Florence Bobble Dress and Bloomers in West Yorkshire Spinners Bo Peep Pure DK - DBP0004 - Downloadable PDF

Florence Bobble Dress and Bloomers Knitting Pattern by Jenny Watson – DBP0004

The Florence Bobble Dress and Bloomers is a charming baby and toddler knitting pattern designed by Jenny Watson and published as a downloadable PDF by West Yorkshire Spinners. The pattern covers two coordinating pieces — a bobble dress and a pair of bloomers — making it a complete outfit suitable for babies and young toddlers from approximately 0–6 months up to 18–24 months. The dress itself is offered in two sleeve variations: a long sleeve version and a capped sleeve version, giving knitters flexibility to suit the season or personal preference.

Garments Included

Florence Bobble Dress

The centrepiece of this pattern is the Florence Bobble Dress, a beautifully textured garment designed to fit chest measurements ranging from approximately 36 cm (14 in) to 56 cm (22 in). The dress features a distinctive bobble texture, which is a classic knitting technique that creates raised, three-dimensional stitch clusters across the fabric surface. Bobbles are typically worked by knitting multiple times into a single stitch, turning the work, and then decreasing back down to one stitch, producing a satisfying tactile and visual effect that makes this dress stand out as a special handknitted garment.

As noted, the dress is available in two sleeve options:

• Long sleeve version — ideal for cooler weather, this option requires 4 [5:5:6:6] x 50g hanks of West Yorkshire Spinners Bo Peep Pure DK in Sand (208).
• Capped sleeve version — a lighter option suited to warmer months, requiring 4 [4:5:5:6] x 50g hanks of West Yorkshire Spinners Bo Peep Pure DK in Blackcurrant (319).

The sizing is structured across five age brackets — 0–6, 6–9, 9–12, 12–18, and 18–24 months — though the pattern notes that ages are provided as guidance only, and knitters are encouraged to select a size based on actual chest measurements for the best fit.

Florence Bloomers

Accompanying the dress are the Florence Bloomers, a coordinating knitted bottom garment designed to be worn alongside the dress as a complete outfit. The bloomers are worked in the same yarn and share the same design aesthetic, ensuring a cohesive, polished look. Yarn quantities for the bloomers are specified separately within the pattern.

Yarn and Materials

Both the dress and bloomers are knitted in West Yorkshire Spinners Bo Peep Pure DK, a yarn specifically formulated for babywear. This yarn is made from 100% Falkland Islands Wool, sourced from the Falkland Islands and known for its softness, warmth, and durability — qualities that make it particularly well-suited to garments worn close to a baby's delicate skin. The DK (double knitting) weight of this yarn strikes a balance between speed of knitting and fine stitch definition, making it an excellent choice for showcasing the bobble texture central to this design.

The two colourways referenced in the pattern are:

• Sand (208) — a warm, neutral tone used for the long sleeve version
• Blackcurrant (319) — a rich, deep berry shade used for the capped sleeve version

Techniques and Stitches

This is a knitting pattern rated at an intermediate skill level, making it most suitable for knitters who are comfortable with the fundamentals and ready to tackle more decorative stitch work. The following techniques and stitches are involved:

• Bobble stitch — the signature technique of this pattern, creating raised three-dimensional clusters of stitches that form the decorative texture across the dress
• Knit (K) and purl (P) stitches — the foundational stitches used throughout the construction of both garments
• Increasing and decreasing