Sparkles Dress Knitting Pattern: Top-Down Raglan Increase Design with Stockinette and Garter Stitch Details

Caution : Please note that I translated myself the pattern from French (which is my native language). As a result, the following might not be 100% proper "knitting" English. If you notice corrections to be made, please feel free to send them, either on Ravelry or email

Sparkles Dress

A very easy top-down dress (=from top to bottom) with raglan increase making an almost vertical increase line, in stockinette and in garter for the collar, the border at the bottom of the dress and the borders at the end of sleeves. NB : if you had never knitted a top-down with ragaln increase, some links : http://www.knittingfool.com/pages/topdown.guest.cfm http://www.woolworks.org/patterns/raglan.html Size : European 38-40 Length : 96cm/37.8 in (I) Width : 41,5cm/16.3 in (x2 adding back and front = 83cm/32.6 in) (E) and (G) Collar width : 32cm/12.6 in (x2 for the total round = 64cm/25.2 in) (A) Raglan length (from collar to underarm) : 30cm/11.8 in (L) Body length : 60cm/23.6 in (from underarm to bottom of dress) (F) Sleeve length : 36cm/14.2 in (from collar to end of sleeves) (B) Sleeve length : 9cm/3.5 in (from underarm to end of sleeves) (K) Sleeve width : 18cm/7.1 in (D) Lenght of collar in garter : 6cm/2.4 in (J) Lenght of borders in garter at the bottom of the dress and end of sleeves : 5cm/2 in (C) and (H Warning : you will need to recalculate the pattern if you knit with an other yarn/gauge or in an other size.

Pattern

Schema without measurements to show the general shape (front and back are identical)

Schema with measurements

Materials :

· Yarn : Rellana Gipsy (link to Ravelry) Aran - 80m/87 yards per skein of 50g Yardage : 880m/957 yards = 11 skeins ·Circular needles : 1 circular needles 3.5mm/US 4 (to begin the collar) and 3 circular needles 4.5mm/US 7 (1 for the body and two to hold and knit later the sleeves) Tapestry needle for finishing. Gauge : 16 stitches and 22 rows in stockinette

Stitch Patterns :

Garter stitch with circular needles : First round, Knit all stitches, the next round, Purl all stitches Stockinette with circular needles : Knit all stitches at all rounds

Raglan increases :

Before a marker : Make One Left, abreviation M1L. Video on YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmUSinUjZbE Slip marker, abreviation slm, then knit one. Then, Make One Right, abreviation M1R. Video on YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCVoVCoYim4 Abreviation for one full raglan increase before and after a marker : [M1L, slm, 1m end, M1R]

Collar (length 6cm/2.4 in)

NB : collar will be folded/rolled to the outside when the dress is worn. Cast on 102 stitches (64cm/25.2 in) with 3.5mm/US 4 circular needles, place a marker to indicate the beginning of the round and join to close the round. Make 8 rows in garter stitch. Place 3 markers (in addition of the beginning of the row marker) : one marker after 48 stitches, one marker after 3 stitches (so after the 51"h stitch), one marker after 48 stitches (so after the 99th stitch), the 3 last stitches before end of the round=just before the marker at the beginning of the row, will be for thesecond sleeve. Change to 4.5mm/US 7 circular needles and make 6 rows in garter stitch. NB : Schema for markers (when round/row is < flatten >)

Body (until underarms)

The dress will be then knit in stockinette, except for the borders of the bottom of the dress and at end of sleeves, and making increases as follow, calling round#1 the first row after the 6cm/2.4 in of collar : Round 1, 3, 5, 7 : Increases before and after all markers Round 9 et 11 : Increases before and after sleeves markers only Round 13 : Increases before and after all markers Round 15 et 17 : Increases before and after sleeves markers only Round 19 : Increases before and after all markers Round 22 : Increases before and after sleeves markers only Round 25 : Increases before and after all markers Round 28 : Increases before and after sleeves markers only Round 31 : Increases before and after all markers Round 34 : Increases before and after sleeves markers only Round 37 : Increases before and after all markers Round 40 : Increases before and after sleeves markers only Round 43 : Increases before and after all markers Round 46 : Increases before and after sleeves markers only Round 49 : Increases before and after all markers Round 52 : Increases before and after sleeves markers only Round 55 : Increases before and after all markers Round 58 : Increases before and after sleeves markers only Round 61 : Increases before and after all markers Round 64 : Increases before and after sleeves markers only Round 67 : Increases before and after all markers Round 70 : Increases before and after sleeves markers only Round 73 : Increases before and after all markers Said in an other way : Increases at 4 times every other row before and after all markers (rounds 1, 3, 5, 7) Then increases 2 times at every other row before and after sleeves markers only (rounds 9 et 11) Then increases 11 times at every 6 rows before and after all markers (rounds 13, 19, 25, 31, 37, 43, 49, 55, 61, 67, 73) and at the same time increases before and after sleeves markers only 2 times at every other row (rounds 15 et 17) then 1 time at every 5 rows (round 22) and 8 time at every 6 rows (rounds 28, 34,40, 46, 52, 58, 64, 70)

How to do it :

· For rows with increases before and after all markers : 1m end, M1R, knit until 1s marker, [M1L, slm, 1m end, M1R], knit until 2"d marker, [M1L, slm, 1m end, M1R], knit until 3rd marker, [M1L, slm, 1m end, M1R], knit until last marker (the one which separate end/beginning of round), MiL, slm · For rows with increases before and after sleeves marker only : Knit until 1st marker, slm, [1m end, M1R], knit until 2"d marker, [M1L, slm], knit until 3rd marker, slm, [1m end, M1R], knit until last marker, [M1L, slm] NB : with the previous schema, increases before and after the sleeves which are in green on the schema. So increases after marker #1 and before marker #2 AND after marker #3 et before marker #0. All other rows are knitted normally = without increase. Enclosed at the end of this pdf files, a table with the number of stitches per row per section (front, back, sleeve) and the total number of stitches perrow.

Body (until the end)

Separate sleeves from body : NB : sleeves must be big enough to close them at underarm, so markers #1 and #2 (or #3 and #4) mustbeincontact. Round 74 : knit the row and at the same time, hold the sleeves stitches on 4.5mm/US 7 smaller circular needles. Sleeves will be knitted later. Knit the body stitches during 124 rounds in stockinette (to reach just before knee minus 5cm/2 in of border) or until desired length (minus 5cm/2 in of border). Border at bottom of dress : Knit 16 rows in garter stitch. Bind off loosely.

Sleeves

Take the sleeves stitches which were awaiting on circular needles. Knit 8 rows in stockinette (to reach just before elbow minus 5cm/2in of border) or until desired length (minus 5cm/2in of border). For the 1" round, be carefull to close the round with the right side of work insde the round and leaving enough yarn thread (around 30cm/11.8 in) at the beginnin (this thread will be used later tc sew the 《 little hole 》 at underam) Border de la manche : Knit 16 rows in garter stitch. Bind off loosely. Sew to close the 《 little hole 》 at underarm. Proceed the same way for the 2n"d sleeve. NB:orknit the 2 sleeves at the same time. Below, a table with the number of stitches per row per section (front, back, sleeve) and the total number of stitches per row. Happy Knitting :-)

In red : rows with increases before and after all markers. In green : rows with increases before and after sleeves markers only.