Repost of previous blog

Including a re-post of my first blog, located for now on my jxe Designs website.

A tale of two dresses.

Part 1: Back in December, I bought several vintage crochet patterns on Etsy. One of these became an immediate project.

The "Sexy Red Dress"

When I got the pdf of this project, the first thing that I noticed was that my own personal  dimensions did not match any of the dimensions accommodated by this pattern.  After working my gauge swatch, I was able to calculate the number of stitches needed to re-size this, and proceeded to create a facsimile of this dress using  Lion Brand Amazing in Glacier Bay. First of all, I had to increase the size to  accommodate my middle-aged body. I also wanted a more flared skirt than  the pattern provided. As this was a "bottom up" pattern, that required a bit  more calculation before I could begin.  I am rather pleased with the final project, although it is arguably "less sexy"  than the original, and by no stretch of the imagination could it be  considered "red"!!! I love the finished product, but it is a bit shorter than I would like as a "dress" . . .  works nicely as a tunic, however. Part 2: In March, I found another vintage project to sink my hooks into. One of the most significant changes I made was to work the skirt in the round in order to avoid side seams. The pattern lends itself well to this modification, but it took me a few attempts to get the starting chain on each row to look like a bar stitch. Once I figured that out, it worked up quickly. The nice thing about crocheting in the round is that it is SO easy to try on the item and make adjustments accordingly. This one at least reaches to my knees, so I can probably bring myself to actually wear this as a dress. Since it is worked both up and down from the waist, I was able to shape the skirt as I went. I think this pattern would also make a great skirt pattern. There is so much swing to this. I am going to try this again in a solid color, and perhaps make a maxi out of it. It is so easy to vary it.  I received so many compliments on the incomplete project (especially on the color scheme). I wonder if anyone will recognize it on me!!! The "Goddess Dress" An adorable, lacy vintage dress. It provides a bit more coverage than the "red dress" above. I have some extended plans for this pattern. For the first iteration, I chose to work withBernat Mosaic yarn in Ninja.  As before, I had to adjust the pattern to fit my body. Unlike the previous project, I could accomplish most of the adjustment with a simple change of hook size. By using a K rather than the I indicated in the pattern (ok... it does not actually indicate an "I" since this is a UK pattern. WonkyZebra, however, is VERY generous with additional information to help in the cultural translation!) I used the I hook to help define the waist area, but other than a few minor modifications, the increased hook size accomplished all that I needed.  I wanted a longer dress, so I kept going for several additional rows.