Caprice Dress Modifications

OK, let's be perfectly clear. This is NOT my original pattern. I started with the NY Yarns Caprice Crochet Dress. I loved the bodice & the flared skirt at the bottom, but hated the tight-fitting, stiff, yet open (see-through) body of the dress. You can see it here before and after I frogged it!
So, I reworked the pattern to achieve a body that was less see-through (ie more modest), had a nicer drape, and flared out a bit right after the bodice to make it more roomier for the average 4-6 yo. So the original pattern link is above. Here's what I did.

Caprice Dress modifications

It calls for a 3.75mm F hook. I used my Addi Skacel F hook which is 4.0mm. I did not use the NY Yarns Caprice (80% cotton, 20% nylon), (92yds/50g). I used Classic Elite Yarn ~ Flash in Pink Tweed, 100% mercerized cotton, 93 yds/50g. Pattern calls for 8 skeins for the largest size. Even with all my additions, I only used 6 skeins.

Bodice (as written)

Body (begins with 84,(92, 100) sc from bodice)

Rnd 1 (as written): Ch 1, * sc in back loop only (BLO) of sc, ch 3, skip next 3 sc; rep from * around, sl st in first sc to join – 21(23, 25) ch 3-spaces.

Rnd 2: Sl st in first ch 3-space, ch 3 (counts as first dc), 2 dc in same space, ch 1 (3dc, ch 1) in each space around, ending with 3 dc in last ch 3-space, sl st to 3rd ch of turning chain (tch) to join – 21(23, 25) groups of 3 dc.

(Here’s the general plan from here. I wanted the dress to be less see-through. So I replaced 3 out of every 4 rows of (3dc, ch 1) with rows of solid dc. But to give the garment more drape, and to blend with the pattern of the bodice I used BLO dc. I also wanted to increase the width of the dress after the bodice to make it a bit roomier. I planned to add 10 stitches with 2 dc in every 10th st in round 3, and then realized to keep the (3dc, ch 1) pattern on a few rows I needed to have a multiple of 4. I added 2 more stitches to get to the needed 112dc – one in the base of the turning chain at then end of round 3 and one at in the base of the new turning chain at then start of round 4. One could re-work the spacing of the increases in round 3 so there are 12. I wrote out exactly what I did. Also, I made the largest size and will continue with stitch and row counts for only that size.)

Rnd 3: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), dc in next 8 st, 2 dc in next st, *dc in next 9 st, 2 dc in next st, rep from * around, end with one more dc in base of tch, sl st to 3rd ch of tch to join (111dc).

Rnd 4: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), BLO dc in base of tch (same st as joining), BLO dc in every st around, sl st to 3rd ch of tch to join (112dc).

Rnd 5: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), BLO dc in every st around, sl st to 3rd ch of tch to join (112dc).

Rnd 6: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), dc in next 2 dc, ch 1, skip 1 dc, *dc in next 3dc, ch 1, skip 1 dc, rep from * around, sl st to 3rd ch of tch to join. (28 groups of 3 dc).

Rnd 7: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), dc in every st around, sl st to 3rd ch of tch to join (112dc).

Rnds 8-9: Repeat round 5. (112dc).

Rnds 10-13: Repeat rounds 6-9. (112dc).

Rnds 14-17: Repeat rounds 6-9. (112dc).

Rnd 18: Repeat round 6. (112dc).

(I decided to add just a few more stitches (4) to give a little more room around the bottom.)

Rnd 19: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), dc in base of tch (same st as joining), dc in next 27 st, *2 dc in next st, dc in next 27 st, rep from * around, sl st to 3rd ch of tch to join (116dc).

Rnds 20-21: Repeat rounds 8-9 (116dc).

Rnds 22-25: Repeat rounds 6-9 (116 dc).

Rnd 26: Repeat row 6. (116 st: 29 groups of 3 dc, ch1).

Skirt (as written, except for last round)

Last round: I dropped off the last round – I thought the 7 sc in the ch 7-space made the last round too heavy.

Top edging (aka front bodice extension) [PM = place marker]

(Here I thought the dress needed a little more coverage in the front so I tried to replicate the pattern from the bodice, only now I am working in turning rows instead of in the round.)

