Please Help me visualize this

#1

I am sort of designing on the fly here. I’m making a dress for my six year old, top down in the round.

I did a lace pattern waist band and now I am on to the skirt portion. I was trying to make it more interesting than an a-line by doing my increases in the front and back. I have 150 stitches around. I placed markers 19 stitches in from each side on the front and back (leaving 37 stitches across the middle of the front and back). Every 6 rows I am increasing by 8 (one stitch on each side of each stitch marker).

I can’t tell if this is going to look weird or not. I want it to have kind of a pleated look so it will flare out if she spins, but hang neatly when she is standing. Is this going to work? I haven’t increased on the sides at all but I’m wondering if I should, and if I should only be increasing inside the markers (for a total of 4 increases each increase round).

What do you think? Thanks.

#2

Unless you’re using a very fluid yarn, you’ll get more of a flare effect from those increases, I think. There’s instructions for knitted pleats here, if you want to take a look.

ETA: you can also do a slip stitch pleat too, with a harder edge to the pleat, the instructions above give a more flowing edge.

#3

Thank you for that information. It was starting to look a lot wider than I had hoped. The directions you posted only work for bottom up pleats. I was given instructions for top down pleats on ravelry, but when I tried it I was so confused and it was so complicated that I gave up on that idea. I’d love a video. If I ever figure it out maybe I will make one, since there doesn’t seem to be much out there on knitted pleats.

Since I don’t want to start all over I think I will finish this as an a-line dress and the next one I will do bottom up and try to make the pleats. Thanks agian.

#4

I don’t have any advice for you on this, but just wanted to say that I think you are very brave and oh-so-creative to be even trying that. Kudos to you, and good luck!

#5

Hmmm.

Well, these pleats are bottom up, but the directions might help you. :slight_smile:

There’s two kinds of pleats: knit/purl pleats or slip stitch pleats. Slip stitch pleats, according to Deborah Newton, are crisper, but add extra weight to the garment.

Shouldn’t matter which way you do them, up or down:

Each fold requires a single column of slipped stitches. A pleat requires at least two folds, one folding with the right side folding behind itself, and one with the right side folding in front of itself, if that makes sense. (Try folding a piece of paper to visualize that.) You slip a given stitch on each right-side row, and purl in the same stitch column on wrong side rows. This makes a permanent “crease” in the fabric.

The outer fold of the pleat is formed by the slip stitch on the right side. The inner fold is folded in the opposite direction, which is made by a second slip stitch on the wrong side of the fabric. (To slip on the back in st st, hold the yarn to the back as you slip the stitch and then be sure to purl this slipped stitch on the right side rows.)

Pilsner pleats, though, are a kind of pleat related to ribbing. You see them quite a bit on peplums and skirts and making ruffles.

Best way to figure out pleats is to make lots of swatches, I’m told. :slight_smile: Good luck!

#6

Thanks. I’m swatching now. I think I might try the pilsner pleats for my current project. Off to google!