How to Knit and Crochet a Bell Sleeve Dress Using the Addi Express

There is something undeniably romantic about a bell sleeve dress. The way the fabric flares gently from the elbow or wrist, catching movement and light as you walk, gives any garment an almost ethereal quality. Whether you are new to machine-assisted knitting or a seasoned crafter looking to expand your project list, creating a bell sleeve dress using the Addi Express knitting machine is one of the most satisfying projects you can take on. In this tutorial, we are going to walk through the entire process — from choosing your yarn and understanding your tools to assembling a finished dress you will be proud to wear or gift.

This is Episode 30 of our ongoing knitting and crochet series, and if you have been following along, you already know that we love combining the speed of the Addi Express with the decorative finishing power of crochet. Together, these two crafts complement each other beautifully, and nowhere is that more evident than in a bell sleeve dress project.

So grab your tools, settle in, and let’s get started.

What You Will Need Before You Begin

Before diving into the pattern, it helps to have everything organized and within reach. Running back and forth to gather supplies mid-project disrupts your rhythm and can lead to small mistakes.

For this project, you will need the Addi Express King Size or the standard Addi Express knitting machine (the King Size is preferred for larger panels like the dress body), a set of crochet hooks in sizes ranging from 4.0mm to 5.5mm, stitch markers, a tapestry needle for seaming, scissors, and a measuring tape.

For yarn, choose a medium-weight yarn (also known as category 4 or worsted weight) in a fiber that has a slight stretch and good drape. Cotton-acrylic blends work wonderfully here because they hold their shape while still offering that flowing movement so characteristic of bell sleeves. You will need approximately 800 to 1,200 yards depending on the size you are making. For a relaxed fit dress in a medium size, budget around 900 yards. If you are working with a thicker yarn or a bulkier gauge, adjust accordingly.

You will also want graph paper or a notebook to track your row counts, a yarn weight scale (optional but helpful), and a blocking mat and pins if you want to give your finished pieces a professional, polished look before assembly.

Understanding the Addi Express Before You Start

If you are new to the Addi Express, a quick orientation will save you a lot of frustration. The Addi Express is a circular knitting machine with either 22 needles (standard size) or 46 needles (King Size). It produces a seamless tube of knitted fabric, which is one of its greatest advantages for garment construction. Instead of knitting flat panels and seaming both sides, you can knit tubes and then seam or cut them strategically.

The machine operates by turning a hand crank while the yarn feeds through a yarn guide. Each rotation of the crank knits one row. The tension of your yarn, the speed of your cranking, and the consistency of your feed all affect the finished fabric. Before starting your actual project pieces, always knit a gauge swatch of at least 20 rows and measure how many stitches and rows equal one inch. This step is non-negotiable for garment making, because even a small gauge discrepancy multiplied across hundreds of rows can make a dress that fits nowhere near your intended size.

For worsted weight yarn on the Addi Express King Size, a typical gauge falls around 3 to 3.5 stitches per inch and 5 to 6 rows per inch. Write your gauge down and keep it nearby throughout the project.

Designing Your Bell Sleeve Dress: The Structure Breakdown

A bell sleeve dress consists of three main components: the dress body, the sleeves, and the finishing details that bring everything together. Understanding how each piece is constructed before you begin knitting makes the whole process feel manageable rather than overwhelming.

The dress body is a tube knitted from the hem upward to the underarm, where it is divided or shaped for the bodice. Depending on your preference and skill level, you can knit the skirt portion as a wide tube and gather it at the waist, or you can decrease stitches gradually to create a more fitted silhouette.

The bell sleeves are worked separately, either fully on the Addi Express as tubes that are then shaped, or begun on the machine and finished with crochet to create the distinctive flared bell shape. For this tutorial, we are using a combination approach: the upper arm portion is knitted on the machine, and the bell flare is created using crochet increases. This gives you the most control over the final look and the most beautiful finish.

The finishing details — neckline edging, waistband, hem, and sleeve edge — are all worked in crochet, which adds texture, structure, and a handcrafted feel that purely machine-knitted pieces sometimes lack.

Knitting the Dress Body on the Addi Express

Begin by setting up your Addi Express with your chosen yarn. Thread the machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions, making sure your tension is neither too tight nor too loose. A yarn that pulls tight will give you a stiff, dense fabric; too loose and your stitches will be sloppy and your garment will lose its shape.

