A dress to knit for...

At the shop Christmas party last night, Amy finished her first hat. There was a round of applause, a great big hooray! and well done. She then proceeded to say 'Can you ladies look at this pattern and talk me out of it?'

Which of course is knitter-speak for 'I really want to do this and need you to cheerlead me into knowing I can knit it'.

Being a design of beauty, we all gushed 'Of course Amy, you CAN DO IT!'

Allegheny by Thea Colman

Our little corner then started discussing knit dresses, and how much we would all like to take on such a challenge. And thus, our 2012 KAL was born.

The rules: knit a dress. It can be any weight, it must reach past one's bottom, and it must be finished by the end of 2012. Easy?

Well, yes, unless you are Margaret Stove's Granddaughter and are rather partial to lace. So begins my hunt for a knit dress pattern in, of all things, lace weight yarn. I suspect I'll end up finding a base pattern to work from, and make lots of alterations. But, here's some ideas to start....

Shetland Shawl dress by Teva Durham

Mohair Lace dress by Laura Zukaite

While the two above are beautiful, I know I don't want a chemise style dress. Hrmmm.

Ballerina Dress by Shiri Mor

This is getting closer. The bodice section is about perfect for what I'm after, but the skirt - not so much. The skirt on this next one is pretty much just the ticket:

Style no 1469 by Corticelli

Tea for Two by Minerva Yarns

Throw the lace pattern and these sleeves into the mix and it's almost there. Now to draft the pattern for the frankendress together (ha, that makes it sound hideous!) and get to swatching. I'm going to use Fyberspates Scrumptious Lace in Midnight, so it's going to be silky and drapey and delicious. There's a thread on the Holland Road Yarn Co group on Ravelry if you're interested in joining us. I'll try to do a progress update here every month or so as well. I'm excited! There's nothing quite like a juicy knitty challenge.