Winter Mohair Polo Dress
Comfortable, cosy knitted mohair dress, or other yarn of your choice, is an ideal piece for cold winter days. You can wear it with a turtle-neck blouse or shirt in contrasting color.
Have you any idea how interesting it is to move back in with your parents at the age of forty something? 🙂 For only 5 months, however, but utterly unusual after about 15 years out of their home. The thing is, my husband and I had decided to swap the fast, bustling life in a metropolis for a more peaceful one on the outskirts of Belgrade, Serbia. Between our two moving arrangements, we resided in my parents’ house for almost half a year, and while living together, we dug up lots of memories, some family photos, old forgotten clothes, pieces of jewelry received as gifts long ago, and recalled the days when some of us were little. This dress is one of those relics from old days.
I knitted this sleeveless mohair dress for my mum many years ago, but she didn’t wear it for a long time because her weight varied year by year. Since it lay unused for so long, my mum decided to give it to me. I narrowed the seams a bit, to fit my size, and the rest fitted perfectly. I like to wear this winter dress with a black or dark gray turtle neck, with or without a wide belt. Shirts with a Russian collar also go well with this piece.
Inspiration came from the waistcoat in these pictures, but I knitted the dress without the ribbed hem, and instead of the ribbing around arms, I worked 3 rounds of single crochet.
level
To make this dress, you will need intermediate knowledge of knitting skills. Stitches used in this pattern are knit, purl and yarn over. Special stitches are stockinette stitch, reverse stockinette, ribbed stitch and cables.
material
- About 500-600-700 gr of mohair yarn for needles 3-4 mm
- Knitting needles 4 mm
- Circular knitting needles 3.5 mm
- Crochet hook 3.5 mm
- Yarn needle
size
S/M – L/XL – XXL/XXXL
Note: Knit the dress by holding 2 strands of yarn together. If you wish your dress to be tight fitting, work one size smaller according to the instructions, as knits stretch when worn.
abbreviations
Stitches
st(s) – stitch(es)
k – knit
p – purl
Special stitches
Stockinette stitch – k on right side, p on wrong side
Reverse stockinette stitch – p on right side, k on wrong side
Cable (on 14 sts) – work according to the diagram below where only odd rows are shown (the right side), while in even rows sts are worked as they are; yarn overs are purled. Repeat the pattern from rows 1 to 8.
Ribbed stitch 1/1 – on an even number of sts work k1, p1, and reapeat to the end of row.
Ribbed stitch is worked on needles № 3.5, and all others on needless № 4
instructions
Gauge
Stockinette and reverse stockinette – 16.5 sts and 25 rows = 10 x 10 cm
Cable – 7 cm wide
Back piece
Cast on 84 (92) 100 sts and work following the diagram below like this: 1 edge st, 11 (15) 19 sts in stockinette st, 2 sts reverse stockinette, 2 sts stockinette, 14 sts cable, 2 sts in stockinette st, 2 sts reverse stockinette, 16 sts stockinette, 2 sts reverse stockinette, 2 sts stockinette, 14 sts cable, 2 sts stockinette, 2 sts reverse stockinette, 11 (15) 19 sts stockinette, edge st.
On 80 cm from the beginning (=160 rows) for arm openings finish 3 sts on both sides, and then in every 2nd row 2 x 2 and 4 x 1 st = 62 (70) 78 sts. On 100 cm from the beginning, for shoulders, finish 5 (6) 7 sts on both sides, and then in every 2nd row 3 х 4 (5) 6 sts.
At the same time, on 100 cm from beginning, for neck opening, finish the middle 18 sts and work the two sides separately. To form a curved neckline, on each inner side of it finish 1 x 3 and 1 x 2 sts in every 2nd row.
On 102.5 cm all sts are finished.
Front piece
Work like the back piece but with a polo neckline.
On 75 cm from the beginning, k 1 row according to the pattern and starting from the next row, which is worked in reverse stockinette, continue to follow the diagram for the right half (the right side) from 1st to 45th st (1st to 49th st) 1st to 53rd st, and add 3 sts evenly to the inside 6 sts which are then worked in ribbed st = polo collar. On needles are 48 (52) 56 sts.
The remaining 39 (43) 47 sts are left on an extra needle to be worked later.
Work the arm opening like for the back piece. = 37 (41) 45 sts.
On 94 cm from the beginning, to shape the neckline, leave the middle 12 sts aside, and in every 2nd row finish 3 x 2 and 2 х 1 st. On the left side shape the shoulders like you did for the back piece.
Work the left side symmetrically as the right one, on remaining 39 (43) 47 sts.
Finishing
Sew the shoulder and side seams (you can do this with a needle and yarn or with a hook by doing sc). Transfer the 12 sts you left aside onto the round needle, pick up another 58 sts from the neckline, and transfer the other 12 sts, and work ribbed st on a total of 82 sts. On height of 12.5 cm bind off all sts as they appear – k the knit sts, p the purl sts.
Arm openings
Using a hook, work 3 rounds of sc, making sure you insert the hook into the back loop of each st. Weave in ends.