Pianosa Dress in Adriafil Memphis - Downloadable PDF

Pianosa Dress Knitting Pattern in Adriafil Memphis Yarn – Free Downloadable PDF

The Pianosa Dress is a beautifully striped, free knitting pattern designed for a stylish knitted dress featuring a structured bodice, shaped sleeves, and a decorative flounce at the hem. Published by Adriafil Yarns, this downloadable PDF pattern is worked in Adriafil Memphis yarn and is suitable for knitters who are comfortable with shaping techniques, stripe sequences, and neckline construction.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a knitted dress — the Pianosa Dress — featuring a fitted silhouette with waist shaping, set-in sleeves, a shaped neckline, and a flounce picked up and worked at the lower hem. The striped colorwork design runs throughout the body of the dress, creating a bold, eye-catching look using a carefully sequenced palette of five colors.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Adriafil Memphis yarn, a worsted weight yarn, in the following colors and quantities:

• 300 g in white, shade no. 02 — the primary background color
• 20 g each of the following accent colors:
  • Coral, no. 98
  • Blue, no. 22
  • Dark pink, no. 31
  • Bright green, no. 25
  • Golden yellow, no. 88
• Knitting needles, size 4.5 mm (no. 4½)
• A tapestry needle for seaming and finishing

Stripe Sequence and Colorwork

The stripe sequence is a key design element of the Pianosa Dress. The pattern works through a structured repeat of color blocks, alternating the white base yarn with the accent shades. The documented stripe order includes:

• 4 rows in dark pink (no. 31)
• 18 rows in white (no. 02)
• 4 rows in blue (no. 22)
• 18 rows in white (no. 02)
• 4 rows in coral (no. 98)
• Ending with white (no. 02)

This rhythm of narrow accent stripes separated by wide white sections gives the dress a clean, graphic, and modern aesthetic. The remaining accent colors — bright green no. 25 and golden yellow no. 88 — are also incorporated into the full stripe sequence as described in the complete PDF pattern.

Techniques Used

The Pianosa Dress employs a range of classic knitting shaping and construction techniques, making it an excellent project for intermediate knitters looking to build their skills:

• Waist shaping through decreases: Stitches are decreased at both ends, inside one stitch, following a graduated schedule — once every 12 rows twice, once after 8 rows, and then once every 4 rows four times — to create a fitted waist. This begins when the work measures 23 cm.
• Sleeve shaping: When the work reaches 45 cm, stitches are cast off at the sides every 2 rows to form the sleeve holes, creating a traditional set-in sleeve construction.
• Neckline shaping: When the sleeve section measures 8 cm, the center 27 stitches are cast off to shape the neckline. The remaining 10 stitches on each shoulder are then worked separately before being cast off, a standard technique for creating a neat, symmetrical neckline.
• Flounce construction: The decorative flounce at the hem is worked by picking up stitches along the bottom edge of the completed dress and knitting downward — a technique that creates a flowing, ruffled finish without requiring a separate seam.
• Stripe knitting: Carrying and joining yarn at color changes across multiple stripe repe