FO: The dress is done!

I've finished the Folded Mini Dress (ravelry link) from Reversible Knitting by Lynne Barr. I did mine in a nice lady-like above-the-knee length, and I love the finished result. Woo-hoo! My yarn is Berroco Lustra, which is a little thicker and the gauge a little higher than the pattern's specs. I knit the smallest size, and did some other little size adjustments on the bodice to make it fit me. I chose the lower V neck for the front and threw in a couple of short rows for bust shaping. The color on the 2nd photo is the closest to the real thing. It's a sort of burgundy red.

Technique wise, I just used 3-needle bind-off for the shoulders instead of grafting. I didn't see the need to bother with grafting since I decided to just always wear the reverse stockinette as the right side. For the edges, I did not slip the first stitch. Instead, I used a crochet hook to add a separate slip stitch edge. I think that gives it a more finished look. It also made the armholes tighter (good), and the neckline tighter (not as good). I made my V neck slightly higher than the pattern's because I wanted a neckline I could wear without a layering piece underneath. As it turns out, the crocheted slip stitches makes the neckline less stretchy so I should have just left it alone because the neckline came out a bit too high.

I'm really surprised so few ravelers have knitted and/or queued this dress. The pattern is actually very straightforward and it's easy to customize for size. If you do knit it, do go with a little negative ease on the skirt. It has quite a bit of thickness, and if you knit it with positive ease, it might look too heavy. It needs to be stretched a bit too look good.

I'm looking forward to shopping at Stitches West this coming weekend. I'm thinking I should wear it then.