Little Princess Dress in Red Heart Shimmer Solids - LW2584

Little Princess Dress in Red Heart Shimmer Solids – LW2584

The Little Princess Dress (LW2584), designed by Jodi Lewanda and published by Red Heart, is a charming children's knitted dress bodice paired with an attached fabric skirt. The design is crafted for girls in sizes 2, 4, 6, and 8, making it a versatile project for knitters who want to create a special wardrobe piece for young children. The finished dress is styled to be worn over a t-shirt in cooler weather or as a sleeveless dress in warmer months, offering practical year-round wearability.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a two-part children's dress. The knitted portion covers the bodice only, which is then sewn to a pre-cut fabric skirt. The finished bust measurements range from 24 inches (size 2) up to 29 inches (size 8), with finished bodice lengths ranging from 7 to 11½ inches and total dress lengths ranging from 18½ to 27 inches depending on the size. Because only the bodice is knitted, this project is more approachable than a fully knitted garment, and the combination of knit and fabric gives the dress a polished, boutique-style finish.

Techniques Used

• Knitting in the round: The bodice is begun on circular needles and worked seamlessly in the round up to the armholes, creating a smooth, join-free fabric for the body of the bodice.
• Flat knitting in rows: After dividing at the armholes, the front and back bodice sections are each completed by working back and forth in rows, a standard technique for shaping armholes and necklines.
• SSK decrease: The pattern uses the slip, slip, knit (ssk) decrease — slipping two stitches knitwise one at a time, then knitting them together through the front loops — for neat, left-leaning shaping.
• Stitch holder usage: Stitches for the front bodice are placed on a stitch holder while the back is worked, then returned to the needle to complete the front section.
• Seaming and finishing: Shoulder seams are sewn together after the knitted sections are complete. Armhole edgings are added with right side facing for a tidy finish.
• Basic sewing skills: The pattern explicitly requires basic sewing skills to attach the knitted bodice to the pre-cut fabric skirt using sewing thread and pins.

Stitches Used

• Dot Stitch (in the round): A four-stitch repeat pattern that creates a subtle textured surface. It is worked over a six-round repeat: Round 1 works k3, p1 across; Rounds 2 and 3 are plain knit rounds; Round 4 shifts the purl stitch by working k1, p1 then repeating k3, p1 to the last two stitches; Rounds 5 and 6 are again plain knit rounds. This offset purl creates a small dotted or seeded texture across the fabric.
• Dot Stitch (worked flat in rows): When the bodice is divided and worked back and forth, the Dot Stitch is adapted for flat knitting over a six-row repeat. Row 1 works k3, p1; Rows 2 and 6 are purl rows; Rows 3 and 5 are knit rows; Row 4 works p2, then k1, p3 across, ending k1, p1. This maintains the same visual texture as the in-the-round version.
• Knit and purl stitches: The foundation of all pattern rows and rounds, used both structurally and decoratively throughout the bodice.

Materials Used

• Yarn: Red Heart Shimmer in colorway 1536 Purple — an aran weight yarn with a shimmer finish that gives the bodice a festive, princess-worthy sparkle. The quantity required is 1 ball for sizes 2, 4, and 6, and 2 balls for size 8.
• Needles: