Girls Dress in Bergere de France Ideal - 72680-01 - Downloadable PDF

Girls Knitted Tunic and Buttoned Cowl Pattern – Bergere de France Idéal (72680-01)

This intermediate-level knitting pattern from Bergere de France offers a charming two-piece set for girls, comprising a cable-knit tunic and a buttoned cowl. Worked in the brand's popular Idéal yarn — a DK weight yarn — this set is designed to fit girls aged 4, 6, 8, and 10 years, making it a versatile pattern that can grow with a child's wardrobe. The finished pieces have a polished, boutique-style look, elevated by decorative rhinestone and button embellishments.

What Is Being Made

The pattern includes instructions for two separate but coordinating garments:

• A girls' tunic — a longer-length knitted top featuring decorative cable panels worked across the body.
• A buttoned cowl — a cosy neck accessory that fastens with buttons, designed to complement the tunic and add warmth around the neck and shoulders.

Together, the set creates a stylish, coordinated outfit suitable for everyday wear or special occasions. The tunic's relaxed silhouette and the cowl's snug fit make this an appealing knit for cooler seasons.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Bergere de France Idéal, a DK weight yarn. The tunic requires 5 balls (size 4 yrs), 6 balls (size 6 yrs), 7 balls (size 8 yrs), or 8 balls (size 10 yrs). The cowl requires 1 ball (sizes 4 and 6 yrs) or 2 balls (sizes 8 and 10 yrs).
• Needles: 3.5 mm knitting needles are used throughout both pieces.
• Cable needle (CN): One cable needle is required for working the cable stitch panels.
• Accessories: 3 rhinestones (Ø 10 mm, ref. 32730) and 2 white spherical buttons with a pearly effect (Ø 9 mm, ref. 32671) are used as decorative and functional finishing details.

Techniques Used

This pattern is rated intermediate, meaning it is best suited to knitters who are comfortable with basic knitting and are ready to tackle more structured stitch patterns. Key techniques include:

• Cable knitting — the primary decorative technique, requiring the use of a cable needle to cross stitches and create twisted rope-like columns of texture across the fabric.
• Right cross (CR) and left cross (CL) cables — directional cable techniques that create the characteristic twist of the cable panels. The direction of the cross determines whether the cable leans to the right or the left.
• Button and embellishment attachment — sewing on pearly buttons to fasten the cowl and attaching rhinestones as decorative accents.
• Shaping and sizing — the pattern is graded across four sizes, requiring knitters to follow size-specific stitch counts and ball quantities.

Stitches Used

The pattern features several named cable stitch panels, each worked over a set number of stitches using 3.5 mm needles:

• Cable A — incorporates 8CR (an 8-stitch right cross: slip 4 stitches to the cable needle at the back of the work, knit the next 4 stitches, then knit the 4 stitches from the cable needle) and 8CL (an 8-stitch left cross: slip 4 stitches to the cable needle at the front of the work, knit the next 4 stitches, then knit the 4 stitches from the cable needle). This cable also incorporates 2CL and 2CR crossings for additional texture.
• Cable B — worked over 4 stitches