Seea Knitted Dress in Novita - 0070008 - Downloadable PDF

Seea Knitted Dress in Novita Merino 4PLY – Pattern Summary

The Seea Knitted Dress is a charming children's knitted dress designed by Lotta Sorvoja for Novita. This intermediate-level knitting pattern is available as a free downloadable PDF and produces a beautifully fitted dress suitable for children in sizes 92/98 through 128/134 (UK 2–3 to 8–9, US 2T to 9–10). The design combines classic construction techniques with thoughtful shaping details, making it an excellent project for knitters who are comfortable with basic garment construction and are ready to explore more structured techniques.

Finished Dimensions

The completed dress is sized to fit a range of children's measurements across four size options:

• Body circumference: 56(60)64(68) cm / 22(23½)25¼(26¾) in
• Length: 55(59)62(66) cm / 21¾(23¼)24½(26) in
• Inner sleeve length: 23(26)29(32) cm / 9(10¼)11½(12½) in

What Is Being Made

The Seea Knitted Dress is a structured children's dress featuring a defined neckline, shaped armholes, and a hem worked from the top down. The garment includes a back opening with overlapping button bands, giving it a polished, tailored look. The dress is worked in pieces and seamed at the shoulders, with the hem section knitted separately from the top down and then joined. The result is a neat, wearable garment with clean lines and a classic silhouette suited to everyday wear or special occasions.

Construction Method

The Seea Knitted Dress uses a combination of flat and circular knitting techniques. Key construction details include:

• Top-down hem construction: The hem section is knitted from the top down, which allows for easy length adjustments and a smooth flow of stitches.
• Shoulder seaming: The front and back pieces are worked separately and then joined at the shoulders with sewn seams, a traditional approach that gives the garment structure and stability.
• Back overlap: The back pieces are layered with 7 stitches overlapping, creating a neat button band opening — a detail that adds both function and a refined finish.
• Armhole shaping: Armholes are carefully shaped with bind-offs measured in centimetres, ensuring a proper fit across all sizes.
• Neckline shaping: The neckline is formed by binding off the centre stitches — 27(29)29(33) stitches — and then working each side separately with gradual decreases of 4 x 1 stitch on every other row at the neckline edge, creating a smooth, rounded neckline curve.
• Shoulder bind-off: Once the armhole reaches the required depth of 12(13)14(15) cm, the remaining 17(18)19(19) shoulder stitches are bound off, completing the shoulder line neatly.

Techniques Used

• Flat knitting for the front and back body pieces
• Circular knitting for seamless sections of the garment
• Neckline shaping using symmetrical decreases worked on every other row
• Armhole shaping with measured bind-offs
• Shoulder seaming to join front and back pieces
• Top-down construction for the hem section
• Overlapping button band construction at the back opening

Stitches Used

While the full stitch list is contained within the complete PDF, the pattern references the following core stitches and techniques:

• Knit and purl stitches – the foundation of the fabric throughout the dress
• Bind-off stit