Sweet Nothings Crochet: ENCHANTING DRESS

ENCHANTING DRESS

Today, let’s work on a simply enchanting dress.

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Thanks for joining me once again as we work on and discover this new pattern together.

Materials used : Today I’ve used ~ about 100 gms of unbranded knitting cotton with a 3 mm crochet hook ; and a little bit of our lovely Red rose yarn with a 1.9 mm crochet hook for the white lacy collar;

embroidery needle ; sewing needle ; fabric glue to seal ends ; crochet stitch markers ; buttons; press buttons ; satin ribbon ; headband ; tic-tac clips ; rubber band ; hair comb or barrette ; beads n more

For Indians : You could use Anchor , 4-ply knitting cotton , White Rose or bamboo knitting cotton , Milk cotton ; Silk yarns ; Oswal & Vardhaman acrylic yarns ; Baby soft acrylic yarn , Ganga Spectrum as well

General yarn info : The yarn used today is not specific to this pattern.

You can use any yarn with a suitable hook to make this project to any size.

International yarns : Among the international yarns I have used in this thickness, I’d suggest Aunt Lydia Cotton 10, Aunt Lydia Bamboo-Viscose 10, DMC Petra, Sullivans knitting cotton (Australia), Milford Soft, Hilaza Rustica Eclat , Alize cotton yarn and Alize bamboo yarn , Lily Sugar n' Cream cotton yarn, Caron Simply Soft , Bernat Softee chunky.

Skill level : Intermediate.

Stitches used :

How to hold your yarn in crochet : https://youtu.be/FwOlCbGdbqY

Starting slip knot : https://youtu.be/lJcqsVcs8cw

Starting slip knot 1 or the Sloppy Slip knot : https://youtu.be/YfC7KmGpifs

What is a chain stitch ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXx5ukBjKkY

Whipstitch to join : https://youtu.be/wZ-9LNzftMA

Invisible join : https://youtu.be/a6XZQ6VzJFM

Single crochet to join : https://youtu.be/6FXoW_47_dI

Here is a sizing chart for general neck sizing

https://in.pinterest.com/pin/470063279838234527/ OR

https://in.pinterest.com/pin/470063279842061521/

Here is a sizing chart for general sizing https://in.pinterest.com/pin/470063279837597366/

OR https://in.pinterest.com/pin/470063279837560772/

And https://in.pinterest.com/pin/470063279838533503/

Instructions : (Using U.S terminology)

Please note that I start all my rows with a ch 1, turning chain for ease.

Please check the top of this blog for easy video tutorials on all stitches used in today's pattern.

Please read through all my notes before you pick up your hook, so you know just where we're heading in our pattern.

In my patterns I work with the principle of stitch count and body measurement.

This means that you need to work the stitch count in pattern, till you get the measurement (length and/or width) that you need for your project.

You can make this dress for a child of any age or size, using any yarn and suitable hook. Just get the stitch count right for the size you want to make it for and you’re gonna have an enchanting dress.

For today’s enchanting dress, we will work from the waist up for the yoke, and then waist down for the skirt portion of our dress.

So you will take the chest and waist measurements of your child and work with the larger measure (i.e. if chest measure more than waist, you will work with the waist measurement – got it?)

I start all my rounds / rows with a ch 1 turning chain for ease.

Do check the top of this blog for video tutorials of all the stitches used in today’s pattern.

I take a lot of trouble to ensure that there is clarity – so the instructions are ‘wordsy’. Please read all the instructions before you pick up your hook and yarn.

I was inspired to create this dress from this chart I found.

Part 1 : Yoke

For the yoke, we start at the waist and work one part for front and one for the back.

Now the general rule is that if you are making this for a younger child, you need to only keep a small opening at the back to slip the dress on.

For older children, I suggest you work one piece for the front and two parts for the back.

I also suggest that you work this yoke pattern when working for an older child. If making this for a baby or a 1-yr old, do choose to work an all dc or all hdc row all the way for the yoke. It not only looks nicer, but keeps the baby a bit warmer on the chest. That said, this is my take on it.

I have worked one row dc, and one row hdc all through for my yoke.