Row 1: Attach yarn at “seam” of the rounds, ch 1, sc in each ch (other side of the foundation chain) around, sl st in first sc to join. (100 sc)

Row 2: Ch1, turn, *working in front loop only (FLO), sc in sc, ch 1, skip 1 sc, rep from * half way around ending with FLO sc. (49 st)

Row 3: Ch 1, turn, skip 1st sc, (always work sc in ch and BLO sc in sc) sc in next 2 st, sc2tog, (sc in ch1, BLO sc in sc) 6 times, sc2tog [PM], (sc in ch1, BLO sc in sc) 5 times, sc2tog [PM], (sc in ch1, BLO sc in sc) 6 times, sc2tog, sc in next 2 st, sc2tog. (43 st)

Row 4: Ch1, turn, (working FLO throughout), FLO sc, ch 1, skip 1 sc, (sc2tog, ch 1, skip 1 sc), (FLO sc, ch 1, skip 1 sc) 5 times, (sc2tog [PM], ch 1, skip 1 sc), (FLO sc, ch 1, skip 1 sc) 4 times, (sc2tog [PM], ch 1, skip 1 sc), (FLO sc, ch 1, skip 1 sc) 5 times, (sc2tog, ch 1, skip 1 sc), FLO sc in final sc. (39 st)

Row 5: Ch 1, turn, skip 1st sc, (always work sc in ch and BLO sc in sc) sc in next 2 st, sc2tog, (sc in ch1, BLO sc in sc) 4 times, sc2tog [PM], (sc in ch1, BLO sc in sc) 4 times, sc2tog [PM], (sc in ch1, BLO sc in sc) 4 times, sc2tog, (sc in ch1, BLO sc in sc), sc2tog. (33 st)

Row 6: Ch1, turn, skip 1st sc, (working FLO throughout), FLO sc, ch 1, skip 1 sc, (sc2tog, ch 1, skip 1 sc), (FLO sc, ch 1, skip 1 sc) 2 times, (sc2tog [PM], ch 1, skip 1 sc), (FLO sc, ch 1, skip 1 sc) 3 times, (sc2tog [PM], ch 1, skip 1 sc), (FLO sc, ch 1, skip 1 sc) 2 times, (sc2tog, ch 1, skip 1 sc), (FLO sc, ch 1, skip 1 sc), sc2tog. (27 st)

Row 7: Ch 1, turn, skip 1st sc, (always work sc in ch and BLO sc in sc) sc in next 2 st, sc2tog, (sc in ch1, BLO sc in sc) 2 times, sc2tog [PM], (sc in ch1, BLO sc in sc) 3 times, sc2tog [PM], (sc in ch1, BLO sc in sc) 2 times, sc2tog, sc2tog. (21 st) Do NOT fasten off.

Strap

Beginning from top corner of front bodice extension, ch 34 (or desired length) attach with sl st (2) to point 3 inches to the same side of center back (making sure not to twist), sc in each ch back to front of bodice, attach to bodice with sl st. Sl st in 7 st across front of bodice (to marked st), ch 7, attach with sl st to 8th st from front on strap. Sc in each ch back to front bodice attach to front with sl st.

Sl st across front of bodice to marked st, ch 34 (or desired length) attach with sl st (2) to point 3 inches to the same side of center back (making sure not to twist), sc in each ch back to front of bodice, attach to bodice with sl st. Sl st in 7 st across front of bodice (to marked st), ch 7, attach with sl st to 8th st from front on strap. Sc in each ch back to front bodice attach to front with sl st. Finish off!

Weave in ends!

Poll on the Caprice Dress

OK - here's the modified Caprice Dress. It's 99% done. I just have to weave in ends - trust me, with the number of times I have frogged portions of this dress, it paid to have none of the ends woven in!! I have written down every row I changed in this pattern (the entire body) and I will write it up and post it shortly. In the mean time, here's the question... is it modest enough, or does it still need a slip or lining?
The good news is Abby loves it - which is very good news after all this dress took to figure out!. (Anyone who wants to see my version of the original pattern can check out this post. Abby was patient, albeit a very wiggly patient while I tried it on her several times this morning to measure, remeasure and double-check for strap length. After I finished the straps and she tried it on again, I had to pry it off her (with promises she can wear it tomorrow!) . "But Mommy, can you make these strings at my feet go away?"

Caprice Dress Update

I love my dd. She is so easy going and amenable to change. (I'd love her even if she weren't...after all, I love my ds too!) I had to tell my daughter, when she woke up this morning, that I had frogged her dress last night. Her response? "That's OK Mommy, I can wear something else!" followed a few seconds later by a hesitant, "Will you still fix my dress so I can wear it another day?" You got to love a kid like this. Of course I promised I would! Then when I went to start a load of laundry while the kids ate breakfast, I discovered a forgotten purchase on the back of the laundry room door. I brought it out to my dd who burst with glee, " A dress for me!! So here's the substitute dress that gets me off the hook for Friday.