Cast on using the e-wrap method, which creates a clean, flexible cast-on edge that is easy to work into later with crochet. For the King Size machine, casting on all 46 needles gives you a tube with a circumference of roughly 28 to 30 inches at worsted weight gauge, which works well as a hip measurement for a medium to large size. If you need a different circumference, you can use fewer needles or adjust your yarn weight.

Knit the hem: Begin with approximately 15 to 20 rows, which you will fold up later to create a clean doubled hem edge. This gives the skirt a weighted, professional finish at the bottom. After those initial rows, continue knitting your tube straight for the skirt body. For a knee-length dress on someone approximately 5’4″ to 5’6″ tall, you will need roughly 180 to 220 rows from hem to waist. For a midi length, add another 60 to 80 rows. Keep track of your rows carefully.

Once you reach the waistline, you have a choice. For a loose, flowy silhouette, continue straight up through the bodice, then add a crocheted drawstring or belt detail later. For a more fitted look, you can remove the knitted tube from the machine and work a series of single crochet decrease rows around the waist, pulling the fabric in by roughly 4 to 6 inches in circumference before returning to the original width for the chest area. This method is forgiving and adjustable.

Continue knitting the bodice straight from waist to underarm. For most sizes, this is an additional 60 to 80 rows. Your total dress body tube at this point, before finishing, should measure your desired dress length plus a few inches to account for hemming and seaming.

Bind off using the Addi Express removal method or a crochet bind-off (single crochet across all stitches) for a stretchy, flexible edge. The crochet bind-off is highly recommended here because the underarm and bodice top needs to flex when worn.

Knitting the Bell Sleeve Tubes on the Addi Express

Each sleeve starts as a knitted tube. Because bell sleeves are typically loose through the upper arm and flare dramatically from elbow to wrist, the machine-knitted portion represents the upper arm section, and the crochet section creates the bell.

For the upper arm tube, cast on 28 to 34 needles depending on how fitted you want the sleeve at the shoulder. Knit straight for approximately 80 to 100 rows to create the upper arm length — from shoulder to elbow, this is roughly 12 to 14 inches for most adults.

Bind off or remove the tube from the machine using a crochet slip stitch bind-off to keep the edge live and easy to continue working into. Set the completed tube aside and knit a second identical one for the other sleeve.

At this point, you have a dress body tube and two sleeve tubes. The transformation from tubes to a wearable garment happens in the assembly and crochet finishing stages.

Creating the Bell Flare in Crochet

This is where the magic happens. The bell flare is created by working crochet rounds directly into the bound-off edge at the bottom of each sleeve tube, increasing aggressively to create that wide, dramatic flare.

Join your yarn at any point along the bottom edge of the sleeve tube. You will work in rounds, increasing stitches with each round to push the fabric outward and downward. Here is a general increase pattern that works beautifully for a medium bell:

Round 1: Single crochet in every stitch around. If your sleeve tube has 28 stitches, you will work 28 single crochets.

Round 2: Work two single crochets in every other stitch (increase round). This brings you to approximately 42 stitches.

Round 3: Single crochet around with no increases to let the stitches settle.

Round 4: Work two double crochets in every third stitch (increase round). The shift from single crochet to double crochet also adds height and creates more dramatic flare with fewer rounds.

Round 5: Work a combination of double crochet and treble crochet, with an increase in every second stitch. By now your stitch count is growing rapidly, and the fabric is beginning to splay outward noticeably.

Continue increasing in this manner for 6 to 10 rounds total, switching to taller stitches (treble crochets, then extended treble crochets) as you go to maximize the flare effect. The final round can be finished with a shell stitch border — three double crochets into each stitch — which creates a scalloped, decorative hem that beautifully echoes the bell shape.

For a more delicate look, work the final two rounds in a lacier pattern, such as a fan stitch or a picot edge. These add visual interest without adding significant bulk.

Assembling the Dress

With your body and sleeve pieces complete, it is time to bring everything together. Lay your dress body tube flat and gently stretch the top edge to match your measurements. Using your tapestry needle and a length of yarn, seam the top of the dress body using mattress stitch, leaving openings on either side for the armholes. The armhole openings should be approximately 7 to 8 inches across and positioned symmetrically.

