Barbie-Inspired Knitting Patterns

It feels like we’re living in a pink world right now, so it’s high time to knit some pink projects, correct? Of course any knitting project can be worked in pink if you want, but I thought it would be fun to find some projects that are already pretty in pink or specifically designed to be inspired by our favorite plastic icon. (Knits for Barbie herself coming soon!)

For example, the Barbie Crop Top by Maral Mokri. This DK weight, top down, circular yoke sweater is covered with Barbie-inspired colorwork, including flowers, high-heeled shoes and handbags. It comes in nine sizes with a chest measurement up to 67 inches, and you can find the pattern on Ravelry.

Fiona Stevenson’s C’mon Barbie hat (a free download on Ravelry) uses worsted weight and fingering yarn held together for a bulky weight look. It has a stitch pattern made of ribbing and slip stitches and its easy to adjust the size to fit any Barbie or Ken.

This pink and white gingham top from Muki Crafts on Etsy is super cute and easy to stitch up. It has a buffalo plaid pattern worked in two colors and a cropped style, though of course you can make yours longer. It has five sizes for kids and four for adults.

Yarnspirations did a Life in Plastic pattern roundup (if you click the link and it’s showing both knitting and crochet patterns, you can filter for knitting on the left hand side of the page). The knitting patterns include a pink bias knit scarf, scrunchies, a striped sweater and a pair of legwarmers.

The Pink Shell from DROPS is another one I think Barbie would approve of, with its simple textured pattern and fun halter top shape. It comes in six sizes and is worked from the bottom up in cotton yarn.

And then there’s this cardigan called The Pink One. Designed by Lily Kate France and available on Ravelry, it features poufy, textured sleeves on a simple body. It calls for a DK weight and a mohair yarn to amp up the texture. Instructions are given for cropped and standard length, and it comes in nine sizes up to a 62 inch chest measurement (it’s meant to be worn with 8-10 inches of positive ease).

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I know knitting a dress sounds like a major time commitment. And that’s before I even tell you that this particular dress, the Sixth Ave Skater Dress by Briana Luppino, is worked in light fingering weight yarn.

But would you just take a moment to look at it and tell me if it doesn’t look like it would be worth all the time you would spend knitting it? And it’s miles of stockinette stitch so it’s actually beginner friendly and a great semi-mindless knit you can take with you on your travels this summer and wear when it is done.

The dress is worked from the top down with tank straps, a scoop neck, waist shaping and a flowy skirt for a fun and comfortable fit.

The pattern has 10 sizes, with finished bust measurements ranging from 28 to 64 inches, or 71.5 to 163 cm. The sample shown was worked with 4 inches/10 cm of negative ease at the bust, and the designer says most people like between 2 and 6 inches/5 to 15 cm of negative ease in the bust and around 10 inches/25.4 cm positive ease in the hips.

(To refresh your memory, negative ease means the measurement of the garment is smaller than your actual body measurement, while positive ease is bigger than your body.)

To pick a size you’d work from the bust measurement because you can always add more or fewer decreases as you need to get your desired fit at the waist and hips. And because it’s worked from the top down you can try it on as often as you like to make sure it’s the perfect fit.

The I-cord edgings give the dress a super casual feel, and I think this would be a great one to add to your summer rotation. (Yes, even with a wool blend yarn.)

You can see lots of cute finished versions and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself on Ravelry.

[Photo: Briana Luppino]

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