For the first six months, or a little more, mothers are happy to dress their babies, regardless of their gender, in touching overalls, little men, tiny bodysuits and panties.
But, approaching the first anniversary, parents are thinking about purchasing a dress for their daughter. A knitted dress for a girl for 1 year is a small step of a young fashionable woman in the world of femininity and beauty.
Advantages of a knitted dress
Dresses for the smallest are made of different materials, but it is knitted that have a number of advantages.
- Knitted knitwear - comfortable and soft, nothing restricts the movements of the child.
- Not a single fabric can cope with winter cold as a wool product is capable.
- Often, an elegant knitted dress for a 1 year old girl is made by mothers or grandmothers personally, putting all their love into the work.
- Practicality - such a thing can be tied, prolonging its service life.
Knitted dresses for girls for 1-2 years are widely represented in children's clothing stores, but isn’t it better to create a unique thing that you can be proud of?
How to choose yarn
What thread to knit? The answer to this question is very important, because children's skin is so delicate and prone to irritation, and it is unlikely that the baby will easily tolerate “biting” yarn. First of all, the choice of material depends on the seasonality of a knitted dress for a girl. For 1 year, light lace items are often knitted, emphasizing the touching of the baby. Pure cotton threads or mixed with silk and viscose are suitable. It is advisable to avoid synthetic fibers - it is not known how the baby's skin will react to them.
For the winter version of the dress, you should choose pure wool or its combination with acrylic. Not all yarn will be comfortable for children, you need to focus on the mark in the name - Baby. A few more types of ideal wool for the baby:
- Alpaca - as if created for the smallest: soft, elastic, completely not prickly.
- Merino is one of the most luxurious types of wool: products from it are obtained light and delicate.
- Angora is soft, like the rabbits from which this hair is combed. The only negative is shedding, you need to make sure that the pile does not get into the eyes and mouth of the child.
- Wool “Laster” and Superwash - special processing makes the yarn silky and absolutely not prickly.
Fashionable knitted dresses for girls
Children's fashion comes closer to an adult, sometimes completely copying it. Therefore, it is safe to introduce the trends of the world catwalk into the wardrobe of a little fashionista. What knitted dresses for girls for 1-2 years will be relevant this season?
- Winter O-neck sweater dress.
- Dress in bright colors: plain, colorful or color blocking.
- Fur details: collar, cuffs or pompons on the dress.
- The combination of knitted fabric with another fabric: denim, cotton, lace - the brighter the contrast, the more interesting.
- Using different knitting patterns in one product: arana, elastic, braids, leaflets, lace.
- A large pattern or embroidery in the form of flowers, animals.
- Dress-sundress.
Dress model selection
Despite the fashion trends, the main thing is that the child is comfortable. Here's what you should pay attention to when choosing a knitted dress model for a 1 year old girl:
- Fit to size. It will be a mistake to choose the dress "overgrowth" - the baby in it will be uncomfortable, and when she grows to it, the dress will already be worn out.
- The washing mode of the yarn from which the dress is knitted: the children are restless and not very neat, which means they will have to be washed often.
- It is better to avoid narrow and high collars: it is difficult to put your head in such, and every time the hairstyle spoils.
- The ideal option is a model with a raglan sleeve, knitted from above or from below. This dress is easy to knit in the future, increasing the growth size.
- It is better to choose natural yarn. Acrylic, of course, is easier to care for, but such a product will not please its appearance for long - in places of friction “coughing” often appears. In addition, the wool easily regulates heat transfer: even if the child is hot, it will retain moisture inside the fibers, not allowing the body to cool.
How to knit a dress yourself
For the manufacture of dresses you can proceed with any level of skill. There are dresses knitted, crocheted, mixed media. You can adjust the complexity of the style and pattern. What do you need to know for sure? Knitting methods for the main types of loops, how to determine the density of knitting according to the pattern, how to calculate the number of rows and loops in the product.
In print publications, on Internet resources you can find a variety of models of knitted dresses for girls 1 year old and a job description. Usually, certain threads and the number of knitting needles or hooks are offered, and if you can’t find the same, you will have to count the required number of loops and rows.
