Look and feel fabulous in this knitted Fair Isle dress
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Look and feel fabulous in this knitted Fair Isle dress

Fair Isle gets a modern makeover on this chic tunic dress, with its patterned yoke and skirt

Pat Strong

Published: December 2, 2022 at 6:48 am

Worked in the round from the bottom up, this knitted dress has a simple geometric pattern of diamonds and triangles. It is worked using the stranded colourwork technique.

It’s a simple tunic shape that flatters all shapes and sizes of the wearer. Our dress knitting pattern has options for small, medium, large and extra-large shaping.

Designer Pat Strong used Rowan Felted tweed in her dress knitting pattern. This is a DK weight yarn in a mix of merino, alpaca and viscose that is very comfortable and cosy next to the skin. However the dress knitting pattern will work in any DK weight yarn.

It would be a good project for knitters looking to practise and improve their Fair Isle technique.

Fair Isle knitted dress pattern

Get your yarn Ready to start making? Click to jump to what you’ll need for the knitted dress pattern

Things to note for this dress knitting pattern

  • Follow the dress knitting pattern chart (below) for the colourwork, reading the chart from right to left and working in the round.
  • Make the same yarn the ‘top’ yarn when stranding – in our photographs, the background yarn has been worked as the ‘top’ yarn – and strand the yarns loosely enough so that the fabric can move when worn.
  • There are no floats more than three stitches in width, so there is no need to tack floats down.

How do I know what size to make the knitted dress pattern?

This dress knitting pattern measurements table shows you the sizes of the finished knitted dress stitched according to our pattern if you knit to a tension of 23 sts and 30 rows to 10cm over stocking stitch on 3.75mm needles.

For more about tension and why it’s important in knitting, see our guide to knitting tension squares.

Dress knitting pattern chart

Here's the chart you need for the colour work sections of this pattern.

You will need:

  • 3.75mm (UK 10/US 3) circular needles (80cm long)
  • 3.75mm (UK 10/US 3) circular needles (100cm long)
  • 75mm (UK 10/US 3) double-pointed needles (for neck, if not using magic loop) (3 needed)
  • Stitch markers (Including 4 locking stitch markers)
  • Rowan Felted Tweed DK Yarn (See table for quantities and colours)

Knitting the body of the dress from the bottom up

Step 1

Using 3.75mm circular needles with an 80cm long cable, and yarn A, cast on 235 (255:273:293) stitches using the long-tail or other stretchy cast-on method.
Place marker and join to work in the round, being careful not to twist stitches

Step 2

Round 1: (K1, P1) to last stitch, K1.
Round 2: (P1, K1) to last stitch, P1.
Rounds 1 and 2 set moss st.
Work 5 more rounds in as set.

Step 3

Sizes S and M only
Next round: Knit to last stitch, KFB.
236 (256:-:-) stitches.

Sizes L and XL only
Next round: Knit to last 2 stitches, K2tog.
– (-:272:292) stitches.

All sizes
Next round: Work row 1 of Chart to end of round.
Last round sets Chart placement. Cont to work as set until all 28 rows of Chart have been worked twice.

Are you new to Fair Isle knitting?

 

This knitted dress pattern is certainly within your reach, even if you’ve not knitted Fair Isle before. But try a small project first so you understand the basics of the technique.

Gathered’s free fair Isle knitting pattern for beginners lets you work a sweet mug hug as you learn this colourwork technique.

Step 4

Continue in yarn A only, work in st st (stocking stitch) until work measures 25 (26:27:28) cm from cast-on edge. Alter length here if desired.

Place a marker after stitch 118 (128:136:146).

Shaping the knitted dress at the waist

Step 1

Dec Round 1: *K3, K2tog, K108 (118:126: 136), SSK, K3, pm; repeat from * once more.
232 (252:268:288) stitches.

Step 2

Work 7 rounds without shaping.

Step 3

Dec Round 2: *K3, K2tog, work to 5 stitches before marker, SSK, K3, slm; rep from * once more. 4 stitches decreased.

Step 4

Rep Dec Round 2 every 8th round 5 (6:6:5) more times.
208 (224:240:264) stitches.

Lady has her back to us so you can see the shaping on the waist at the back of the knitted dress

Lengthening the dress towards the bust

Step 1

Continue without shaping until work measures 451/2 (47: 481/2:50) cm.

Shaping the dress for the bust

Step 1

Dec Round 1: *K3, K2tog, K108 (118:126: 136), SSK, K3, pm; repeat from * once more.
232 (252:268:288) stitches.

