Girls in their Summer Dresses

This is my kind of Tea Party!

Now that Memorial Day/Queen’s Birthday /assorted Bank Holidays have announced that summer is officially here in their respective countries, I’m announcing the Dishcloth Dress. (Ingrid, you and your mates will just have to dream about summer.) Notice how effective it is in wiping up spills.

This pattern came to me in a dream.  Sort of.  A dream where a bunch of elderly women were standing around in elastic waist pants made in kitchen cotton in the Ballband pattern in all sorts of crazy colors. They were wearing jackets, and cardigans, and carrying those large pocketbooks that close with a resounding snap, like the one my Grandma used.  When I described this vision of loveliness to Maura and Martha, my Monday night crewe at the Yarnery, after the laughing died down the suggestion was made that it could be cute in kid pants.  Or a skirt, or….it took off from there.  So here are a couple of my favorite models rockin’ the ‘tea’, the dishcloths, the dresses, and the dandelions.  (At least you can rest assured we don’t use chemicals on our lawn.)

Water dripping is fascinating.

But drinking it is rather entertaining as well.

Please help us, we don’t have enough dandelions.

I used a variation on the classic ballband pattern stitch, and Cascade Cotton Rich DK instead of dishcloth cotton because it has great colors and enough acrylic to make it easier to knit with and less saggy than 100% cotton.  I machine washed and dried the dresses with no ill effects.

There are only two sizes, but because of the drawstring and the adjustable straps (just move the button) it should fit for a while.  The pink version is the small (24” chest) knit at a tighter gauge (I’m not complaining about the test knitter, really I’m not.) and the model is almost two.  The purple and green is a small and the model is about two and a half.

I am working on some shorts, too.  Soon, I hope.  Pattern available at the Yarnery, on Ravelry, and wholesale via Yarncraft Supplies.

This dress is also excellent hawk watching wear.

MLE