From Fitted Knits:



The trick to the perfect knitted dress is combining shaping with a lightweight yarn (so it keeps its shape throughout the day, and continues to flatter yours).  Here, I use a cotton/silk blend yarn (Cascade Pima Silk) waist and hip shaping, and a lace pattern to keep things interesting.  When you wear this dress, you can’t help but think of sunshine and flower-filled fields.  It’s like a picnic in a dress.



The dress is constructed in typical "top down raglan" fashion, cast on at the neckline, and knit in one piece to the lace patterned hem.  The textured swath around the waist and down the center of the dress looks like cables, but it’s really just "mock cables" formed by combining yarn overs and passed stitches.  It looks much more complex than it actually is (we knitters love that).