Speaking of off the hook... Here's what I've done in hopes of salvaging this dress. I left the first round of repeating (sc, ch3, skip 3 st) that begins the body, and the second round, repeating (3 dc in ch-3 space, ch 1). This gives the 100 st that the pattern calls for. In the third round, I put a dc in each st around increasing every 10th stitch to give 110 dc. At this point I realized that my plan needed the stitch count to be divisible by 4 so I added one more dc right at the base of the turning chain before joining to the top of the turning chain with a slip st (111 dc) and to finish the increase to 112 st (multiple of 4), I started round 4 with the ch 3 but then put a dc right into the joining stitch at the base of the ch 3 and then in every stitch around. Round 5 was just dc in every dc around. (Oh yeah to improve the drape of the dress, rounds 4 and 5 were worked in the back loops only.) Round 6 looks like round 2 - (3 dc, ch 1) around, but this time the dc are in the dc from the previous row. Round 7 is just dc in every st around. Rounds 8-9 will repeat round 5 (dc in BLO around). Then the plan is to repeat rounds 6-9, probably 4 more times to complete the body. I didn't put in any more increase in round 7, but that's where I'll put some in if I decide it needs more width. This time I'll be trying it on Abby as we go! So, what do you think so far? If this works, I'll write this out for real!

Caprice Dress lands in frog pond

I still can't believe I just did this. I'll show you in a minute, but I guess I should back up a few days. I finally started working on my Drops Top again last Thursday. I even made some progress, but that night my darling dd turned on her most charming voice and asked if I could please make her pink dress so she could wear it on her last day of school (this Friday). So I wound up some balls of this yarn (scroll down a bit) and started working on the Caprice Sundress on Sunday. I loved the pattern of the bodice. I tried it on dd and the fit was great. It was loose enough to be possibly be worn next summer, and not too baggy for this summer! (Two years of wear is always my goal with my kids!) The pattern of the body left me somewhere between bored/unimpressed and a bit miffed that the dress would require a lining (Sorry, call me a prude, but my 4yo is not wearing an unlined mesh dress!). I decided I could tack in a long tank undershirt and all would be well. The pattern works up fairly quickly, so in spite of the zillion activities accompanying the last week of school, I made significant progress. Except that I never tried it on dd again until tonight and I just didn't think about the fact that the dress is STRAIGHT, not a single increase in the whole bloody body! Now, my dd is not a chubby 4yo, but neither is she a twig; she is tall but she definitely has some meat on her bones. Well the dd whose prudish mother would not allow her to wear a mesh dress without a lining is also not wearing a skin tight fitted tube dress. What was I thinking? Here's the before and after frogging pictures:










I left the bodice because I really like it. Now, instead of working on the Drops Top, I'm trying to redesign this dress with increases and a new stitch (again, the old body stitch pattern just didn't wow me) !

So my darling dd does not yet know that her dress went to the frog pond tonight. I have 36 hours until she thinks she's wearing it.

FO: Shell Baby blanket

Finished! Here's the Sideways Shell Baby Afghan made to be a car seat size blanket. This is for a woman who works for my dh. She & her husband just adopted their second son. I made it using an H hook with an acrylic, baby/sport weight, pastel variegated mill end. I sewed my label on this one too!

FOs: Sweater & hat

Finished! This is my second Absolutely Precious Baby sweater & hat. The pattern is designed by Denise Black in 24-Hour Crochet Projects ed by Rita Weiss. I used a Brittany G hook (4.0mm) with Caron Simply Soft White' and RH ‘Monet’ for the edging. This is the one for my ds's kindergarten teacher's yet-to-be born grandchild!


This is the first project that I have sewn my own label in. I made them using iron-on transfer pages and white ribbon. Here's a close-up that shows the star buttons my son chose and my label!

June: WIPs, PIGs & WIMs

OK I decided to make this a monthly post so here it it. Remember this includes WIMs (just thoughts or possibilities) but it's nice to see it all down in writing so I can reassess each month and decide what to put on my monthly challenge list for Yahoo crochetchallenge. In case you're interested, here are the links to my April and May lists (the April one gives acronym definitions).

