Recently I was bit by the creative bug — or perhaps an impulse to clear out stone of my yarn stash — and I decided to see if I could work up a little crochet dress without a pattern. I had a lot of blue and white yarn left over from my Christmas crafting, and since those are perfect colours for Perpetua, I thought I would see what I could do.

For those interested in the nitty-gritty, this was worked from the top down in a 4-weight acrylic using a G hook. The bodice is single crochet worked in the round, and the skirt was done in moss stitch to give it a little more drape. It’s made according to Perpetua’s current measurements (with a little room to grow) so is probably around an 18m size.

In retrospect, there are some things I would do differently next time. Despite using moss stitch, the skirt is pretty stiff; I should probably have switched to a larger hook to get a little more airyness in it. And leaving room to grow on the straps means that the bodice is lower than it should be. If she wants to wear it without a t-shirt underneath I will have to extend that top panel upwards a bit. Which is fine. This was a learning project, after all!

Overall I am very pleased with how this came out. I very rarely work from a pattern, but many of the things I make are shawls and blankets and similar. Making a piece of clothing without a pattern was a stretching experience, but I am very pleased to have done it!