The knitted dress is one of the big garments this autumn, in every length. A knitted dress is soft like a sweater and complete like an outfit. It takes a little more planning than a sweater, because the length and the weight make it hang differently.
Knit from the top down
All my dresses are knitted from the top down: neck, raglan, the sleeves are put on hold, and then the skirt is knitted. That has two advantages. You can try the dress on as you go, and you decide the length when you see it on your body.
Measure your swatch hanging
A dress stretches in length when it hangs, because the yarn carries its own weight. Hang your swatch up for a day before you measure the rounds. Then lay it flat and measure again. If it gets longer when hanging, you know the dress will too.
Mohair is light, so a long mohair dress stretches less than a dress in heavy wool or cotton.
Width over the hips
The skirt needs more width further down. In Unsaid – The Dress the width comes from 11 increase rounds with 4 stitches increased each time, spread evenly through the striped section. If you want the dress closer-fitting over the hips, you can move the increases further down.
The length
- Decide the length with the dress on, not from the table alone.
- Knit 2–3 cm shorter than the length you want. The dress gets a little longer when it hangs.
- If you change the length, you also change the amount of yarn. Work it out in the yarn calculator.
Buy one extra ball
A dress uses a lot of yarn, and it is easy to get it wrong when the length is adjusted along the way. Buy one extra ball from the same dye lot. That is safer than hunting for the same dye lot later.
Knitted dress patterns
- Unsaid – The Dress, striped skirt designed for leftover yarn
- Up With the Birds – The Dream Dress, long striped dress with puff sleeves
- Star – The Dress
- Pink Daylight – The Dress
- Light Green Daylight – The Dress
Feel free to show me your version.
Did you know …
Sonia Rykiel started designing for her family's shop Laura on the Left Bank in Paris in the early 1960s. She wanted a sweater that sat close to her slim body. The sample was re-knitted several times in smaller sizes, until it was narrow with high armholes. It became known as the “poor boy” sweater.
Sources: Coveteur: Fall 2026 knitwear trends and The Museum at FIT: Sonia Rykiel, The Queen of Knits.
Anne-Turid <3