Sister Frock Pattern #548

Size 4 Years

Materials: J. & P. Coats Knit-Cro-Sheen, 5 balls for main color and about 100 yards each of two contrasting colors for trimming. Milward's Casein knitting pins, 1 pair No. 1 (2½ mm. size). Milward's steel crochet hook No. 8. 20 inch length of rick rack. 4 snap fasteners.

Gauge: 9 sts make 1 inch; 13 rows make 1 inch.

Back. Starting at bottom, cast on 197 sts and work in moss st (k 1, p 1), for 2 inches. Then decrease 1 st at both ends of next row and every 4th row thereafter until 139 sts remain. Work straight until piece measures 11½ inches in all. Then decrease 1 st at both ends of next row and every 3rd row thereafter until 111 sts remain.

To Shape Armholes: Bind off 5 sts at beginning of each of next 2 rows. Then decrease 1 st at end of each row until 85 sts remain. Work straight until work measures 4¾ inches from 1st row of armhole shaping. To shape shoulders, bind off 3 sts at beginning of each row until 37 sts remain. Bind these off for back of neck.

Front. Starting at bottom, cast on 207 sts and work as for back until 149 sts remain. Then work straight until work measures 11½ inches in all. Decrease 1 st at both ends of next row and every 3rd row thereafter until 125 sts remain. Work straight until work measures same as back up to armhole shaping.

To Shape Armholes: Bind off 3 sts at beginning of each row until 89 sts remain. Then decrease 1 st at both ends of each row twice (85 sts). On next row work across 1st 43 sts, turn (thus starting center front opening). Work over these 43 sts until work measures 4 inches from 1st row of armhole shaping. To shape neck, starting at front opening, bind off 6 sts and continue in pattern across. Hereafter decrease 1 st at neck edge every row until 25 sts remain. Then shape shoulder as before until all sts are worked off. Break off. Attach thread at base of opening and work opposite side to correspond.

Capelettes. Starting at armhole edge, cast on 91 sts and work for 4 rows. Hereafter bind off 3 sts at beginning of each row until 19 sts remain. Bind off.

Collar. Starting at outer edge, cast on 153 sts and work in pattern increasing 1 st at both ends of every other row 3 times (159 sts). * Then on next row, decrease 10 sts at equal distances apart, decreasing 2 sts at one time (to decrease 2 sts, k 2 together twice). Work 4 rows straight. Repeat from * until 99 sts remain. Then work 4 rows straight. Bind off tightly.

Sew up shoulder and side seams. Sew capelettes in. Work a row of s c around capelettes with main color. Sew collar to neck edge. Sew rick rack down center front of dress.

Trimming Bands: With crochet hook and one of the contrasting colors, make a chain about 42 inches long, turn and work 2 rows of s c across chain. Break off. Make a similar band with the second contrasting color. Cut bands in two and sew one of same color at each side of rick rack. Then sew the second band on each side of previous bands, as in stitch detail above. Fasten front with snap fasteners. Make a band with the second contrasting color and sew over collar and capelettes around outer edges.