Friday, September 19, 2008

My Squirmy Mannequin

I recently saw a cute baby crochet set that had a top and diaper cover. But the pattern was for 0-3 months. I wanted to make the top only and figured that I can play with the pattern to see if I could get a bigger size.First attempt, I realized it would be too snug. I wanted something that she could grow into. One of the nice things about crochet is that it's so easy to start over or rip back.The second attempt worked out. It's much larger and it's loose fitting, but since crocheted garments are holey, she would have to wear something underneath anyways. It more like a smock than a sweater.Here she is wearing the sweater from the above photo. I could have stopped here and the length would be perfect for her, but I want to use all of the yarn and make a larger piece.Done! The finished sweater top turned into a crochet dress. It's a dress now, but it can be a tunic for her later.The arm holes are big, so there will be no trouble getting into it as she grows.The final shell border is so pretty.The dress is actually too big for her right now, but I am hoping she can wear it by Winter. I think it might fit a 1 yr old or bigger. I had to resort to using anything to keep her occupied while taking these pictures. She is a baby on the go these days.Instead of making ties for the back, I crocheted a loop and added a button.

This took about 4 days. Not bad for something that I had to play around with. The instructions are not as clear as I would like it to be. In fact, I ignored some of the instructions and did them my way. I wrote down everything, so I will post the mods that I made on my Ravelry page when I have some time.

Pattern: Baby Girl Sleeper
Yarn: 2 balls of Vanna's Choice in color: SeaSpray Mist 304
Hook: US J-10 / 6 mm

38 comments:

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

Adorable.
Cannot think of anything, but that sweet child. Yes, the top is cute and I applaud your crochet talent... but the model is priceless!

Kirsten said...

The smock/dress is completely adorable!! I love the picture of the chubby baby belly! So sweet!

rohanknitter said...

That's so cute. I love that she can wear first as a dress and then later as a tunic.

LaBean said...

Aww she's getting soo big!! Bless her. Thanx for this inspiration and the link to the pattern. I have not one but TWO new babies in the family this month. I'd better get crackin, and crochet is the way to go!

Amanda Jean said...

it's very cute! I like how it turned into a dress.

Rima said...

Soooo darn cute! Perfect color and she looks so cute!

Sue said...

It looks so good as a dress. I can see her wearing it with little pants later on too, she is so cute.

Anonymous said...

The dress looks adorable!

Anonymous said...

Aw, too cute! She'll be the best dressed baby on the block!

Jennie said...

Too cute, too cute, too cute!
Love it all, the dress & the model =)

Allegra said...

very nice! and great color too. Melody is just such a doll and I LOVE her hair! too cute! hope you are all doing well.

Jackie said...

O...so cute!! Melody sure is a model !!

Great works, mummy. Love the changes.

Anonymous said...

ha! so cute.

Agnes said...

Very cute dress! Looks like you can make a few more before winter comes! :)

hetty said...

OMG! Sooooo adorable! Oh, yeah, and the sweater/dress/tunic thing is cute too.

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

It is gorgeous! I love the color and your model is just perfect. We would never know she was squirmy if you hadn't told us. :)
~Elaine~

Anonymous said...

What a cute dress - and what an adorable model!

YayaOrchid said...

Your little crochet top is really cute! I don't know why, but Melody is just so cute and lovable. She really tugs at my heartstrings...such a precious, precious baby!

priscilla joy said...

what a cute top!! it matches perfect with those leggings. melody is cute with her little outfit!

Danielle said...

She looks so adorable, what a lucky baby to have such a talented mom :)

I like both the smock and dress version on your little model ;) Maybe you should make another in a different color in a smock LOL ;)

Rebekah said...

she's so precious! That dress is so adorable! It reminds me of the dresses by that knittingalot site with the sweetheart dress.

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for your warm get well wishes! I am feeling much better! She is incredibly darling in that lovely crocheted top! I just love it!

flanthrower said...

She gets cuter with each passing day! I really, really wish I could crochet better but no matter how hard I try, I can't ever seem to get the hang of it!

Meagan said...

I used to think my niece was the cutest button on the block. And now, I think, perhaps, just maybe, there are TWO cutest buttons on the block. But shhh, don't tell my niece!

nova said...

She may be squirmy but she is also cute! The sleeper is nice too, of course!

Christy T said...

oh goodness, could she be ANY cuter??? I love the hair :)

The sweater is adorable... I wish I had a little girl to crochet for! It turned out really cute :)

Knitterella said...

O M G to cute!!!! I love it! and Melody is so cute - getting so big! Adorable :)

Anonymous said...

What a great top - she is growing up so fast and is so very cute!

Beertje Zonn said...

What a lovely ;ittle girl with a lovely dress.
Kind regards,

Sonnja & Beertje Zonn

Elaina said...

What a lovely dress! Great color! I bet she's got your hands full with all the crawling around! Evie still not crawling yet, but she's doing the log rolling to get from one place to another. I bet Evie's already too big for that tunic! *sigh* Me and my giant baby.

joyce said...

great work...and she's such a cutie!

jacquie said...

this is so adorable and she's getting cuter every time i visit. i'll bet she's a handful!

Lisa Stepi said...

i haven't been to your blog in a while - melody's grown so much! that tunic is so cute on her.

Par said...

That is so cute, your so good at this.

Corrie said...

oh the hair the hair! yes the little jumper is super cute but how cute is her hair...it makes me want to touch it! super cute!

Corrie:)

Anonymous said...

Soooo Sweet! Hope she is feeling better.

Anonymous said...

Had to tell you that your little girl is just the cutest most adorable little thing! I know it was 2 years ago now but I had to say so. So very pretty!Totally love the little dress, she looked gorgeous in it. So very clever to make up the pattern.

Anonymous said...

Had to tell you that your little girl is just the cutest most adorable little thing! I know it was 2 years ago now but I had to say so. So very pretty!Totally love the little dress, she looked gorgeous in it. So very clever to make up the pattern.