Now the yoke and the lower skirt portion of the dress have the same stitch count, which works out really easy for us, doesn’t it?

So even if you do not work the pattern (and work all hdc or all dc) for the yoke, do work in the stitch count for ease.

Our stitch count for the yoke is in multiples of 3 + 2

Foundation Single Crochet : fsc : https://youtu.be/mcT85fwh4mA

Start : with fsc in multiples of 3 + 2 for half the round waist / chest measure of the child you are making this for. Turn.

We will work a “V”-st which is (dc ; ch 1, dc) all in the same st or ch-sp.

Double Crochet : dc : yo, insert hk into st ; yo (3 lps on hk);

[yo, draw through 2 lps] twice. One dc made.

Check out the video at https://youtu.be/xdnjB27zpYo

Chainless start for Double Crochet : I dislike the ch-2 / ch – 3 start, and this is what I do to start my row of dc.

Check out the video at https://youtu.be/wskv3iTjRx0

Row 1 : dc in the 1^st fsc ;

sk next fsc, “V”-st in the next fsc ;

(sk next 2 fsc, “V”-st in the next fsc) ;

rep (to) till the last 2 fsc ;

sk the next fsc, dc in the last fsc. Turn.

Row 2 : dc in the 1^st dc ;

“V”-st in the next “V”-st and in each “V”-st till the last dc ;

dc in the last dc. Turn.

Rep Row 2 till you reach the armhole level.

Here we will shape the armhole a little bit.

Part 2 : Armhole shaping :

We will all have different row numbers for the shaping of the armhole.

So I am just going to start renumbering for ease.

If you have worked all hdc or all dc rows, read instructions just under Armhole Row 3.

In case you are making this for a baby – 1 yr old, maybe only one row decrease will work.

Armhole Row 1 : sl-st past the 1^st dc and the 1^st “V”-st,

ch 1 (turning chain) and dc in the ch-1 sp of the next “V”-st ;

“V”-st in the next “V”-st and in each “V”-st till the 2^nd last “V”-st ;

dc in the 2^nd last “V”-st.

Turn and leave the last sts unworked.

Armhole Row 2 : sl-st past the 1^st dc into the 1^st “V”-st,

ch 1 (turning chain) and dc in the ch-1 sp of the 1^st “V”-st ;

“V”-st in the next “V”-st and in each “V”-st till the last “V”-st ;

dc in the last “V”-st.

Turn and leave the last dc unworked.

Armhole Row 3 : dc in the 1^st dc ;

“V”-st in the next “V”-st and in each “V”-st till the last dc ;

dc in the last dc. Turn.

Rep Armhole Row 3 till you reach the neckline level.

Easy shaping for an all hdc or all dc row :

This is a way easier decrease.

Now as some of us have used hdc and some dc, I’m just going to use the word stitch (st) and you use the same st that you have used thus far.

Easy Armhole decrease Row 1 : sl-st past the 1^st 5 sts,

ch 1 (turning chain) and continue working 1 st in each st till the 6^th st from end.

Turn and leave the last 5 sts unworked.

Now the next row instruction may be a little odd. Please just choose the st you have worked with. I am saying dc 2-tog for convenience.

You need to work a hdc 2-tog or a dc 2-tog st for the shaping here. So if you have worked hdc all through, you will work a hdc 2-tog to start and end your row.

Similarly if you have worked in dc all through, you will start and end your row with a dc 2-tog.

Easy Armhole decrease Row 2 : dc 2-tog over the 1^st “2 sts ;

Work 1 st in each st till the last 2 sts ; dc 2-tog over the last 2 sts.

Turn.

Easy Armhole shaping Row 3 :

work 1 st in the 1^st st and in each st till the end. Turn.

Rep Easy Armhole shaping Row 3 till you reach the neckline level.

Part 3 : Neckline shaping :

For the neckline we first need to decide how deep you want that section.

Then find the centre st (or “V”-st) and place a marker there.

You will then work from the armhole to that point and reduce just one side just like we have for the armhole.

As we need only a small shape, work only instructions for Armhole rows 2 & 3.

The difference with the armhole is that we reduced both ends.