A fundamentally different approach is to build on the model of the dress you like, choosing at your own request a pattern, yarn, number of knitting needles or a hook. Full freedom! For example, one pattern can be used to knit a warm winter sundress and an openwork summer dress. Where to get a pattern?
- Find a circuit.
- Reshoot from a sewing magazine.
- Build yourself using individual measurements. This is the most difficult option and not always necessary, because in young children the sizes are typical, and a knitted fabric does not require extreme accuracy and fitting.
Knitted Dress
There are many options for knitting dresses for girls 1 year old. These are dresses on a yoke, fitted, A-siluet, with folds and assemblies, tapered down and flared, with set-in sleeves, all-knitted and raglan.
According to the above pattern, you can knit a comfortable and warm dress-sundress. Here is the algorithm of work:
- Tie a sample in the form of a square with a side of 15 cm from the threads you like. Wash it in accordance with the recommendations indicated on the yarn label. Dry the sample horizontally.
- Measure the number of loops and rows of 1 cm. It is very convenient to use a cardboard square window with a side of 10 cm and a marking of 1 cm. All data must be recorded.
- If several types of drawing are planned, then the density is calculated for each.
- Now all the numerical values indicated on the pattern must be converted to the number of loops and rows. For example, multiplying the number of loops of 1 cm by the width of the bottom of the product and the waist line, we get the number of loops in the widest and narrowest place. And the difference between them is the loops that need to be cut for beveling. This number of loops must be evenly distributed over the height of the section from the bottom to the waist.
- Similarly, the knotting of armholes and necks is calculated. Only the loop reduction distribution is calculated in a different way. The number of loops in the width of the armhole is determined and is divided into three equal parts. The first part is closed in one or two steps, the next is one loop at the end (beginning) of each facial row, the last part is closed one loop in every second facial row.
- All obtained calculations are recorded with the indication of the series in which the reductions are made. When calculating, you must remember to add edge loops.
- First, the back of the product fits, then before. Parts are stitched together using a mattress knitted seam.
- The armholes and neck can be crocheted, the bar is tied with an elastic band or front stitch to create the effect of a flagellum.
- The product is washed and dried horizontally.
Crocheted dress
Crocheted in lace elegant or casual dresses, as well as warm winter clothes. The crochet technique allows you to make clothes faster than knitting. But the algorithm itself remains the same. After choosing a model, a sample is knitted, calculations are made on the basis of the existing pattern. Only after this can you start directly to knitting.
What are the features in crocheting a knitted dress for a girl of 1 year old?
- Knitting can start both from below and from the neck. Another option is to first tie the yoke, and from it down the wedges or frills, creating the silhouette of a "bell".
- There are models consisting of individual motifs that are subsequently stitched together.
- You need to carefully monitor the number of loops in the rows and do not forget to knit the lifting loops at the end of each row.
- The neck and other sections are processed with a "crustacean step" or openwork knitting.
Masterpieces from the remnants
Knitters often have hanks from previous projects. A two-color knitted dress for a girl for 1 year is an ideal option to use stale threads. Beginning needlewomen can use this technique to create a simple but original product.
A dress of two or more colors looks great, made with a smooth pattern, while you can simply alternate different shades, or you can tie the top with one and the bottom with a different color. This season, models in the color blocking style are relevant - their knitting requires utmost care, but the result is worth it.
Another way to dispose of residues is to come up with interesting accessories for knitted dresses. For girls 1-2 years old and older, these can be funny animal faces, cute floral motifs, just bows and cords. The main thing is to show your imagination!
Formal Dress
Baptism, birthday, family celebration - sometimes you need a special beautiful knitted dress. For a girl of 1 year - the first anniversary and an excellent occasion to dress her like an air fairy or a fairy princess. Depending on the season, it may be a cloud of openwork lace or the tenderness of fluffy yarn - it's up to mom. The color scheme can be pastel, and consisting of bright pure shades.
For baptismal outfits, yarn of white or milk color is suitable. In addition to the dress you will need a scarf and booties. According to tradition, the dress is given to the baby by the godparents, and then it is forever preserved in the family as a memory of the sacrament of baptism.