On or around September 18 of this year, I discovered this dress:
I had already been experiencing granny-square-dress lust after seeing Cate Blanchett in this now famous/infamous photo:
So I added the Go-go Granny Dress to my queue at Ravelry, and then made the rounds of the bookstores near my house until I found a copy of Knitting It Old School, the book which contains the pattern for Ms. Roudier’s delightful dress.
As is my wont, I was unable to follows the directions exactly. To start, I used my trusty Red Heart Super Saver acrylic yarn instead of the lighter weight cotton that was called for in the pattern. This resulted in two differences that I am aware of.
The first, and most immediately noticeable difference is that the granny squares of my dress are four rounds each rather than the five-round granny squares pictured in the book.
The second difference I discovered yesterday when I finally put the dress on: it is a bit like wearing a blanket. Given that the temperature where I live topped out somewhere in the mid-thirties today, this is, at the moment, a good thing.
Without further ado, here is the finished garment:
But I wanted to know, how does one wear a go-go granny dress? To that end, I consulted with a Hollywood stylist and life style blogger, Gigi Berry, to get some tips.
The givens were the dress and some orange rainboots I had gotten to go with it.
To pull it all together, Gigi recommended white tights, a white turtleneck, dangling earrings, chunky bracelets, a bit of an updo, and a hair band.
I did my best to follow her advice, and with a pair of what would now be called vintage earrings from my mother, a Bumpit, the help of a video at Youtube that showed how to use the Bumpit, and a hair band I made while my son was at choir practice last night, I put together this ensemble:
No doubt I will give this pattern another try in a lighter weight yarn that will give it a bit more drape so that I have something to wear in the seasons that are not winter, but in the meantime, I will enjoy the warmth of my new go-go granny dress:
I LOVE this dress! It is definitely on my To-Do list!
OMGosh you’re so freaking cute in that dress. Great job.
Thanks so much to everyone! Your support and encouragement along the way is how I got it done.
your comment…
Too KEWL!!!
Well done, good job, and thanks for reminding me of all the UFOs I have lying around the house.
omg it is fantastic! i love it!
Thank you Maryse!
I would not have thought of this on my own, so many thanks to you for the design that brought this to life.
It is absolutely Adorable!!!! You look great in it! I think I want one! I did a skirt a year ago, but this…this is so much cuter
your comment…That is SO adorable. I must make one! Good job!
Oh, it’s splendid! Huzzah on a job very well done!
Wash your granny dress in just fabric softener in the washing machine..tumble dry on cool. It should drape better after that. LOVE the outfit. THe orange boots are fab!
After we saw Cate Blanchett wearing her granny dress, we started calling her Cate BlanKett!
Just Love It! ~ And you look wonderful. Need to add this photo to your facebook <3
Thank you, Becky! xoxo
AMAZING! So much fun and so cheerful. I hope you have a blast wearing it!
Absolutely cool, mod & fab, well done! (And yes, the Red Heart softens up a treat after a washer dryer trip.)
I am definitely going to have to get some fabric softener and give this a shot.
Having said that, I wore it today because it is (for NC) so astoundingly cold, and it made life a lot more comfortable.
Beautiful! love the colors!
Very nice and it looks warm too.
Your’s is nicer than Cate’s….
Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to look and special thanks to those who have taken time to comment. I am definitely going to make a second version in a lighter weight yarn so that I have something that I can wear in other seasons. I had not thought about a two piece outfit, but that is definitely worth thinking through!
So cute!! I like your version better than the other!!! Are you going to attempt another? Perhaps a two piece?
You go girl!!!
LOVE this! Adorable!
Love your dress. I’ve been looking around the net for something similar. I’ll definately be making one- however mine will be summery- without the sleeves.