Salty Pearl Crochet

Seaside Crochet Treasures

This stylish and easy crochet cardigan pattern makes a perfect first (or twenty first) crochet sweater project. Snag your copy of the pattern on Ravelry!
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Dandelion Tunic Dress

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Let's crochet together!

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My sweet daughter Vanessa LOVES when I make her crocheted goodies. Usually, I just make her little hats or trinkets, but one afternoon when I was scrolling through Pinterest looking at toddler fall outfit ideas, she snuggled up on my lap, looked up into my eyes, and asked me to make her a “yellow yarn dress.” Could you say no to this face? I certainly couldn’t!

My sweet daughter Vanessa wearing her Dandelion Tunic Dress.

The only trouble with her request was the timeline- I only had about 8 days before her birthday. Plus, my mom and brother were coming to town, my husband was deployed, and to top it all off, I had car trouble! There were any number of reasons to say no, but when I found some beautiful golden yellow yarn hiding away in my stash, I couldn’t resist.

This simple tunic pattern was designed with speed and ease in mind. I knew I would need to keep the dress as simple as possible if I wanted to finish it in time! Somehow, even amid the usual birthday chaos, it practically flew off my hook. That’s why I named it the Dandelion Tunic- it seemed as if it popped up almost overnight! Considering how incredibly fast little ones grow at this age, that’s very important.

I purposefully simplified the ribbing by using only front post stitches. I added a row of pretty little eyelets as well, to give the dress a hint of lightness. The improvised eyelets up top do double duty- they add a bit of breezy elegance, and help shape the yoke without using slower, bulkier decrease stitches.

Before you get started, be sure to pin this pattern on Pinterest so you don’t lose it! If you prefer to work offline, you can click here to purchase a printable, ad-free copy on Ravelry.

Materials

I/9 5.5mm Crochet Hook

Caron One Pound Yarn in Golden Yellow. (Approx. 400 yds (4) Worsted weight yarn.)

4 or 5 Removable Stitch Markers

Scissors

Yarn Needle

 

Abbreviations

Ch- Chain

Fsc- Foundation single crochet

Dc – double crochet

Fdc – Foundation double crochet

FPDc – Front post double crochet

Sk – skip

 

Gauge / Finished Size

7 Dc and 4 Rounds per 2”

Size 4T measures 24” around the skirt, and 18” from shoulder to hem.

Shown in Size 4T on a  3T model.

 

Notes

Neither the turning chains nor the slip stitch join are included in the stitch count.

 

Instructions

Round 1: Fdc 80. Being careful not to twist, sl to join. [80]

Round 2-4: Ch 2, *Dc, FPDc.* Sl to join. [80]

Round 5: Ch 2, *Dc, ch1, sk1* Sl to join. [80]

Round 6-29: Ch 2, Dc around. Sl to join. [80]. By now, the dress should measure approximately 15”.

Round 30: (Make arm holes.)  Ch 2, Dc 15. FDc 24, sk 10. Dc 30. FDc 24, sk 10. Dc 15. Sl to join. [108]

Round 31: Ch 2, *Dc, ch1 sk 1, Dc, sk 1.* sl to join. [81]

Round 32: Ch 2,  Dc, Dc2tog, Dc around. Sl to join. [80]

Round 33: Ch 2, *Dc, ch1 sk 1, Dc, sk 1.* sl to join. [60]

Round 34:  Ch 2,  Dc around. Sl to join. [60]

 

Break yarn, and weave in ends.

 

I hope you enjoy crocheting this dress as much as my daughter enjoys wearing it. Happy crocheting!

 

You are more than welcome to sell any finished items made from this pattern. Please use your own photos and credit Katie Clary of Salty Pearl Crochet as the designer. Links back to my blog post are greatly appreciated! Please feel free to share this pattern by directing others to this blog post or the Ravelry listing, NOT by distributing the pattern or photos as your own.

Want to connect?

I would love to crochet along with you! Join my mailing list and receive the first updates and even some special promos and discounts in my newsletter, or you can follow me on:

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Let's crochet together!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Diana says

    This dress is adorable! I don’t have a grand-daughter (yet) but I’ve saved it just in case. I also faved it on Ravelry! I have to add that your little daughter is so cute and makes a marvelous model for you – the pictures of her modeling the dress brought a smile to my face. Thank you for offering the pattern for free, it really helps me. Have a wonderfully, fantastic day!
    Sincerely,
    Diana P.

