Crochet girl dress Emma | size: app. 1.5 to 2 years

There’s beauty in simplicity, and this crochet baby dress proves it. Featuring a sleek, seamless yoke, wide comfortable straps, and a widely flared skirt, this dress relies on impeccable shape and subtle texture for its charm. The solid color and clean lines make it a versatile piece that can be dressed up or down.

This pattern is designed to be worked top-down, mostly in the round, resulting in minimal seaming. We’ll use a combination of solid double crochet and textured eyelet rounds to create the flowy, pleated effect you see in the skirt.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Approximately 350-400 yards of DK Weight (Light Worsted / #3) or Worsted Weight (#4) yarn, depending on how substantial you want the fabric to be. We recommend a soft cotton blend or acrylic. The color used is a versatile Heathered Taupe (Main Color – MC).
• Crochet Hook: 4.0 mm (US G-6), or size needed to obtain gauge.
• Button: One small (1/2 inch) button for the back neck slit.
• Tapestry Needle: For weaving in ends and sewing the button.
• Stitch Markers: 4 markers for the raglan corners.

Size & Gauge

• Size: 6-12 Months (Finished Chest Circumference: approx. 20 inches / 51 cm)
• Gauge: In DC (Yoke section) using a 4.0 mm hook: 14 DC stitches and 8 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) square.

Skill Level & Notes

• • Skill Level: Intermediate. You must be comfortable with working top-down raglan shaping in the round and consistent stitch counting.
  • Construction: The dress is worked seamlessly from the top down. A small slit is left at the back neckline for easy dressing.
  • Chains: The starting chain (ch 3) at the beginning of DC rounds always counts as the first DC unless noted otherwise.

Abbreviations

Export to Sheets

Part 1: The Yoke (Top-Down Raglan)

We begin working flat for the first few rows to create the back neck slit, then join to work in the round.

Setup Row (Back Slit): Ch 45. Sl st to the first ch, being careful not to twist the chain. Ch 3 (counts as dc). Dc in the next 35 ch. Leave the remaining 9 ch unworked. (36 dc)

Row 1 (Working Flat): Ch 3 (counts as dc), turn. Dc in the next 4 sts. [Dc, ch 2, dc] in the next st (PM in ch-2 sp). Dc in the next 6 sts (Shoulder). [Dc, ch 2, dc] in the next st (PM). Dc in the next 10 sts (Front). [Dc, ch 2, dc] in the next st (PM). Dc in the next 6 sts (Shoulder). [Dc, ch 2, dc] in the next st (PM). Dc in the last 5 sts. (46 dc, 4 ch-2 sps)

Row 2 (Increase Row): Ch 3, turn. Dc in each st until the first ch-2 sp. [Dc, ch 2, dc] in the ch-2 sp. Rep [Dc in each st to next ch-2 sp, (dc, ch 2, dc) in ch-2 sp] 3 times. Dc in each remaining st. (62 dc, 4 ch-2 sps)

Rounds 3-6 (Joining): Repeat Row 2. After the last stitch of Row 6, sl st to the top of the beg ch-3 to join and begin working in the round. The back slit remains open for now.

• End of Round 6 Stitch Count: 126 dc, 4 ch-2 sps.

Round 7 (Separating for Armholes): Ch 3, dc in each st until the first ch-2 sp. Dc in the ch-2 sp. Ch 4 (skips the sleeve stitches). Dc in the second ch-2 sp. Dc in each st until the third ch-2 sp. Dc in the ch-2 sp. Ch 4 (skips the second sleeve stitches). Dc in the fourth ch-2 sp. Dc in each remaining st. Sl st to the top of the beg ch-3 to join. (70 dc, 8 ch = 78 sts)

Part 2: The Skirt (Working in the Round)

The skirt is formed by alternating solid double crochet rounds with eyelet rounds, creating the ribbed, flared texture.

Round 8 (Skirt Setup): Ch 3. Work 4 dc into each ch-4 sp. Dc in each dc around. Sl st to join. (86 dc)

Round 9 (Solid DC): Ch 3. Dc in each st around. Sl st to join. (86 dc)

Round 10 (Eyelet Texture Round): Ch 3. [Ch 1, sk 1 st, dc in the next st] rep around. The last dc should fall before the sl st join. Sl st to the top of the beg ch-3 to join. (43 dc, 43 ch-1 sps)

Round 11 (Increase DC): Ch 3. Dc in the ch-1 sp, 2 dc in the next dc. [Dc in the next ch-1 sp, 2 dc in the next dc] rep around. Sl st to join. (129 dc)

Round 12 (Solid DC): Ch 3. Dc in each st around. Sl st to join. (129 dc)

Round 13 (Eyelet Texture Round): Ch 3. [Ch 1, sk 1 st, dc in the next st] rep around. Sl st to join. (65 dc, 64 ch-1 sps)

Round 14 (Increase DC): Ch 3. Dc in the ch-1 sp, 2 dc in the next dc. [Dc in the next ch-1 sp, 2 dc in the next dc] rep around. You will increase by approximately 64 stitches this round. Sl st to join. (193 dc)

Round 15 (Solid DC): Ch 3. Dc in each st around. Sl st to join. (193 dc)

Round 16 (Eyelet Texture Round): Ch 3. [Ch 1, sk 1 st, dc in the next st] rep around. Sl st to join.

Round 17 (Solid DC): Ch 3. Dc in each st around. Sl st to join.

Round 18 (Increase DC): Ch 3. Dc in the next 18 sts, 2 dc in the next st. [Dc in the next 19 sts, 2 dc in the next st] rep around, distributing approximately 10 increases evenly. Sl st to join. (Approx. 203 dc)

Rounds 19-25: Repeat Rounds 16 and 17 (alternating Eyelet and Solid DC rounds).

Round 26 (Final Hem): Ch 3. Dc in each st around. Sl st to join.

Fasten off.

Part 3: Edging and Finishing

A. Neckline and Armhole Edging

1. Armholes (Make 2): Attach yarn at the underarm. Work 1 round of sc evenly around the armhole opening. Sl st to join and fasten off.
2. Neckline: Attach yarn at the bottom of the back neck slit. Work 1 round of sc evenly around the entire neckline opening and up one side of the back slit. Do not fasten off.

B. Back Slit Closure

1. Button Loop: From the end of the neckline sc round, ch 3 (creates loop). Sl st back into the same stitch. Fasten off.
2. Button Side: Re-attach yarn at the bottom of the unworked side of the back slit. Work a row of sc up the side. Fasten off.
3. Sew the small button onto the neck opening, directly opposite the button loop you created.

Video Tutorial: