CROCHET SWEATER DRESS “KENSINGTON” – Free Pattern

I couldn’t be more excited about a new year! A new year means a new chance to refresh my wardrobe a little. And 2020 is going to be the year I make as much of my refreshed wardrobe as I can 🙂 That’s why I’m over-the-moon to introduce this crochet sweater dress, the “Kensington”.

I was inspired by the Moss Stitch for this sweater dress. It’s a simple stitch with a gorgeous woven look texture to it. It truly is one of my favorites. In addition to how much I love the way it looks, I love the way it works. It’s pliable and soft and flexible and lends itself really well to a dress you need to move around in.

I knew I wanted a unique look to the dress, too, which is why I decided to do a really deep ribbed hemline on the bottom. The added bonus of this funky look is that the hem is heavy and helps to keep the moss stitch panels of the dress stretched downward instead of stretching sideways.

Given the nature of the Moss Stitch, this dress has a lot of stretch to it. I’ve chosen a Cat 4 yarn with a 7mm hook (although the hem & cuffs use a 5.5mm), which is larger than normal, to give it an airiness. As such, a slip or cami is required under this dress, whether you pair it with tights or leggings.

At first, when doing the panels, it will look like you need to add more length, but trust me, it really does stretch a lot with the weight of the hem.

You can easily adapt the pattern for this crochet sweater dress, if need be, to make a full-length sleeve or a longer dress. There are lots of ways you can simply make it your own. You may even want to try it with a Cat 3 yarn and the same size hook for a more mesh-like look!

If you like the moss stitch, check out my Danforth Men’s Scarf. If you’d like to see more sweaters and cozy weather items, there is the Meadow Pullover or the Robin Pullover.

LET’S GET MAKING! Scroll down for the free pattern below OR you can get the Ad-Free, printable version from my Etsy store HERE

SUPPLY LIST

7 mm hook & 5.5 mm hook Any Category 4 yarn (Yarn Used: Caron One Pound in Dark Grey Mix) Approx yardage: S: 1100y/1005m, M: 1400y/1280m, L: 1700 y / 1640m, XL: 2000y/1830m, 2XL: 2300y/2100m Scissors Tapestry needle

STITCHES / ABBREVIATIONS

ST – stitch CH – chain SL ST – slip stitch SC – single crochet SK ST – skip stitch SCBLO – single crochet in back loop only

SIZES

Small, Medium, Large, XLarge, 2XL

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

S – 15” width (30” circumference), 33.5” length, sleeve length 16” M – 17” width (34” circumference), 35” length, sleeve length 16” L – 19” width (38” circumference), 36” length, sleeve length 16” XL – 21” width (42” circumference), 37.5” length, sleeve length 16” 2XL – 23” width (46” circumference), 37.5” length, sleeve length 16”

GAUGE

14 ST x 10 rows = 4” x 4” in the main body of the dress

DIFFICULTY LEVEL

Intermediate

PATTERN AND SIZING NOTES

– This crochet sweater dress is meant to be a mid-mini dress with 3/4 sleeves, a boat neck and a deep hem – The main body of the dress uses the very stretchy and pliable Moss Stitch (aka Granite Stitch aka Linen Stitch) and the cuffs and hem are made using Single Crochet in the Back Loop Only – The dress is made in a loose stitch which not only gives it lots of stretch and give, but also means it requires a slip or a cami 🙂 … and since it’s ‘roomy’ it’s comfy on it’s own and also looks great with a belt – This is a fairly flexible pattern in terms of adjusting the length of the skirt of the sleeve – to do either, just add the desired number of rows (2 rows = 1” in additional length) *** Please note that, while making this it may not look like it’s long enough, but this stitch has LOTS of stretch to it, especially with the weight of the bottom hem, so it WILL stretch and hold its length – To wash/care instructions: This is an acrylic project, so the suggestion is to wash on gentle setting, then shape and lay flat to dry – a tumble dry at the end for 10 minutes is also ok.

INSTRUCTIONS —

Please adhere to the following key throughout the pattern for this crochet sweater dress as it pertains to the size you are crocheting:  {{S, M, L, XL, 2XL}} or {{# all}

FRONT & BACK MAIN DRESS PANELS – make 2 of these using 7mm hook:

CH {{S-60, M-66, L-72, XL-78, 2XL-84}}

ROW 1: in the 4^th CH from the hook make your first <SC then CH 1 and SK ST> and repeat <  > to the end of the foundation chain, ending on a SC, CH 2 and turn {{58, 64, 70, 76, 82}}

ROW 2: <SC in the first CH space, CH 1 then SK ST> and repeat <  > to the end of the row, CH 2 and turn {{58, 64, 70, 76, 82}}

Repeat Row 2 until you have the following number of rows per size:

