A small dress for babies and toddlers, written for 12, 18 and 24 month sizes and crocheted in sport weight yarn.
Why sport weight
Sport weight is the right choice for a child’s dress. Worsted would make a stiff, heavy garment that stands away from the body; anything finer would take a very long time for what is still a real garment. Sport gives a fabric light enough to move and drape while still working up at a reasonable pace.
Fibre
Cotton or a cotton blend for warm weather, a soft washable wool for cooler. In both cases, machine washable is essential – this is a garment for a toddler, and it will need washing after most wearings.
Check softness against your wrist. A dress sits against the neck and arms all day.
Sizing for growth
Make the size above the child’s current one. Toddlers grow through these sizes in a few months, and a dress that fits exactly when finished has a very short life. Extra length is more useful than extra width – a slightly long dress looks intentional, a slightly wide one looks borrowed.
If the pattern has a tie or button back, use it. An adjustable closure buys several months of extra fit.
Practical details
Check the neck opening will actually go over a head before you get much past the yoke. Toddler heads are large relative to their bodies, and a neck opening that looks generous flat can be a real struggle in practice. If in doubt, add a button opening at the back.
Sew buttons on with doubled thread and knot them off properly.
Finishing
Block the finished dress. Sport weight crochet looks unremarkable off the hook and considerably better once wetted and dried flat – the stitch pattern opens and the hem hangs straight.
