Entrelac is a knitting technique that produces a fabric that looks like it is woven, or sewn together from many squares. In fact it is knitted in one piece and can be knitted on just two needles. Although it may look complicated, it is relatively easy to knit if you are familiar with basic increasing and decreasing techniques.

Entrelac knitting has been around for a while. It features in some of the more famous Victorian fancy needlework manuals, and a couple of museums exhibit historical garments from Finland made using this technique that were knitted in traditional Finnish red and black yarns.

The Entrelac Sweater for 18” dolls owes its styling to the late 1970s when Entrelac knitting first appeared in magazines and commercial knitting patterns in Europe. The loose fit, dropped shoulderline and polo neck are fashion details that were very popular at that time.

The sweater can be knitted in many colors, in just two colors to give a checkerboard effect, or even in a single color so that the woven texture takes prominence. Examples of all three colorways are shown in the photographs that accompany this listing. Whatever you decide, whether you knit the Entrelac Sweater in your school or team colors, or you choose a variegated yarn, the Entrelac Sweater will fast become one of your doll’s favorite things to wear, especially in the fall, winter and early spring.

This pattern contains full, step-by-step photo instructions, schematics with measurements, and full-size blocking templates.

This PDF knitting pattern is designed to fit 18” dolls such as American Girl®.

Recommended Fabrics: Sock Yarn, Fingering Yarn, Lace yarn, UK 4 ply yarn
Supplies Needed:

• One pair of US Size 0 (metric 2.0 mm) knitting needles, or the size needed to achieve gauge.
• Blunt ended yarn needle for sewing seams
• Three 1/4”-3/8” (6mm – 9mm) buttons for the back closure
• For the multi-color sweater you will need 6 x 1oz (25g) balls of sock or fingering weight yarn. For the two-color sweater I used 2 x 50g balls of lace weight yarn and had lots left over. For the one color sweater a 3.5 oz (100g) ball of yarn is plenty.

Skill Level: Intermediate to Expert