S – 110 rows, M – 113 rows, L – 115 rows, XL – 118 rows, 2XL – 120 rows (these are guidelines but you can adjust to your tastes, just remember it will stretch significantly with the addition of the ribbed hem, which is very heavy — simply add rows based on the fact that 2 rows = 1”)

RIBBED HEM – make 2 of these using 5.5mm hook:

CH 31 (same for all sizes)

ROW 1: in the 2^nd CH from the hook, make a SC and in each CH to the end of the row, CH 1 and turn {{30 all}}

ROW 2: SCBLO in each ST to the end of the row {{30 all}}

Repeat row 2 until you have the following number of rows per size:

S – 58 rows, M – 64 rows, L – 70 rows, XL – 76 rows, 2XL – 82 rows

SLEEVES – make 2 of these using 7mm hook:

CH {{48, 50, 52, 54, 56}}

ROW 1: in the 4^th CH from the hook make your first <SC then CH 1 and SK ST> and repeat <  > to the end of the foundation chain, ending on a SC, CH 2 and turn {{46, 48, 50, 52, 54}}

ROW 2 to 40: <SC in the first CH space, CH 1 then SK ST> and repeat <  > to the end of the row, CH 2 and turn {{46, 48, 50, 52, 54}}

**The sleeve length on these ¾ sleeves is 16” in length for all the sizes due the minimal variation in arm length for the most part, but you can adjust the sleeve length here (remember is stretches!) if you like by simply adding rows (2 rows = 1”)

SLEEVE CUFFS – make 2 of these using 5.5mm hook:

CH 11 (same for all sizes)

ROW 1: in the 2^nd CH from the hook, make a SC and in each CH to the end of the row, CH 1 and turn {{10 all}}

ROW 2: SCBLO in each ST to the end of the row {{10 all}}

Repeat row 2 until you have the following number of rows per size:

S – 46 rows, M – 48 rows, L – 50 rows, XL – 52 rows, 2XL – 54 rows

ASSEMBLY:

– Add Hem to Main Body of the Crochet Sweater Dress: Place a main panel wrong side down with the starting chain at the top to hem along.  Place a hem, with the wrong side facing you, on top of the main panel so the tops line up.  Using the mattress stitch (or any joining stitch you prefer) to join these pieces together.  You will need to continue stretching out the hem as you go along because, while you are joining the same number of panel stitches to the same number of rows on the hem, the hem accordions a bit and will need to be stretched in order to correspond to the panel stitches.  You should be making the following mattress stitches in your assembly of the hem to the panel {{58, 64, 70, 76, 82}}.  Do this with both panels and hems.

– Add Cuff to the Sleeve: Place a sleeve panel wrong side down with the starting chain at the top to hem along.  Place a cuff, with the wrong side facing you, on top of the main panel so the tops line up.  Using the mattress stitch (or any joining stitch you prefer) to join these pieces together.  You will need to continue stretching out the cuff as you go along because, while you are joining the same number of sleeve stitches to the same number of rows on the cuff, the cuff accordions a bit and will need to be stretched in order to correspond to the panel stitches.  You should be making the following mattress stitches in your assembly of the cuff to the sleeve {{46, 48, 50, 52, 54}}.  Do this with both sleeves and cuffs.

– Join the Shoulders of the Crochet Sweater Dress: Place your 2 hemmed panel pieces together with the wrong sides out, so it’s inside out.  Starting at the outside of each shoulder, mattress stitch the following number of stitches in toward the center on each side of the shoulders {{10, 11, 12, 13, 14}} leaving the following number of stitches for each neck opening {{76, 84, 92, 100, 108}}

– Join Body of the Dress: Now that the shoulders are joined, mattress stitch from the bottom of the hem and up the side of each piece for the following number of stitches {{77, 79, 80, 82, 83}} so that you leave the following number of stitches open at the top for the sleeves {{23, 24, 25, 26, 27}}

– Attach and Seam the Sleeves: Fold a sleeve length-wise with the wrong side facing out so it’s inside out. Use an extra-long piece of yarn for seaming here, as we’ll join the sleeve to the body of the dress and then just continue down to seam the sleeve from under the arm to the cuff.   Make sure the body of the dress is also still inside out.  Starting at the under-arm area, mattress stitch the following number of stitches all the way around and back to the under-arm area {{46, 48, 50, 52, 54}}.  Continuing along down the seam of the sleeve now with that yarn, mattress stitch the following number of stitches to close up/seam the sleeve {{50 all}}

Finishing the Neckline: Turn the dress right-side out.  In either of the neckline corners, join your yarn do 1 round of SC followed by 1 round of SL ST for the following number of stitches per size {{76, 84, 92, 100, 108}}.  Doing this step will help keep the neckline from stretching any wider, since the SC and SL ST rows are quite tight and have very little give.  Plus, it just cleans up the edges a little!

Tie Off and weave in all your ends and Voila! A gorgeous and stylish crochet sweater dress that will move with you season to season!