Elenka by Inna Aleksandrova

Elenka

Knitting
June 2009
Aran (8 wpi) ?
17 stitches and 24 rows = 4 inches
in stockinette
US 7 - 4.5 mm
2.75 mm (C)
529 - 736 yards (484 - 673 m)
2T[3T, 4T, 5T] (shown in size 3T)
English
This pattern is available for free.

Other Materials:

  • 1 US #C/2 / 2.75mm crochet hook
  • Stitch marker
  • Stitch holders or waste yarn
  • Row counter (optional)
  • Tapestry needle
  • 1.5 yd ribbon, 0.75 inch wide (optional)

From Knitty.com

What can be more beautiful and innocent than a little girl in a pretty summer dress? My little angels love dresses, all kinds of them. So when we stopped by the local yarn shop on a gloomy winter evening they were immediately attracted to the bright colored yarn and had their ideas about what and why I should make for them for the upcoming tropical vacations.

For this design I combined a traditional baby blanket Ripple pattern with a sophisticated but amazingly easy-to-make Daisy pattern separated by an eyelet band. This band adds visual effects and can be decorated in many ways, with a ribbon, crocheted chain, beads, flowers, beautiful buttons…

This dress is worked on circular needles and it has no seams except for the shoulder straps, and can be easily customized. You can make it longer or shorter by working more or less rows in Ripple pattern. And since kids significantly vary in size you might want to choose what size to make accordingly to the measurements of your girl’s chest, not by age. Also if you wish to have a waistline on its natural place, just make the skirt shorter and add more rounds of the Daisy pattern before shaping underarms.