    • Katie says

      Diana, thank you so much! I am so glad you like this pattern. (I think the model is pretty cute, too!) Dreaming of future projects is so fun! I have quite a few saved in Ravelry for the niece I keep hoping for. Thanks for sharing that sweet wish with me- hopefully we’ll both have some babies to crochet for sometime soon! I’ve got a dear friend having twins soon, so I will be sure to share more free baby crochet patterns in the next few months.
      Katie

  3. Teresa says

    Thank you for this lovely pattern, I look forward to making it for my daughter after Christmas is over. I just have a question for some clarity on row 32 is that *dc, dc2tog, dc* a repeat for the entire row or just the first stitches and then dc around there are no stars so I’m a little confused. Thanks.

    • Katie says

      Hi Teresa! That’s a great question! For row 32, I added one decrease stitch to keep the stitch counts even around the yoke. You are right in assuming that since there are no stars, you do NOT repeat the decrease. Hope that clears it up for you. I hope you enjoy crocheting this!

  4. Bernadette says

    My granddaughter loves to wear my creations as well. She is 7 And tall how could I make this for her tks so very much

    • Katie says

      Hi Bernadette! I haven’t sized this pattern but I hope to in the future.

      If you’re a confident crocheter that has worked a sweater or dress before you could try it on your own. You can adjust the width by adding stitches to the first row. My initial row was 2″ bigger than my daughter’s hip measurement. Then, you’d need to center the sleeves, and perhaps add a few chains so the arms fit.

      Hope that helps!
      Katie

  5. Heather Cameron says

    I was wondering if you can help me with the pattern or if you have a paid pattern for different sizes. I would ultimately like to use Lion Brand Ice cream yarn which is 3 weight. and a G6 4.25 mm hook. I would like to make three dresses one in the size shown but with the smaller hook and different weight yarn. one in a size 6/6x and one for 3-6 months.

  6. Heather Cameron says

    Thank you for the information. I did purchase the pattern but it is only for the 4t size. I made it in a 4t. And to adjust the sizes I just made my FDc = the length from the craft yarn council standard sizing chart and added more FDc to make the arm holes.

    • Katie says

      Glad you were able to figure it out! I will go snooping on Ravelry to see why my sized version didn’t go through! Thank you for that heads up!
      Katie

  7. Violet says

    Love this! The model is adorable too. Thanks for sharing. I am confused by the last few rounds though. I feel like I’m missing something obvious but how do you go from 108 stitches on round 30 (which does make sense) to 81 in the next round, then 80 then finishing with 2 rounds of 60 stitches each without decreases? I am stumped and have been trying to figure this out on my own. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

    • Katie says

      Hi there Violet!

      To make this pattern look as seamless as possible, I’ve hidden the decreases in the skips. Take a closer look- the repeat has some skips that match a ch, and some skipped stitches without a chain. So even though you’ll not make a typical decrease, you’ll be decreasing stitches all the same.

      Hope that helps!
      Katie

  8. Kristen says

    Hi, I bought the pattern on ravelry but it only included the 4t size. I was looking to make a dress in 5t. Do you have the pattern for that?

    • Katie says

      Hi Kristen,
      Thanks for letting me know about this error. I’ve uploaded the sized version to Ravelry. Please feel free to comment or email me (faster) if you have any other questions about the pattern.

      I appreciate it!
      Katie

  9. Debby says

    Teresa I’m using 2 skien wool my girls are going to be three twins I’m using 4 mm I thought I’d be good I think it’s too small can I add stitches if yes what would you suggest thank you debby

    • Katie says

      Hi there Debby,
      You can certainly experiment with adding stitches, but unfortunately doing the math for changing the yarn size and gauge and hook size is outside of the pattern support I can help with. There’s just too many variables for me to be able to help you without sitting down side by side, which isn’t possible online.

      Good luck experimenting!
      Katie

  10. Debra says

    Hi Katie love the pattern but am confused on making armholes. Can you explain for me how you go from 80 stitches to 108 in one row.
    Totally confused.

    Thank you Debra

    • Katie says

      Hi Debra! I’m planning to update this with a video at some point this spring, but the quick version is that you are working up from the bottom- so 80 sts, and you are adding EXTRA stitches to create sleeves. So you won’t be working directly into the previous row for the entire round, at some point you’ll have a gap where you’ll have a chain/foundation stitches.

      Hope that helps for now!
      Katie