Two items from the May WIP list are now FOs as are some additional gift projects I decided to make last month. (see May report)

WIPs
1. Drops Design Top - progress = 14%
2. Absolutely Precious Baby sweater #2- progress = 95%
3. Sideways Shell Baby Afghan - progress = 50%.
4. Navy blue cardigan - progress = 15%
5. Toddler cardigan - progress = 50%
6. "High-Stylin' Pillow" (Crochet calendar)- progress = 10%

PIGs
1. Letter pillows "Y" & "X" from Woven-n-Spun
2. "Easy Ripple" Afghan
3. 63 squares Afghan - Aran
4. Spring Crochet Cardigan
5. 'Oxford Style' socks (Crocheted Socks!)- Bob
6. Felted Hook Case
7. Caprice Sundress
8. 'Alpine Meadow' hooded sweater
9. Beth tank from Berroco
10. Marble yarn sweater for me - Todays Crochet pattern

WIMs
1. Summer tanks for me: have yarn - must find patterns!
2. Granny Ripple Baby Afghan
3. Picot Cropped Cardigan
4. Cream Cotton Shrug
5. Bob's sweater Teal/black/gray
6. Alex's sweater - Green
7. Abby's sweater - grape chunky
8. Mittens & Hats
9. Abby's sweater - periwinkle
10. Abby's snow girl cardigan (Crochet! Jan '05)
11. Alex's sweater vest
12. Robyn’s Spider Shrug
13. Socks - soon to start sock-a-long at crochetsocks.

I love getting this all written out to look at. OK – for June… I want to complete the first 3 WIPs, the 2nd & 3rd are actually done (it is June 9th!!). I'd also like to do the Sundress for Abby (PIG #7) , and maybe (but probably not) the Beth tank for me (PIG #9). The Drops Top we’re doing at Yahoo crochet-a-long is a slow going pattern, but I really need to make some significant progress on it! Oh I almost forgot, I just added that WIM #13) we're about to start a sock-a-long CAL at crochetsocks and I'll have to keep up with that as a moderator there. I guess I'll be busy!

The felted hook case should be fun to make sometime, but there are just too many cute summery things I want to make with the cotton yarns I've found recently. So the fall items need to get pushed back at least another month.

Time to start hooking!

Crochet challenges - May report

Well, it's not quite as bad as I thought. I definitely overdid it in the challenge department - I listed a few more items for May than humanly possible with life as we know it. And lest we forget, on May 1st, I did not know that my baby gift crochet-a-thon (aka BGC) was about to begin (Of course, you know that I really love making things for people, especially all these babies!). So what did I theoretically commit to on my May challenge list for Yahoo crochetchallenge, and what did I actually do? On my list was finishing the Seraphina Shawl, doing the Drops Top with my CAL, the Absolutely Precious sweater, the Felted Hook Case, and possibly the Caprice Sundress for my dd. Here's what really happened in May.

1. Seraphina Shawl - progress = 100%. I did finish this. I even had an epiphany as to whom I should give it too. I'll just say that I think my ds's kindergarten teacher felt really appreciated during teacher appreciation week!
2. Drops Design Top - progress = 14%. I'm actually moderating this CAL at Yahoo CAL group. I can't believe how little I actually accomplished in May. This, however, is NOT my fault. Blame the unexpected BGC. I will return to this ASAP.
3. Absolutely Precious Baby sweater #1 - progress = 100%. Part 1 of BGC. It was finished!
4. Absolutely Precious Baby sweater #2 - progress = 95%. Part 3 of BGC. This one had a deadline to it so it bumped Part 2 of BGC. I actually finished this, complete with buttons and a label, last night... but the 95% was the May 31st progress. Final photos to follow, soon.
5. Sideways Shell Baby Afghan - progress = 50%. Part 2 of BGC. Like I said, I had started this immediately after finishing the first baby sweater, until I realized that the 2nd baby sweater was needed 3 weeks earlier than I had planned!
6. Dishcloth Mania - progress = 100%. Another unplanned project, suffice it to say, my MIL likes crocheted dishcloths, and now she has 3 from me (and I have 3 as well!)
7. Felted Hook Case Progress = 0%. Let's face it, this just isn't going to happen any time soon. There are way too many summer projects calling my name (and my hooks).
8. Caprice Sundress Progress = 0%. I just never had a chance to get near this one. But this will definitely be made in June... this is one of the summer projects calling...

All in all, I guess I did OK!

