Rosemary & Bay

Rosemary & Bay Knitted Dress by Jennifer Raymond

Project Overview

Rosemary & Bay is a top-down knitted dress designed for infants and young children. This downloadable knitting pattern offers a sweet and simple construction method that makes it an accessible project for knitters of various skill levels. The dress features charming design details that elevate its simplicity, including a ruffled hem and ribbon threading through the waist. The versatile design allows for year-round wear—pair it with an undershirt for cooler fall and winter months, or wear it as a standalone layer during summer.

Finished Sizes and Fit

The Rosemary & Bay pattern is available in nine sizes to accommodate growing babies and toddlers:

• Newborn
• 3 months
• 6 months
• 9 months
• 12 months
• 18 months
• 24 months

Finished chest measurements range from 15 1/2 inches for the newborn size up to 20 1/2 inches for the 24-month size, providing a comfortable fit across multiple stages of infant and toddler development.

Knitting Techniques and Construction

The dress employs a top-down construction method, which is a popular approach in modern knitting patterns. This technique allows knitters to start at the neckline and work downward toward the hem, making it easy to try on the garment as it progresses and adjust the length as needed. The top-down method also eliminates the need for seaming in many areas, streamlining the finishing process.

Key design details showcase specific knitting techniques:

• Ruffled hem: A textured edge created through increases and decreases that add visual interest and dimension to the dress's lower edge
• Ribbon threading: A waist detail that incorporates ribbon through eyelets or a channel, adding both decorative and functional elements to the design

Stitches Used

The Rosemary & Bay pattern utilizes fundamental knitting stitches and techniques:

• K (Knit): The basic knit stitch forms the foundation of the fabric
• K2tog (Knit 2 Together): A right-leaning decrease used for shaping and creating the ruffled hem detail
• Kfb (Knit Front and Back): An increase stitch that creates an extra stitch by knitting into both the front and back of a single stitch, used for shaping the dress silhouette
• M1 (Make 1): A bar increase created by picking up the horizontal bar between stitches and knitting into it, providing a clean increase method for shaping

Needles and Notions

The pattern requires two sizes of US knitting needles to create proper gauge and structure:

• US Size 7 (4.5 mm) knitting needles: Used for the main body of the dress
• US Size 8 (5 mm) knitting needles: Used for the bind-off edge to create a slightly looser, more elastic finish

Knitters should adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge specified in the pattern, as this ensures the finished dress will fit properly across all the available sizes.

Additional notions required for completing the project include:

• Removeable stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and shaping points
• Stitch holder for holding stitches temporarily during construction
• Cable needle or locking stitch marker for any cable or intricate stitch work
• Tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends and finishing

Yarn and Materials

The Rosemary & Bay pattern calls for Dragonfly Fibers Traveller yarn, which is composed of 100% Superwash Merino. This fiber choice offers several practical advantages for a baby garment: merino wool is naturally soft and gentle against delicate skin, provides excellent temperature regulation for year-round wear, and the superwash treatment makes the finished dress easy to care for and machine washable. The pattern specifies the colorway Sixteen, though knitters may