What is a good sturdy yarn to knit a dress with?

I'd suggest a sport weight bamboo yarn. It's light, easy to knit with, comes in some lovely colors and launders easily. Unlike cotton yarns that tend to stretch out when knit (even mercerized ones do, although Cotton Classic is lovely, too, as is Dale of Norway Stork) bamboo doesn't and it's antimicrobial. Cost, however, may be a factor for you. Acryllics thicker than sport weight won't be comfortable for a summer dress, and even then, sport weight may be *fuzzier* than you want for summer wear.

Crocheting cotton would work for this, but it would take forever because it's rather fine. My favorite yarn to work with is Red Heart Classic or Super Saver (same yarn, bigger skein.) That stuff works up easily, holds its shape well, and goes right into the washer and dryer with no problem whatsoever. Machine wash warm and tumble dry medium -- and they mean it, too! It comes out really nice. It's an acrylic yarn and doesn't fade, either. You can find this yarn at Michaels, WalMart, JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby, and online all over the place! At WalMart, it costs about a dollar for a 3 to 4 ounce skein and about $2.- for a 6 to 8 ounce skein. Mixed colors come in smaller skeins than do the solids. Michaels has it for about 20c more per skein, I think. It comes in an absolute ton of colors, too, so you can get almost anything. I have some sweaters that I knit 5-10 years ago with this yarn that are all still in the same shape I knit them into, despite almost weekly washings over those years during cooler weather.

Caron Simply Soft is a little more expensive, but does have a slightly softer feel to it. I think it washes ok, but I've never really washed it yet so I don't know. They say it does, on the label, if you trust labels. I tried washing Bernat's acrylic yarn -- their label said you could, too -- and was highly disappointed when it shrank somewhat. Red Heart is really the only yarn with which I've never had "surprises." I knit a lot.

Good for you wanting to take on a larger project like a dress. For a nice summer weight, choose something washable, and light, you will be using a lot of yarn. Stay away from the synthetic fibers as they don't breathe well, meaning they keep you warmer.

There are lots of natural fibers out there now, hemp, cotton, bamboo, and even corn silk. Find a pattern you like and go to a good yarn shop to check out how much yarn you will need and how much it would cost.

All of these fibers are made by a lot of different manufacturers and will perform differently, ask the owner of the shop to recommend best brand for what you want.

Do you crochet? A crocheted dress might work up quicker and be easier to make than a knit one.

Patons brillant is really pretty and a size three. Sugar n Cream makes a worsted weight cotton that is good for clothing, and Aunt Lydia makes a light cotton called shimmer fashion that is nice.

nothing that large will ever be light weight if knit. you surely want cotton yarn.

I would try crotchet cotton # 10. It's light weight and comes in a lot of colors.