For the neckline, you can leave the top of the tube entirely open and add a crocheted neckline edge, or seam the shoulder portions together to create a more structured shape. A scoop neckline works beautifully with bell sleeves — it balances the drama of the flared cuffs with an elegant, open neckline. To create the scoop, simply seam most of the shoulder, leaving a generous center opening, and then work a single crochet edging around the neckline opening.

Attach the sleeves by aligning the top of each sleeve tube with the armhole openings in the dress body. Pin generously before seaming to make sure everything is even and the sleeves hang at the correct angle. Use mattress stitch or a single crochet join (which creates a small visible ridge that can actually look like a design detail) to attach the sleeves.

Once the sleeves are attached, try the dress on or place it on a dress form if you have one. Check the proportions — does the bell start at the right point? Is the bodice the right length? Make any adjustments now before finishing the hem and waistline details.

Adding Crochet Finishing Details

The finishing details are what separate a handmade garment from a truly polished, professional-looking piece. Take your time here.

For the hem, fold up those initial 15 to 20 rows you knitted at the beginning and use a whip stitch to sew them in place, creating a clean, weighted doubled hem. Alternatively, work a row of single crochet along the hemline and add a decorative border — shells, picots, or simple ridged rows all work well.

For the waistband, work several rounds of half-double crochet in a slightly tighter tension than the rest of the garment, which will naturally cinch the fabric inward. You can also crochet a separate belt or tie using a long chain finished with slip stitches or crab stitch, and thread it through a row of evenly spaced crochet eyelets at the waist.

For the neckline, a simple single crochet edging with a picot every few stitches adds refinement without overwhelming the neckline area. If you want more drama at the neckline, try a short ruffle worked in the same way as the bell sleeve flare but on a smaller scale.

Blocking and Final Touches

Blocking transforms a knitted and crocheted garment. Fill a basin with cool water and a drop of gentle wool wash or baby shampoo. Submerge your dress completely and let it soak for 20 minutes, gently pressing the water through the fabric without wringing or twisting. Carefully lift the dress out and press it gently between two towels to remove excess water.

Lay the dress flat on your blocking mat and pin it into shape, stretching the bell sleeves outward so the flare dries in its full, open position. Allow it to dry completely — this can take anywhere from several hours to a full day depending on your yarn fiber and the humidity in your space.

Once dry, weave in any remaining yarn ends with your tapestry needle, trim them close to the fabric, and give the whole garment a gentle press with a steam iron or steamer if your yarn fiber permits.

Tips for Customizing Your Bell Sleeve Dress

One of the best things about this pattern is how adaptable it is. Once you understand the basic structure, you can modify nearly every element to suit your personal style or the recipient’s preferences.

Change the sleeve length by adding or reducing rows in the machine-knitted upper arm portion. A shorter machine-knitted section places the bell higher up on the arm, creating an off-shoulder or dramatic elbow bell effect. A longer section drops the bell to the wrist for a more medieval or fantasy-inspired look.

Use two colors — one for the dress body and one for the sleeves and crochet finishing — to create a striking color-blocked effect. Or alternate colors every few rounds in the crochet bell section for a gradient or striped bell.

Experiment with yarn texture. A yarn with a subtle sheen, such as a bamboo blend, makes the dress feel luxurious and special occasion-worthy. A cotton yarn keeps it casual and breathable for everyday wear. A mohair or halo yarn adds softness and warmth for a more cozy, winter-appropriate version.

Add pockets by crocheting simple flat rectangles and seaming them into the side seam of the dress body before final assembly. Pockets are always appreciated and rarely expected in handmade dresses.

A Final Word on the Joy of Combining Knitting and Crochet

There is a long-standing debate in the fiber arts community about whether knitting and crochet should be kept separate, but this project is a testament to why combining them is so rewarding. The Addi Express gives you speed, consistency, and that smooth, even knitted texture that is difficult to achieve by hand over large areas. Crochet gives you flexibility, decorative richness, and the ability to shape fabric in ways that knitting simply cannot match.

Together, they make you a more capable, more versatile maker. Whether this is your first time using the Addi Express for a garment or your thirtieth project on the machine, a bell sleeve dress is a beautiful addition to your craft portfolio — and an even more beautiful addition to your wardrobe.

We hope this tutorial has given you everything you need to get started. Share your finished dress with the community, and don’t forget to come back for Episode 31, where we will be exploring how to knit a fitted turtleneck top using the Addi Express with crochet lace panel inserts.

Happy knitting, and happy crocheting.