Girl's Sideways Sun Dress

Free Girl Dress Knitting Pattern

You will find the pattern for a matching cardigan here.

The skirt of the dress is worked in a combination of 2 yarns: self-striping yarn for the skirt gores and a matching solid color yarn for the stripes between the gores. You can use two solid colors, too. I used yarns that match each other, but you can also use contrasting yarns for a bolder look.

The skirt and the bodice of the dress is worked sideways with short rows used for shaping. The circular yoke is worked from the bottom up, forming cap sleeves.

The back seam of the dress is closed with 3-needle bind off. The back seam of the yoke is left open and fastened with buttons.

Sizes: 2 (4, 6, 8)
Shown in size 2 with 1 inches of positive ease.

Finished Measurements
Chest: 24 (26, 28, 29.5) inches [60 (65, 70, 74) cm]
Length: 21 (24, 27, 31) inches [51 (58, 66, 78) cm]

Materials:

Knitpicks Wool of the Andes worsted weight yarn (100% wool), color Brown, 50 g / 100 m (110 yards) – 4 (4, 5, 6) skeins. (MC)
Jojoland Rhythm worsted weight yarn (100% wool), color M28, 50 gr / 110 yards (101 meters) – 3 (4, 5, 6) balls. (CC)
3 small buttons
Stitch markers

Needles: US 6 (4.0mm) straight and circular 21” (52 cm) needles OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE.
US 7 (4.5mm) circular 32” (80 cm) needles OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE.

Crochet hook 4.00 mm.

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 2 rounds
Stockinette Stitch
1st row and all odd rows - knit sts
2nd row and all even rows - purl sts

The selvedge/edge stitches for chain selvedge are worked as follows: slip the first st and purl the last one.
Note: it is important to work chain selvedge on the top of the bodice, since the stitches for the circular yoke are picked up along the chain selvedge.

Wrap and turn in the short rows:
With yarn in front sl 1 stitch to the right needle
Move yarn between the needles to the back
Slip the stitch back to the left needle
Turn the work and bring yarn back to the wrong side between the needles

Dress

The skirt and the bodice of the dress is worked sideways with short rows used for shaping. The back seam is closed with 3-needle bind off. The circular yoke is worked from the bottom up, forming cap sleeves.

Note: short rows are counted as full rows.


Skirt and Bodice

With MC yarn and smaller circular needles cast on 68 (78, 89, 108) stitches using your favorite provisional cast on method.
Note: the 1st and the last stitches are selvedge sts. The first st is to be slipped, the last to be purled.

Rows 1-2: sl 1, knit to the last st, p 1.
Row 3: with CC yarn sl 1, knit 52 (60, 68, 80), wrap, turn.
Row 4: sl 1, purl to the end of the row.
Row 5: sl 1, knit 39 (45, 51, 60), wrap, turn.
Row 6: sl 1, purl to the end of the row.
Row 7: sl 1, knit 26 (30, 34, 40), wrap, turn.
Row 8: sl 1, purl to the end of the row.
Row 9: sl 1, knit 13 (15, 17, 20), wrap, turn.
Row 10: sl 1, purl to the end of the row.
Row 11: with MC, sl 1, knit to the last st, picking up wraps and knitting them together with the stitch it was wrapped around, p 1.
Row 12: sl 1, knit to the last st, p 1.
Rows 13-14: sl 1, knit to the last st, p 1.
Repeat rows 3-14 43 (46, 50, 53) more times. Work the last repeat only for 12 rows.

Unravel the waste thread from the provisional cast-on and transfer the stitches to the needle. Starting from the bottom of the skirt, fold the skirt with right side inwards and bind off the stitches using the 3-needle bind-off method.

Circular Yoke

The yoke is worked on circular sts back and forth, with the opening in the back.

Divide the top edge of the bodice into quarters, beginning from the back seam. Place 3 markers. (You don’t need a marker for the seam). The first and the last (3rd) markers mark the middle of the underarm. The 2nd marker is the center of the front.

First, mark the width of the underarm spaces. For this count 2 (2, 3, 3) selvedge chains from the underarm marker to both sides and place markers. Now you have 7 markers.

Pick up and knit (pu&k) 22 (23, 24, 26) sts between the back seam and 1st marker (left back). Cast on 30 (32, 32, 34) sts for the left sleeve, skip a space between the 1st and 3rd markers (underarm), Pu&k 43 (46, 48, 52) sts between 3rd and 5th markers (front). The 4th marker should be in the middle of the picked-up sts. Cast on 30 (32, 32, 34) sts for the right sleeve, skip a space between the 5th and 7th markers (underarm). Pu&k (23, 24, 26) sts between the 7th marker and back seam (right back). Total 147 (156, 160, 172) sts.

To shape the circular yoke you need to work 4 rows of decreases.

Work 10 (10, 10, 12) rows of garter st (5 [5, 5, 6] ridges)

1st row of decreases: decrease 1 st per every 6 sts, by working *k 4, ssk. Total decreased 26 (27, 28, 30) sts.

Work 9 (9, 9, 11) more rows of garter st

2nd row of decreases: decrease 1 st per every 4 sts, by working *k 2, ssk. Total decreased 30 (31, 32, 35) sts.

Work 9 (9, 9, 11) more rows of garter st

3rd row of decreases: decrease 1 st per every 3 sts, by working *k 1, ssk. Total decreased 30 (32, 33, 35) sts.

Work 9 (9, 9, 11) more rows of garter st

4th row of decreases: decrease 1 st per every 4 sts, by working *k 2, ssk. Total decreased 15 (16, 16, 17) sts.

Total sts after 4 rows of decreases 48 (51, 52, 56) sts.

Work 1 knit row.


Neck Shaping

The neckline is shaped with short rows.

Short row 1: k 15, wrap, turn
Short row 2: knit to the end of the row.
Short row 3: k 10, wrap, turn
Short row 4: knit to the end of the row.
Short row 5: k 5, wrap, turn
Short row 6: knit to the end of the row.
Next full row 7: knit to the end of the row, picking up wraps and knitting them together with the stitch it was wrapped around.
Short row 8: k 15, wrap, turn.
Short row 9: knit to the end of the row.
Short row 10: k 10, wrap, turn.
Short row 11: knit to the end of the row.
Short row 12: k 5, wrap, turn.
Short row 13: knit to the end of the row.
Next full row 14: knit to the end of the row, picking up wraps and knitting them together with the stitch it was wrapped around.
Bind off.


Sleeves

I chose to make short cap sleeves on this dress. However, you can knit long sleeves if you wish.

For this pu&k along the cast on stitches for sleeve and underarm spaces 34 (36, 38, 40) sts.

Work 78 (96, 104, 114) rows or to desired length. Bind off.


Finishing

Weave in ends.

With larger needles and MC yarn, pick up and knit stitches along the bottom of the skirt and work 4 rows of garter st. Bind off.

With MC yarn crochet one row of sc along the back opening of the circular yoke. While working the right back edge, crochet 3 buttonholes, by working *ch 3, skip 2.

Sew on buttons.

Have fun!