amy's thread

Knitted Dresses and Skirts

Knitted skirts and dresses were once a staple of the knitter’s wardrobe. Just as every fashion show used to end with a wedding dress, no magazine was complete with out at least 1 dress if not a dress and 2 piece knitted suit. Exquisite day dresses with smart jackets hand knit with an exciting new fiber, rayon, on US size 1, 2 or 3 were all the rage in the 1930s and ’40s. In the 1950s, mohair was all the rage; in the 1960s, sheath and mini-dresses.

Berroco has published many skirt and dress patterns over the years. The complete collection of Berroco’s skirt and dress patterns can be browsed with an advance search on Ravelry, or by clicking here. For a broader search of all skirt and dress patterns designed for Berroco yarns click here.

Screenshot 2016-07-21 14.19.51
Kiloran designed by Cirilia Rose for the Twist Collective

Some of my favorite skirts from your projects include (from left to right) KSMknits’ Togo in Modern CottonAshlyliz’s Napuka (shorter) in Vintage (originally for Fuji), Lzembek’s Dickson in Ultra Alpaca.

Have you knit (or crochet!) a skirt or dress? When you choose a skirt or dress project, are you making it for a special occasion? Or are you looking for something for every day? We would love to hear from you! Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

-Amy C

 

 

 

7 thoughts on “Knitted Dresses and Skirts

  1. I have never really considered a knitted skirt or dress but after seeing those photos I am reconsidering. My hesitation has been not wanting to add bulk and getting that droopy look after sitting awhile. I think an A line style might work for me though.

  2. I’ve been occasionally tempted by a knitted skirt, but I don’t really want to wear anything too bulky, and non-bulky knitted skirts are often more slinky than I care for. I really really like the look of them, but I know, looking at the pictures, that I wouldn’t like them as much on me as on the model. (If I did make a knitted skirt it would be in a fine yarn. That, combined with my hip size, says that even if I do find one I like, it’s a far future – maybe in the empty nest years project.)

  3. oh my goodness these old pics are THE BEES KNEES!!!!!!!!!! I adore a fabulousknit dressor skirt………..it will be my winterproject for sure……….

  4. I haven’t been brave enough to knit a skirt yet, but my friend recently has and it’s beautiful. I might have to dive in and try it.
    I have some old patterns from my grandmother. She used to knit her own suits. I’ll have to dig those out to get some more inspiration.

  5. In my younger years I’ve knitted several skirts and dresses … my favorite dress was an off-white sweater dress, which was just an extra-extra long sweater, worn with a belt. Super comfortable, and it got a lot of compliments. I remember that I wore the dress for the opening of the movie “Mephisto” in Germany in the early 1980ties … But that is something you can wear in your twenties, not – well – at my age now.
    I also remember an ensemble with a sweater and a skirt, in a medium blue mohair blend, with thin stripes throughout knitted with a gold metallic yarn. The skirt looked similar to the first picture in your blog. The outfit was more festive, but again very comfortable to wear. I don’t have pictures … it definitely was long before Internet and ravelry times …

    I’ve been thinking of knitting a skirt … not sure when I’ll get to it … skirts seem to get more attention recently, and I like that trend.

  6. These pieces are stunning and so much fun to look at. So much time and effort spent, it makes me appreciate the piece more!

Leave a Reply