# Cream Cable-Knit Baby Pinafore Dress Free Crochet Pattern
If ever a baby garment deserved the word “heirloom,” it’s this one. A cream pinafore dress with a proper cable-knit front panel, tiny button straps, and a softly flared skirt — it looks like something handed down through three generations, except you get to be the one who makes it. I made mine for my friend’s baby shower and nearly kept it. Nearly.
Don’t let the cables scare you: they’re just front-post double crochets crossing over each other every few rows, and once you’ve done the first cross, your hands will remember the rhythm. The rest of the dress is plain double crochet. I wrote it for 0–6 months (chest 16–17 inches), and the button straps make the fit forgiving.
What You’ll Need
- DK weight (#3) soft baby yarn: approximately 400 yards cream
- Size G (4.0 mm) crochet hook
- Cable needle or a spare double-pointed knitting needle (a bobby pin works in a pinch)
- Two 3/4-inch buttons
- Tapestry needle and stitch markers
Finished size:
- 0–6 months — chest 16–17 inches, length 13 inches from shoulder
- The button straps adjust about an inch either way
The Pattern
The dress is worked in two flat pieces (front and back), then seamed at the sides. The front piece carries the cable panel.
Cable panel (worked over the center 12 stitches of the front):
- Setup: The panel is 12 stitches wide: 2 background DC, 8 cable stitches, 2 background DC.
- Cable cross row: Work 2 DC, then skip the next 4 stitches, work front-post DC (FPDC) around each of the next 4 stitches, then go back and work FPDC around each of the 4 skipped stitches, then 2 DC. The two groups of 4 cross over each other.
- Work a cable cross every 6th row; on all other rows, work FPDC around the 8 cable stitches (following the established posts) and regular DC in the background stitches.
Front Bodice
Chain 44.
Row 1: DC in fourth chain from hook and across. (42 DC)
Rows 2–3: Chain 3 (counts as DC), DC in each stitch across, turn. (42 DC)
Row 4 (begin cable panel): Chain 3, DC in next 14 stitches, work the 12-stitch cable panel across the next 12 stitches (see above — this is a setup row, no cross yet), DC in remaining 15 stitches, turn. (42 sts)
Rows 5–16: Chain 3, DC in next 14, work cable panel stitches (FPDC around the 8 cable posts, DC in the 2 background stitches on each side), DC in remaining 15, turn. Work a cable cross row every 6th row (Rows 10 and 16).
Rows 17–20 (armhole shaping): Chain 3, decrease over first 2 stitches, DC across to last 2 stitches, decrease over last 2 stitches, turn. (34 DC after Row 20)
Rows 21–24: Chain 3, DC in each stitch across, turn. (34 DC)
Fasten off.
Back Bodice
Chain 44.
Row 1: DC in fourth chain from hook and across. (42 DC)
Rows 2–16: Chain 3, DC in each stitch across, turn. (42 DC)
Rows 17–20: Shape armholes exactly like the front. (34 DC)
Rows 21–24: Chain 3, DC in each stitch across, turn. (34 DC)
Fasten off.
Skirt
The skirt is worked in the round, joined to the bottom of the bodice pieces.
Sew the front and back bodice together at the side seams. With the right side facing, join yarn at one side seam at the bottom edge of the bodice.
Round 1: Chain 3, work 2 DC in each stitch around the bottom edge (84 stitches around), join. (168 DC)
Rounds 2–14: Chain 3, DC in each stitch around, join. (168 DC)
Round 15 (shell hem): Chain 1, [skip 2 stitches, 5 DC in next stitch, skip 2 stitches, SC in next stitch] repeat around, join. (28 shells)
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Straps (make 2)
Chain 24.
Row 1: SC in second chain from hook and across. (23 SC)
Rows 2–3: Chain 1, SC in each stitch across, turn. (23 SC)
On Row 3, work a buttonhole near one end: SC 3, chain 2, skip 2 stitches, SC across.
Sew the plain end of each strap to the top of the front bodice (about 8 stitches in from each armhole edge). Sew the buttons to the top of the back bodice to match. The straps cross in back for that classic pinafore look — or wear them straight, both are adorable.
Finishing
Sew side seams if you haven’t already, weave in all ends, and block lightly so the cables pop. The cables bloom beautifully with a gentle steam.
Sophie’s Tips
- Front-post stitches eat yarn — if your skein is looking thin near the skirt, the shell hem is the first place I’d simplify, not the cables. The cables are the whole point!
- Count your cable panel stitches after every cross row. One missed post throws the whole panel off, and it’s much easier to fix on the next row than six rows later.
- Washable baby yarn is non-negotiable here. This dress will be loved hard, and it should survive the washing machine with its dignity intact.
An heirloom in the making — I hope it gets handed down with a good story attached!