For the neckline decrease, you will reduce only with the ending stitches for the right side of your neckline.

After the two row decrease, continue without decrease all the way to the shoulders.

For the left side of your neckline, you will reattach your yarn at the stitch just off the middle marked stitch and then start with the decrease stitches as given for Armhole Rows 2 & 3.

Mirror the shaping of the right side of the dress.

You will do all of this for the back yoke of the dress as well. So if needed, do make a note of what you are doing.

Easy Neckline shaping :

The instructions here are the same as that above. The only difference is that you will mark the centre st and not the centre “V”-st.

Here too, you will repeat instructions for Rows 2 & 3.

Part 4 : Skirt :

Our stitch count for the skirt is also in multiples of 3 + 2

We will go back to that first fsc row and work in rounds from here.

Turn your work such that the yoke is facing away from you.

Before we start on our skirt portion, I’d suggest you join the sides as well as shoulders for your work.

Please check the top of this blog for ideas on how to join.

Our “V”-st for this section stays the same = (dc ; ch 1, dc) all in the same st or ch-sp

Skirt Round 1 : “V”-st in the 1^st fsc ;

(sk next 2 fsc, “V”-st in the next fsc) ;

rep (to) till the end and join with a sl-st to the 1^st st.

Here we change the “V”-st a bit, so this is “V-st 1” = (dc ; ch 2, dc) all in the same st or ch-sp

Skirt Round 2 : “V-st 1” in the 1^st “V”-st ;

“V-st 1” in the next “V”-st and in each “V”-st till the end and join with a sl-st to the 1^st st.

Once again we change the “V-st 1” a bit, so this is “V-st 2” = (dc ; ch 3, dc) all in the same st or ch-sp

Skirt Round 3 : “V-st 2” in the 1^st “V-st 1” ;

“V-st 2” in the next “V-st 1” and in each “V-st 1” till the end and join with a sl-st to the 1^st st.

In the following round we will work only in the ch-3 sps of the “V-st 2”

Skirt Round 4 : sl-st into the 1^st ch-3 sp; sc in the same 1^st ch-3 sp ;

(ch 5, sc in the same ch-3 sp ;

ch 5, sc in the next ch-3 sp ; ch 5, sc in the same ch-5 sp) ;

rep (to) till the end

Skirt Round 5 : 5 dc in the 1^st ch-5 sp ;

*sc in the next ch-5 sp ;

(ch 5, sc in the next ch-5 sp) ;

5 dc in the next ch-5 sp* ;

rep *to* till the end ;

ch 5, and join to the 1^st st.

Skirt Round 6 : sl-st to the 2^nd dc , sc in the same 2^nd dc ;

*(ch 5, sk next dc, sc in the next dc) ;

ch 5, sc in the next ch-5 sp ;

rep (to) once* ;

rep *to* till the end ;

ch 5, and join to the 1^st st.

Skirt Round 7 : 5 dc in the 1^st ch-5 sp ;

*sc in the next ch-5 sp ;

(ch 5, sc in the next ch-5 sp) ;

5 dc in the next ch-5 sp* ;

rep *to* till the end ;

ch 5, and join to the 1^st st.

If you are making this dress for a small baby, Rep Rounds 5-7 till you reach the length you need for the skirt / full length of dress.

If making this for an older child, come on along with me

Skirt Round 8 : sl-st to the 2^nd dc , sc in the same 2^nd dc ;

*(ch 5, sk next dc, sc in the next dc) ;

ch 5, sc in the next ch-5 sp ;

ch 5, sc in the same ch-5 sp ;

rep (to) once* ;

rep *to* till the end ;

ch 5, and join to the 1^st st.

Skirt Round 9 : 5 dc in the 1^st ch-5 sp ;

*sc in the next ch-5 sp ;

(ch 5, sc in the next ch-5 sp) ;

rep (to) once

5 dc in the next ch-5 sp* ;

rep *to* till the end ;

ch 5, and join to the 1^st st.

Skirt Round 10 : sl-st to the 2^nd dc , sc in the same 2^nd dc ;

*(ch 5, sk next dc, sc in the next dc) ;

ch 5, sc in the next ch-5 sp ;

rep (to) once* ;

rep *to* till the end ;

ch 5, and join to the 1^st st.

