Crochet: Lavender and White Shell Dress

Do you ever start with the shoes? What I mean, is do you ever find shoes you can't resist and then build an outfit from there? It has happened to me rather frequently over the years (though I have to say that the last few years have been rather uninspiring for me in the shoe department...such a bummer) and such is the case with this crochet dress. I saw these irresistible lavender (Miss Trish for Target) sandals and just had to get them for my girls. Pretty darn cute on their little piggy toes! These sandals have such a beachy look with the turtle embellishments that I thought crochet would be the way to go. And, since I can't get enough of white on my girls I decided to go with something lavender and white.

 

So here are Audrey and Scarlett in their lavender and white. Only, Scarlett is not wearing crochet; she is wearing a dress that was given to Audrey a couple years ago. It would be a legitimate possibility that I gave up on making two crochet ensembles this summer, but the real story is better: I made a lavender sweater for Audrey, thinking to pair it with a sewn white skirt or dress, and then started on this shell crochet dress for Scarlett, only a bit of the way into the project, I realized it was no where close to size 2. It would work sizes 4 to 6! So instead, I have a dress and a sweater for Audrey and nothing for Scarlett!

 

And, yes, this is where I confess to never creating gauge swatches! Dang! I so thought I was getting away with it all these years and now here my project ends up swollen way beyond the designed size. I guess I need to break down and start creating them. It's just always seemed a waste of time for someone who is anxious to finish the moment I start a project. But I am likely quicker with hook and needle so I should really invest in that 4"x4" square. I am doing it next time. I'm convinced.

It's not really a problem to have these two lavender outfits for Audrey, however. It is her color after all. And it means three girls will get to wear this shell dress. So there! I'm redeemed... It's almost as if it were all on purpose.

I love knit and crochet dresses on girls. So old fashioned. You really don't see them much. I have a beautiful pink crochet dress my grandmother made for my mother when my mother was a baby, and both my girls have worn it. In fact, Audrey wore it in her birth announcement. I treasure it. I have made knit dresses for Audrey's and Scarlett's first birthdays and another crochet dress for Audrey last summer.  I hope when they are grown my girls will appreciate having some dresses handmade by their mother and maybe have daughters of their own they would like to wear them.  

For now, I am happy they'll wear them for me--even if they don't always cooperate for the photo! 

This pattern for this dress is another one from Crochet Today, from their May/June 2010 issue. Would be pretty cute on a baby if it turned out the right size! I changed the yarn, as I often do (but of course thought I was matching the gauge...) and used Lily Sugar'n Cream in White and Hot Purple and a size J hook.

 

This dress worked up as quickly as I'd hoped, though I did have to add a lot of extra length once I realized I was headed for size 4 instead of size 2. Instead of making a slip/dress to go underneath I bought a cotton/eyelet one for this and love it peeking out from Audrey's dress.

Oh, and this is another line I can cross off my nesting list. Making progress thank goodness...