Hello there! We are back from a very relaxing and well deserved holiday in a Catalan area of the South of France. Mixed weather but warm enough to wear my latest creation.
This is the 'Hot in here' dress from Wool and the Gang WATG. I have wanted to crochet a dress for some time. I am channeling my inner Joni Mitchell as I wear it as a beach dress on holiday and try not to get it wet!
It is so simple to make from square motifs and no other shaping. The only modification I made is illustrated below where I crocheted the centre front neck square a slightly different shape. I would love to show you how I did it but I just made it up as I went along - the joy of crochet I find. Looks like I did some htr and dc in the centre instead of trebles??
It was a brilliant project to do between some thorny yarn projects I have been tackling of late: the sleeve issue on my red sweater and the complex cabling on my beatnik jumper which is all consuming. I took these to work and could make one each lunchtime.
On completion I thought about the functionality of this dress and considered it a waste to wear such wonderful and expensive yarn for 1 week out of 52 so I made a slip to go underneath using the top of the Winnats tank dress pattern from Wendy Ward and making it the length I wanted with a slight flare. I used a nude peachskin fabric from Minerva and it was the perfect way to give the dress a bit of longevity. I wore it in April with leggings when the weather was not baking hot. I know I could have bought a slip but you know me - if I can make it, I will.
It is actually really heavy but very cool to wear. The yarn is duck egg blue Tina tape yarn made from 100% Lyocell which makes for superb drape. I have used this yarn before to make a summer vest top so I knew it was nice against the skin.
This dress is the equivalent of an heirloom quilt - not in fashion, not out of fashion but a real keeper for many years.
The pattern calls for 32 squares but I made them and then took a row, 6 squares, off the bottom because it was too long to wear with leggings. This tunic length will get more wear.
Thanks for popping in. Jo xxx
Wow, the finished dress looks fantastic and it seems to be a very useful and stylish cover-up for the beach. What a great idea to make a slip so you can wear it with leggings too.
ReplyDeleteThe colour is so pretty for this time of year as well.
Absolutely lovely.
ReplyDeleteI really like this! The colour is so lovely, a really nice shade of blue, and it was definitely the right decision to shorten it as it looks great over leggings.
ReplyDeleteYou are right this is a timeless dress, superb! It looks good on you and you look like you had a wonderful time. x
ReplyDeletePretty dress! Good to see you having a lovely time on vacation:)
ReplyDeleteBrilliant, Jo! I enjoyed your photos, and can imagine you enjoying your creation for years to come. Thanks for posting :-) xx
ReplyDeleteJo, the dress is amazing. I'd make it ina a flash but it is a bit too much for my current budget. It is a keeper and you did a great job.
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