Tailleur Dress Pattern #1041

Size 34-36

Materials: Chadwick's Red Heart Lustre Knitting Worsted, 18 skeins for main color (a dark color) and 1 skein of a light color for trimming (1¾ ounce skeins). Milward's Casein knitting pins, 1 pair No. 5 (3¾ mm. size). Milward's steel crochet hook, No. 1. 6 buttons, ¾ inch in diameter and a leather belt.

Gauge: 5 sts make 1 inch; 7 rows make 1 inch.

Back. Starting at bottom of skirt, with main color cast on 132 sts and p across. 1st row: K 2, * p 2, k 4, repeat from * across, ending row with p 2, k 2. 2nd row: P 2, * k 2, p 4, repeat from * across, ending row with k 2, p 2. 3rd row: K across. 4th row: P across. 5th row: K across. 6th row: P across. 7th row: K 5, * p 2, k 4, repeat from * across, ending row with p 2, k 5. 8th row: P 5, * k 2, p 4, repeat from * across, ending row with k 2, p 5. 9th to 12th rows incl: Same as 3rd to 6th rows incl. These 12 rows constitute the pattern. Decrease 1 st at both ends of next row and every 12th row twice (126 sts remain); then every 10th row until 118 sts remain; then every 6th row until 76 sts remain. Work straight until work measures 32 inches (or desired length). Mark both ends of this row to indicate waistline. Work in pattern straight for 1½ inches. Increase 1 st at both ends of next row and every inch thereafter until there are 84 sts on needle. Work straight until work measures 8½ inches from waistline.

To Shape Armholes: Bind off 6 sts at beginning of each of next 2 rows. Then decrease 1 st at both ends of every other row for 4 times (64 sts remain). Work straight until work measures 6½ inches from 1st row of armhole shaping. Then, to shape shoulders, bind off 7 sts at beginning of each of next 6 rows. Bind off remaining 22 sts for back of neck.

Right Front. Starting at bottom, with main color cast on 72 sts and work as for back, keeping front edge straight, and decreasing at seam side on every 12th row for 5 times (67 sts remain), then every 10th row for 13 times (54 sts remain). Work straight until work measures same as back to waistline, but, in the meantime, when work measures 24 inches, make a buttonhole 4 sts in from front edge. (To make a buttonhole, bind off 4 sts on one row, and on next row cast on 4 sts to replace those bound off.) Make 5 more buttonholes up front edge, on every 15th row (this includes buttonholes down waistline also). When work reaches waistline, work 12 rows straight, then increase 1 st on seam side on next row and every 12th row thereafter, twice, then every 4th row for 3 times. On the last increase row, decrease 1 st at beginning of each row at front edge (to shape neck), keeping seam side straight until work measures 8½ inches from waistline.

To Shape Armhole: Shape as for back, continuing with the front edge decreases as usual, until there are 23 sts left. Then work straight until armhole measures same as back. Bind off as for back.

Left Front. Starting at bottom, with main color cast on 54 sts and work as for right front to waistline, omitting buttonholes. There will be 36 sts remaining on needles. Then cast on 8 sts at front edge and work in pattern same as right front, making same decreases and increases.

Sleeves. Starting at wrist, with main color cast on 42 sts and work in pattern as usual for 5 inches. Then increase 1 st at both ends of next row and every 8th row thereafter until there are 56 sts, then every 4th row until there are 72 sts on needle. Work in pattern straight until work measures 17 inches. To shape sleeve, bind off 6 sts at beginning of each of next 2 rows. Decrease 1 st at both ends of each of next 4 rows. Then decrease 1 st at beginning of each row until 24 sts remain. Bind off.

Cuffs. With light color, cast on 12 sts and work in stockinette st for 8½ inches. Bind off. With main color, work 54 s c across long side of cuff. Ch 1, turn. Then work s c in each s c for 5 more rows, always making ch 1 to turn at end of each row. Break off and sew the two short ends of cuff together.

Collar. With the light color, cast on 12 sts and work in stockinette st (k 1 row, p 1 row), increasing 1 st at both ends of each row, until there are 28 sts on needle, ending with a p row. * Increase 1 st at both ends of next k row. P next row without increasing. Repeat from * until there are 40 sts on needle. Then increase at both ends of each row until there are 50 sts on needle. Bind off. (This bound off edge is the edge to be sewed to front neck edge of dress.) Make another piece same as this. Then work a band around collar as follows: Attach main color to a corner of one of these pieces having the right side of work toward you. 1st row: With crochet hook, work 69 s c around curve (not around bound off edge). Then ch 23 (to measure about 5 inches in order to fit around back of neck), work 69 s c around curve of other piece (with right side of piece toward you). Ch 1, turn at corner. 2nd row: 2 s c in 1st s c, s c in each of next 4 s c, * skip 1 s c, s c in each of next 2 s c, repeat from * once more, skip 1 s c, s c in each of next 21 s c, 2 s c in next s c, s c in each of next 4 s c, 2 s c in next s c, s c in each of next 21 s c, skip 1 s c, s c in each of next 2 s c, skip 1 s c, s c in each of next 4 s c, s c in each of 23 ch sts, continue to work along other piece to correspond. Ch 1, turn. Then work s c in each s c for 4 more rows. Break off.

After pieces have been blocked, sew up side and shoulder seams with a narrow seam. Sew up sleeve seams and sew in dress. Sew cuffs to edge of sleeves and turn cuffs up. Sew collar in position along neck edge. With main color, work a row of s c along the front edges and around bottom of dress. Overlap the right front over the left for about 1 inch (to first buttonhole) and sew in place giving pleat effect on right side. Sew on buttons to correspond with buttonholes.