The Temperature Dress
I absolutely love the idea of the temperature blanket, making something cozy that represents the weather during a special year. Unfortunately, I live in Hawaii, so blankets tend to end up squashed in our linen cupboard in perpetuity.
Of course, there’s no reason why we have to keep track of temperature using a blanket, so why not make it a dress? The pattern below makes a simple top down sheath dress, with notes for optional shaping. You can also download a paid ad free PDF of the pattern from Raverly using the button below.
This dress is an extension of the popular temperature blanket idea, where each color represents a range in temperature and each row of the project represents the weather for a period of time (I chose to alternate the average high temperature and average low temperature for each week every other row). Your work can represent the weather for the current year, the year you were born, the year you were married, etc. I chose to make one for the year I was born. I do suggest using weekly averages rather than daily averages, or you may end up with an 8 foot long dress :) There are several sites where you can find historical weather data. The most accurate and complete I have found is Weather Underground (https://www.wunderground.com/history/) For an example, please see the bottom of this page for the color chart I used for my dress.
General pattern info
Skill level: Easy
Yarn: Worsted weight yarn
(I used Caron Simply Soft, Red Heart Super Saver, and Mainstays)
Hook: 5 mm, or size needed to achieve gauge. 4.5 mm optional for shaping
Notions: tape measure, stitch holders, scissors, tapestry needle
Sizes: Small (Medium, Large, Extra Large, XX Large) to fit 34” (35” - 37”, 38” - 39”, 40” - 42”, 43” - 48”) bust
Gauge: 15 HDC x 11 rows = 4” x 4” square
Stitch abbreviations:
Ch = chain
Sl st = slip stitch = insert hook into next st, draw yarn through loop on hook.
SC = single crochet = insert hook into next st, pull up a loop, pull yarn through both loops.
HDC = half double crochet = yarn over, insert hook into next st, pull up a loop, pull yarn through all 3 loops.
HDC2tog = half double crochet two together = yarn over, insert hook into next st, pull up a loop, yarn over, insert hook into next st, pull up a loop, pull yarn through all 5 loops.
Inc = increase
Dec = decrease
Yoke
Ch 80 in first color. Sl st to 1st ch.
Row 1: ch 1. 3 HDC in same chain as join (corner made). HDC across next 28 chs. 3 HDC in next ch. HDC in next 10 ch. 3 HDC in next ch. HDC across next 28 ch. 3 HDC in next ch. HDC in next 10 ch. Sl st to 1st HDC. (88 HDC). Attach color 2.
Row 2: Ch 1. HDC in same st. (3 HDC in next stitch. HDC across 30. 3 HDC in next stitch. HDC across next 12 stitches.) Repeat one more time. Join to first HDC (96 HDC). Attach color 3.
Please note: This work generates quite a few ends. One way to minimize the number you need to sew in at the end of the project is to hold the ends behind your work after you have attached them and crochet your new stitches over them. I highly suggest using this method for this project!
Repeat row 2, putting 3 HDCs in the middle of each corner, increasing the stitch count by 8 each row until work measures 7” (8.5”, 9”, 10”, 12”) from neckline to bottom.
Note: Because you are making a top down dress, I suggest trying on your dress regularly to ensure you are happy with the fit. You can add or subtract length at any point by adding or removing rows.
Fasten off.
Body
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Fold your work in half lengthwise. Line up corners and put a stitch marker through the middle stitch of the front and back for both sets of corners. Attach yarn to one corner pair through both layers and ch 1. HDC in each stitch around until you reach next stitch marker. HDC through both stitches, attaching them. HDC in rest of stitches to end of row. Sl st to 1st HDC.
Note: I’ve written the pattern for a basic, mostly unshaped sheath dress. If you prefer something more shaped, I suggest decreasing by 3 stitches (I used HDC2Tog, placed evenly throughout each row) every row after joining until you start the waist shaping section.
Next row: Ch 1. HDC in same stitch and in each st around. Sl st to 1st HDC.
Repeat row until you have added an additional 2”(4”, 5”, 6”, 7”) to work, 9” (12.5”, 14”, 16”, 19”) total, measured from neckline to bottom of work.
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Shaping waist:
Note: single crochets are naturally tighter than hdcs, and will therefore provide a small amount of waist shaping. If you would like more significant waist shaping, try going down half a millimeter in hook size (for example, from 5 mm to 4.5 mm) for the next rows.
Row 1 - 10: Ch 1. SC in same st and in every st around. Sl st to first SC.
Skirt
(see notes for optional shaping instructions)
Note: The instructions below will give you a loose, fairly unshaped dress. To shape, try increasing by 2 stitches for 23 (25, 27, 27, 28) rows after finishing SC rows (I did this by placing 2 HDC in one stitch and increasing evenly on each side), followed by 21 (23, 25, 25, 26) rows of decreasing (I used HDC2tog, one on each side) by 3 stitches every row.
For simpler shaping, you can increase hook size by .5 millimeter for skirt.
Row 1: ch 1. HDC in every stitch around. Sl st to first HDC.
Repeat row 1 until work (measured from just below waist band to bottom of work) measures 17’ (18’, 19’, 19’, 20’)
Edging:
Note: As with the waistband, you can choose a smaller hook here to provide a bit more shaping.
Row 1 +: ch 1. Sc in same stitch as ch 1 and every stitch to end of row. Sl st to 1st sc.
Repeat row 1 for remaining lines of temperature chart, or 10 rows (depending on preference).
Fasten off and weave in any ends.
