"Lisa Cable Dress" - Dress Knitting Pattern in MillaMia Naturally Soft Merino

Lisa Cable Dress – Knitting Pattern by MillaMia

The Lisa Cable Dress is a beautifully crafted children's dress knitting pattern from MillaMia, designed for little girls and rated at an experienced / advanced skill level. Worked in the brand's signature MillaMia Naturally Soft Merino yarn, this dress combines classic cable detailing with a clean, structured silhouette that is both warm and stylish — making it an ideal project for the colder months. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and covers six sizes, fitting ages 1–2 through 6–7 years, with actual chest measurements ranging from 52 cm to 76 cm (20½ in to 30 in) and lengths from 45 cm to 70 cm (17¾ in to 27½ in).

What Is Being Made

The finished garment is a children's cable knit dress with short sleeves (5–7 cm / 2–3 in sleeve length depending on size), a fitted chest, and a collar worked on circular needles. The dress features a button fastening — requiring 4 buttons approximately 15 mm / ½ in in diameter — and is designed to be a warm, wearable piece suitable for everyday wear during autumn and winter. The cable panel is the centrepiece of the design, running prominently through the body of the dress and giving it a rich, textured appearance.

Construction Techniques

• Bottom-up construction: The dress is worked from the hem upward, which allows the knitter to establish the cable pattern early and then work consistently toward the shoulders.
• Worked flat: The main body pieces are knitted back and forth on straight needles rather than in the round, meaning the knitter works both right-side and wrong-side rows throughout.
• Collar on circular needles: Although circular needles are used for the collar, the pattern explicitly instructs knitters to work back and forth — not in the round — an important distinction noted in the hints and tips section.
• Cable knitting: The defining technique of this pattern. Cables are created by temporarily placing stitches on a cable needle, working the next stitches from the left needle, and then working the held stitches — producing the characteristic twisted rope or braid effect. This requires concentration when setting up the pattern but becomes rhythmic once established.

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch (stockinette stitch): The background fabric of the dress, worked by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows. Tension is measured over stocking stitch: 25 stitches and 34 rows to 10 cm / 4 in.
• Garter stitch (g-st): Referenced in the abbreviations, likely used for borders or edging sections.
• Moss stitch (seed stitch in US terminology): Also referenced, typically used for neat, non-rolling borders or button bands.
• C10F – Cable 10 Forward: Slip the next 5 stitches onto a cable needle and hold at the front of the work, knit 5 from the left needle, then knit the 5 held stitches from the cable needle. This creates a bold, wide 10-stitch cable crossing.
• C4F – Cable 4 Front: Slip the next 2 stitches onto a cable needle and hold at the front of the work, knit 2 from the left needle, then knit the 2 held stitches from the cable needle. This produces a smaller, tighter 4-stitch cable crossing that complements the larger C10F panels.
• K2tog (knit two together): A standard right-leaning decrease used for shaping throughout the garment.
• M1 (make one): A standard increase stitch used for shaping.

Materials Required

• Yarn: MillaMia Naturally Soft Merino in Storm (102) — a sport weight, 100% merino wool yarn sold in 50 g / 1¾ oz balls. The quantity required ranges from 5 to 9 balls depending on size (5:6:6:7:8