I’ve always had a thing for vintage candies. Growing up, candy buttons were one of my favorites. I loved peeling the brightly colored sugar dots from their paper strip and popping them, one at a time, into my mouth. The pops of color that dot the yoke of this dress are as sweet as the candy buttons I loved as a child.

Techniques
The dotted yoke is worked as a stranded pattern that’s perfect for showing off vibrant shades of Rustic DK, a single-ply yarn from Neighborhood Fiber Co. The dots lend a dimensional look to the yoke when set against the lighter weight Studio Sport. The heavier weight of the Rustic DK really helps the dots stand out against the reverse stockinette background.

Construction
Button Candy is constructed from the top down, and with no seaming required aside from the optional patch pocket, it’s nearly a finish-free knit. A wider neckline and mid-thigh length will keep the candy dot dress in your little girl’s wardrobe for several seasons – first as a short dress and then as a tunic.

The sample is a size 3, modeled on a tall 3 year old.

This dress is suitable for an intermediate knitter or an adventurous beginner. Skills needed include knitting in the round, stranded colorwork, and working increases. Instructions for the stranded yoke are both charted and written.

Sizes

6 months(12 months, 18 months, 2 years) (3 years, 4-5 years,
6-7 years)

Finished Chest Measurement

18¼(19 ½, 20½ , 21½) (22, 24, 25½) inches; 46.5(49.5,
52, 54.5) (56, 61, 65) cm

You Will Need
1(1,2,2) (2,2,2) skeins of Neightborhood Fibre Co Studio Sport in Woodberry for the main color

1 skein of Neighborhood Fibre Co Rustic DK in Gwynn Oak for the CC

Designer Notes

To make your dots stand out, it is essential that your cc is a heavier yarn than your mc. If you choose the same weight yarn for the cc, hold it double throughout.

You can work cobnut increases in one of two ways, either by working a kfbf (knit into the front, back, and front of the same stitch) or by working a k1,yo,k1 into a single stitch. I recommend making a small swatch using both increase methods to determine which one works best for you.