the marker, yo, sm, k1, yo - repeat from * 4 times, knit the remaining sts till the last 4: m1, k3, p1 = 104 sts

Row 16: k4, purl to the last 4, k3, p1.


Divide for sleeves and bodice:

Row 17 (RS): knit 17, transfer the next 22 sts to a piece of waste yarn, cast on 2 sts, knit 26, transfer the next 22 sts to a piece of waste yarn, cast on 2 sts, knit 16, purl 1. (= 64 sts)

Row 18 (WS): k4, purl to the last 4 sts, k3, p1.

Continue with contrast color:

Row 19 (RS, belt row): k4, *yo, k2tog – repeat from * to last 4 sts, yo, k3, p1 = 65 sts

Row 20: k4, purl to last 4 sts, k3, p1

Row 21 (RS, increase row): k4, *m1, k8 – repeat from * 7 times, k4, p1 = 72 sts.

Row 22: like row 20

Row 23 (RS, lace pattern starts): k4, *k1, (k1, k2tog, yo, twist2, yo, ssk, k1) – repeat from * 7 times, k4, p1.

Rows 24 and 28 (WS): k4, purl to last 4 sts, k3, p1

Row 25: k4, *k1, (k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, yo, ssk) repeat from * 7 times, k4, p1.

Row 26 (WS): k4, purl to last 4, working (k1,p1) into the double yo of previous row, k4, p1.

Row 27: k4, *k1, (k2, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2) – repeat from * 7 times, k3, p1.

Row 29 (RS, increase row): k4, *m1, k1, m1, (k1, k2tog, yo, twist2, yo, ssk, k1) – repeat from * 7 times, m1, k1, m1, k3, p1 = 88 sts.

Rows 30 and 34 (WS): k4, purl to last 4 sts, k3, p1.

Row 31 (RS): k4, *k3, (k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, yo, ssk) repeat from * 7 times, k6, p1.

Row 32 (WS): k4, purl to last 4, working (k1,p1) into the double yo of previous row, k4, p1.

Row 33: k4, *k3, (k2, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2) – repeat from * 7 times, k6, p1.

Row 35: k4, *k3, (k1, k2tog, yo, twist2, yo, ssk, k1) – repeat from * 7 times, k6, p1.

Rows 36 and 40 (WS): k4, purl to last 4 sts, k3, p1.

Row 37: k4, *k3, (k2tog, yo, k2tog, yo twice, ssk, yo, ssk) repeat from * 7 times, k6, p1.

Row 38 (WS): k4, purl to last 4, working (k1,p1) into the double yo of previous row, k4, p1.

Row 39: k4, *k3, (k2, yo, ssk, k2tog, yo, k2) – repeat from * 7 times, k6, p1.

Repeat rows 35 – 40 three more times or to desired length.

Work 4 more rows (rows 59-62) in garter stitch. Bind off.


Sleeves

Work one sleeve at a time.

Transfer 22 sts from waste yarn on 3 dpn, 7-8-7 sts per needle, pu&k 2 underarm sts = 24 sts.
Work 4 rounds in garter stitch: round 1 knit, round 2 purl, round 3 knit, round 4 purl. Bind off, cut yarn.


Finishing

Weave in all yarn ends. Sew snaps on the button bands.
Insert a ribbon into a belt row, sew on any embellishments of your choice.

Have fun!