Step 2

Work 7 rounds without shaping.

Step 3

Dec Round 2: *K3, K2tog, work to 5 stitches before marker, SSK, K3, slm; rep from * once more. 4 stitches decreased.

Step 4

Rep Dec Round 2 every 8th round 5 (6:6:5) more times.
208 (224:240:264) stitches.

Lengthening the dress towards the yoke

Step 1

Continue without shaping until work measures 571/2 (59:63:65) cm.

Redhaired model whose name is sylvia looks seriously into he camera, you can see the detail of the colour work yoke on the knitted dress pattern she is modelling

Knitting the yoke

Step 1

Using 100cm length circular needles, 
*K to 10 (11: 12: 12) stitches before marker, cast off 20(22: 24: 22) stitches); rep from * once more.
176 (192: 208: 232) stitches.

Step 2

Next round: *K88 (96:104:116), pm, cast on 56 (60:68:68) stitches, pm; rep from * once more. 288 (312:344:368) stitches.

Knitting the moss stitch pattern on the yoke

Step 1

Round 1: K to first marker, slm, (K1, P1) to next marker, slm, K to next marker, slm, (K1, P1) to end.

Step 2

Round 2: K to marker, slm, (P1, K1) to next marker, slm, K to marker, slm, (P1, K1) to end.

Step 3

Last 2 rounds set moss stitch for sleeve caps.
Work Rounds 1 and 2, 3 more times.

Knitting the Fair Isle decoration on the yoke

Step 1

Begin Chart. Follow the chart instructions for the colourwork, reading the chart from right to left and working in the round.

Step 2

​​Next round: Work row 1 of Chart to end of round.

Step 3

Last round sets Chart placement. Remove all markers on last round.

Step 4

Dec round: (Work 1 st from Chart, s2kpo, mark last st with a contrasting locking marker for beg of round, patt 85 (93:101:113) stitches, s2kpo, mark last st with a locking marker,
 patt 53 (57:65:65), s2kpo, mark last st with a locking marker, patt 85 (93:101:113) stitches, s2kpo, mark last st with a locking marker, 
patt 53 (57: 65:65).
8 stitches decreased.

Step 5

Round 2: Work Chart to 2 stitches before end of round.

Step 6

Using the marked stitches as a guide, 
dec as set on every alt round as follows:
Dec round: *Sk2po, move locking marker 
into last st, patt to 2 stitches before marked st; 
rep from * 3 more times, patt to end.
8 stitches decreased.

Step 7

Cont to dec every alt row as set until 112 (124:144:160) stitches remain.

Step 8

When all decreases are complete, continue to work in Chart patt until all 28 rows of Chart have been worked twice, then continue in yarn A only until yoke measures 21 (22:23:24) cm.

dress knitting pattern close

Knitting the moss stitch neck

Step 1

Next round: (K1, P1) to end of round.
Next round: (P1, K1) to end of round.

Step 2

Last 2 rounds set moss st.
Work in moss st for 5 more rounds.

Step 3

Cast off

Very close in on the colourqoek and cowl of the knitted dres. You can't see much of model sylvia besides her hair and neck

Tidying up the knitted dress ready to wear

Step 1

Weave in ends.

Step 2

Gently block to measurements, 
following any yarn care instructions on 
the ball band.

Dress knitting pattern shopping list

Dress knittign pattern yarninfo

Download the dress knitting pattern

We know many visitors to Gathered would prefer a printer-friendly version of the free pattern that they can download and store on their computer if they want to. So we have prepared this PDF file. It is an A$ PDF with 2 pages. lock to download the dress knitting pattern PDF.

This is the same images as in the main picture for this article, but cropped square so sylvia’s face can be seen as well as the knitted dress

Knitting garments is easier than you think

So many knitters are intimidated by garments! Besides managing more bulk on your needles, the skills you need are the same as knitting smaller accessories. Just scaled up!

The cost of knitting clothes can put people off, too – larger items means more balls of wool to buy. How about if you can find a way to bring that cost down?

Save £££ on your yarn

The team at Gathered have hunted out inexpensive chunky wool that’s great for cosy cardigans and other big knits that won’t break your budget.

Check out our cheap chunky wool picks.

Pat Strong

Crochet & Knitting Designer

Pat loves yarn so much she opened her own yarn shop – Craic ‘N’ Yarn in Glasgow. She believes that simple shapes are the key to success when designing in knitwear. Pat is a regular designer for Simply Knitting and Simply Crochet magazine.
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