Skirt Round 11 : 5 dc in the 1^st ch-5 sp ;

*sc in the next ch-5 sp ;

(ch 5, sc in the next ch-5 sp) ;

rep (to) once

5 dc in the next ch-5 sp* ;

rep *to* till the end ;

ch 5, and join to the 1^st st.

and this is our pattern done. Rep Rounds 8 – 11 till you have the length of skirt or dress for your little girl.

Additional notes :

I think that this should work for all lil girls.

However, if you look at the chart, there seems to be an increase again in a few rounds. So here’s what I suggest. Work your repeat pattern rounds, and see if you need an increase. Our increase round was Round 8, where we worked a ch-5 sp in the same ch-5 sp. That increases the pattern by one ch-5 sp and thereby increases the flare for the dress for an older child.

Last round :

In the last round, you can work in a set of picot for a neat finish.

The chart shows picots only in the dc sections.

So if you decide to do this, here is what you’d do.

In the ch-5 sp where you have been working 5 dc, you will now work [dc ; (picot + dc) ; rep (to) 4 times ; dc] all in the same ch-5 sp and then continue with the pattern all around.

I have chosen to work the (picot + dc) every alternate dc instead of every dc

How to work a picot stitch :

In case this video does not come on, go to https://youtu.be/8s3zVaBcn4s

Part 5 : Finishing

Before we go to finishing off that beautiful lacy collar, we need to join all parts in readiness

1) Join the two sides of the dress and weave in ends.

2) Join the shoulders and weave in ends.

3) Run a round of sc all around the armhole ends in multiples of 3. Use contrast color for this step.

4) In case you have not made an opening at the back of the dress, run a round of sc all around the neckline ends in multiples of 3. Use either the same color or the contrast color for this step.

5) In case you have made an opening at the back of the dress, run a round of sc all around the neckline ends in multiples of 3 + 1

6) If you have made an opening around the back, ensure you make the button hole openings on one side of your button placket.

7) Add in your buttons.

Part 6 : Lacy collar

Our final bit for the gorgeous creation is the lovely lacy collar.

Attach your contrast color yarn.

In case you have worked the yoke portion in rounds, without a back opening, you can attach new yarn anywhere.

In case you have a back opening, you will start at the back, near the button placket.

The basic instructions for both working in rows or rounds stay the same.

In case of rounds, we join at the end of every round.

In case of rows, we start and end with a sc.

Assuming you have worked in rows, here are the instructions.

Row 1 : sc in the 1^st sc ;

(ch 5, sk next 2 sc, sc in the next sc) ;

rep (to) till end. Turn.

Row 2 : dc in the 1^st sc ;

ch 2, sc in the next ch-5 sp ;

(ch 5, sc in the next ch-5 sp) ;

rep (to) till the last ch-5 sp ;

ch 2, dc in the last sc. Turn.

Row 3 : sc in the 1^st dc ;

*(ch 5, sc in the next ch-5 sp) ;

rep (to) once ; ch 5, sc in the same ch-5 sp* ;

rep *to* till last dc , sc in the last dc. Turn.

Row 4 : Rep Row 2

Row 5 : sc in the 1^st dc ;

*(ch 5, sc in the next ch-5 sp) ;

rep (to) till last dc , sc in the last dc. Turn.

Row 6 : dc in the 1^st sc ;

ch 2, sc in the next ch-5 sp ;

*(ch 5, sc in the next ch-5 sp) ;

rep (to) once ; ch 5, sc in the same ch-5 sp* ;

ch 2, dc in the last sc. Turn.

Row 7 : Rep Row 5

Row 8 : Rep Row 2

Row 9 : sc in the 1^st dc ;

(7 dc in the next ch-5 sp ; sc in the next ch-5 sp) ;

rep (to) till the end.

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Note : Now here’s a quick tweak.

You could work the same ending as you have for the dress with the picots.

Go ahead and create something cute.

And this is one enchanting dress all ready to go.

I had a really fun creative day and I do hope you do too.

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