the fearsome knit dress

[smileswhf]

I've been trying really hard to advance my knitting skills. Mostly, I want to improve my garment construction so that I can, you know, make sweaters and stuff. Having a little girl around makes this a bit more appealing -- it takes a heck of a lot less yarn to cover her little hiney than it does to cover mine. And I try to pick stuff that she will like. So I found this dress pattern and picked some yarn and knitted away. Originally, I wanted to make it blue and yellow, but I buy my yarn online which makes it difficult to match colors. So I went with a blue and apple green that is very much a color combination that she loved a few months ago. Eh, Voila!




I was pretty proud of myself really. DG was less than impressed. In fact, she cowers in fear when she sees the dress coming. She refuses to even try it on. As the dress approaches, she starts backing up, shaking her head and crying "no dress, no dress." At one point, I calmed her down and asked her what she doesn't like about the dress. All she would say was "no blue green." The best I can come up with is that she doesn't like smocked bodices. Too tight. This does have a smocked bodice, but it's oldy fashioned smocking that doesn't involved elastic. Also, it's stretchy (because it's knitted) and made of really soft yarn.

A friend suggested that I wait a couple of months and wrap it up in a princess bag with a bunch of pink tissue paper and she might like it then. Or at least try it on. At this point, I have nothing to lose. I tell you what, though: it's best not to tie your self-esteem up in anything having to do with a toddler.

Details for the craft curious:
Free Pattern Valley Yarns 170 Cady's Smocked Jumper
Knit in Valley Yarns Goshen, a blend of cotton, modal and silk, in colonial blue and apple green.

Comments

[ivy]

Oh, so much sympathy on toddler rejection. I think it's a lovely dress, though.

Maybe a stylish pin or corsage to go with it? I don't know. (Possibly better if you too have a matching pin or corsage. Then it's cool.)

[smileswhf.livejournal.com]

It's a good thought, but she's still too young for the mother/daughter matching thing. I think if that kind of "argument" could work, then it would also be possible to convince her to try the dress on before she decides to hate it. I think I just need to get over it. I practiced a couple of new knitting skills and somewhere in the future there will be a little girl who likes the dress. And isn't it all just practice for middle school? My mother never helped me with the fashion aspect of being a teenage girl which was hard. I figure if I start practicing now, all of my sewing skills will be up to snuff when it matters most. [but my fashion sense will still be questionable. har!]