FO: Dishcloths

When my in-laws' visit for my dd's birthday coincided with my MIL's birthday (did you follow that?) I decided to try to whip up some dishcloths for my MIL. Leah at my Yahoo CAL group had posted this set for 5 textured dishcloths . I must have been distracted (imagine that, in my house!) while making the first starting chain because I ended up with 24 instead of 34. I kept the first mini-dishcloth for myself. I managed to make a regular size #1, and then a #2 and a #3 before my MIL left, but I forgot to take a photo. I started #4, but didn't like it so I frogged it and skipped to #5 (can anyone say Jiffy Jacket? yes it is the same stitch...too funny!). That was enough dishcloths for me! I had to return to the baby gift crochet-a-thon. But... Leah posted a pattern for this Simply Circle dishcloth and I thought it might be nice for gifts for my dd's preschool teachers. I followed this pattern correctly but still came out with a mini-dishcloth. I kept this for myself, too. So I now have one large and two small dishcloths in my kitchen. (Btw, the preschool class is giving a group gift, so I'm off the hook - literally!)

WIPs in progress

Well before I post my overdue May progress report & June challenge I thought I should post the current status of my active WIPs. This should include my Drops Top but since my crochet life was taken over by the baby gift crochet-a-thon, not much new has happened there in the past few weeks. So here’s where we stand:

1. Drops Design Top - progress I decided not to bother posting a new picture showing the 10 bobbles I’ve completed in the last several weeks (and yes, I said bobbles, not flowers).

2. Absolutely Precious Baby sweater #2 - This is the same pattern as the blue one I made a few weeks ago, shown here. It is designed by Denise Black in 24-Hour Crochet Projects ed by Rita Weiss. I’m using my Brittany G hook (4.0mm) with Caron Simply Soft White' and RH ‘Monet’ for the edging. This one is for my ds’s Kindergarten teacher’s yet-to-be born grandchild. It was almost finished when I discovered that I had once again missed turning 6 or so rounds back on the second sleeve. This pattern is killing me. I’m a sock crocheter who crochets all socks in the round, so remembering to turn this pattern every round on the sleeves requires more attention than I usually have available for my crochet! Nonetheless, I should be able to get it finished soon enough to have time to make the matching hat.

3 . Sideways Shell Baby Afghan – This blanket is about half done. The plan is for a small car seat size blanket for a woman who works for my dh. SHe & her husband just adopted their second son. I’m making it using an H hook with an acrylic, baby/sport weight, pastel variegated mill end. Once the sweater & hat are finished I should be able to whip this up pretty quickly. Don't tell me if you think the yarn is too "girly". I don't want to know!

More yarn...

This was a sale I just couldn't resist. Someone on CP sent the link saying Carodan Farm was having 50% off the already reduced prices on discontinued yarns, and that they were happy with their earlier purchases from Carodan Farm. Well, I was in the mood and I went shopping. It took a little hunting to find enough of any one yarn/color choice for the projects I was envisioning, but in the end it was worth the effort. As always, I can count on sock yarn to even out the purchase costs to get the free shipping! So here's what I purchased. I forced myself to put it away so I don't get distracted off the baby gift crochet-a-thon I am doing these days (well that's what it feels like....but you know I love it!!)

I bought 12 balls of Sirdar Salsa DK (flamingo - hot pink!) at $1.75 a ball . The description says a blend of 50% merino wool and 50% acrylic, machine washable, with 162 yds/50g ball [5.5 sts/in on size 5 needles]. I'm thinking I should have enough for a sweater for me!

I bought 9 balls of Schachenmayr Nomotta Catania (marine blue) at $1.00 a ball. The description says a 100% Egyptian cotton DK weight yarn with 137 yds/50g ball [5.5-6 sts/in on size 5 needles]. This is definitely headed for some sort of summer top for me.

I bought 5 skeins of Katia Mississippi 3 (pale purle) at $1.97 a skein. This yarn is 60% cotton, 40% acrylic, with 230 yds/50g ball [7 sts/in on size 3 needles]. I first thought this was headed toward socks, but now I'm thinking there should be enough for some sort of top for my purple-loving dd.

Then for sock yarn, I bought one skein (enough for a pair for a kid) of Silja sock yarn in a nice shade of green at $1.50 a skein. This yarn, from Gjestal (Norway) is 80% wool, 20% nylon with 164 yds/50g skein[6.5 sts/in on size 4 needles]. Finally, I bought 2 skeins of a gorgeous striping yarn called Froehlich Wolle Blauband Jacquard sock yarn (with reinforcing yarn included) at $2.00 a skein. This yarn, from Switzerland is 80% wool, 20% nylon with 225 yds/50g skein[7.5 sts/in on size 2 needles].

OK - I must get off the computer, feed the children, fold the laundry and finish the baby gifts so I can get going on the wearables! Agh, I also need to update May & June challenges.