The girls’ dress (or tunic or pullover) is designed for sport weight yarn in a main color with a smaller amount of contrasting color. It can be a summer dress, or worn in cooler weather over an undergarment. It can start as a low waist gown, and end as an empire waist pullover as your princess grows.

The yardage given includes both main and contrast colors, and short sleeves.

The bodice is knit sideways in one piece, joined at the side seams. The skirt is picked up and knit circularly with bands of contrasting color worked in fair isle patterns. An icord or crocheted strip can be threaded through the eyelets in the upper contrast band and tied to draw in the dress if knit to allow for growth.

The bodice is easy to widen even after knitting has started by adding rows to both the shoulder areas or at the front and back necklines; it is knitted from side to side. The skirt is knitted downwards and its length is determined by the number of rounds knit. Sleeves are also worked downwards from either the provisional cast on at bodice start, or stitches left on waste yarn at bodice end; they are worked in the round, can be lengthened, and the bind off can involve the contrasting color if desired.

Several options are presented in the pattern for turning this design into your own unique creation.

My sincerest thanks to nscollins for careful reading, Selana and DeniseInIowa for knitting, and JessicaB and Ryna-Lyn for modeled photos.