Sweater Dress inspired by one from Macy's

Back in October, I ran into a sweater dress at Macy's that inspired a new design. I got the yarn over Thanksgiving break and now, it's finished! (See my November post)

I started the dress from the top and worked in the round, with some shaping for the waist and the curve of the back. To get more miles out of the variegated yarn, I alternated rows with a matching solid color yarn. When I got just below the hips, I became concerned that the cable pattern was creating a knit that was too structured. Great for the top, but not so great for the skirt. I wanted a skirt that flared and danced. 

I worked a boundary with an applied Icord then switched to needles one size larger to finish the dress. I also stopped alternating rows with the solid color yarn to keep just the variegated yarn, the latter being of a tad bit lighter weight. And I switched to straight knit stitch. All this contributed to a thinner, drapy knit. I continued with the straight A line increase I had started for the hips. 

In the end, this took the equivalent of just under 3 balls of the variegated yarn. I would have had enough of the variegated yarn to do the entire dress. But no regrets, I will find a use for the left overs! Among ideas are wrist warmers, leg warmers, a scarf, a sweater,...

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Styled with a belt