Crochet women’s dress - pick-a-boo lace pattern
Step-by-step crochet instructions
Step 1
Make a foundation chain of 121 chain stitches or multiples of 3 chains plus 1 additional chain. Join the last and first chains together with the slip stitch to crochet in the round.
Step 2
Begin with the bottom of the dress
1st round – ch3, sk2, [dc1, ch1, dc1 on one ch., sk2] to last 1 ch.; dc1, ch1, sk2 of the initial 3 chs and sl.st.1
2nd round – [flsc2, bump1*, flsc1] to end plus sl.st.1
*bump – ch2 and sc1 in the 1st chain of the two
3rd round – ch2, dc1 in the 1st ch. after the bump, ch2, [cluster1* above a bump,ch2] to last 1ch.; sk1 and sk2 of the following round plus sl.st.1
**cluster – yo, insert a crochet hook into a base chain, grab the yarn, and pull it through. You should have 3 stitches on your hook. Yo and pull the yarn through the first 2 chs on the hook. Yo and insert your hook into one of the base chains again (the 1st and 2nd base chains might not be next to each other), grab the yarn, and pull it through. You should have 4 stitches on your hook. Yo and pull the yarn through the 1st two chain and yo again to pull the yarn through the 3 remaining chains on your hook.
Repeat the pattern starting from the 1st round. For the dress, 11 rounds were crocheted.
Step 3
Work sl.st. back to your initial foundation chain. The other option is to attach the yarn and work sc using other loops of the foundation chain.
1st round – sc to end
2 – 30 rounds – flsc to end
Step 4
1st decrease
31st round - [dec 1, flsc 10] to last 1 st., flsc 1. At the end of the round you should have 10 chains less.
32 – 41 rounds – flsc to end
Step 5
2nd decrease
42nd round - [dec 1, flsc 8] to last 1 st., flsc 1. After the decrease you should have 11 chains less or 100 chain stitches in total.
43 – 49 rounds – flsc to end
50th round – flsc to end plus sl.st.1
Step 6
Count again your chains. The total number of chains should be 100. Turn the work to the wrong side to crochet in opposite direction because the pattern looks better on the wrong side.
51st round = 1st round of the pattern
52nd round = 2nd round of the pattern
53rd round = 3rd round of the pattern
Step 7
Turn the work back to the right side
54th round – sc to end
55 – 58 rounds – flsc to end
59th round – flsc to end + sl.st.1
Step 8
Repeat step 6 and step 7. Then work step 6 one more time.
72nd round – sc to end.
Step 9
Increase
73rd round – [inc1, flsc 11] to last 4 chains; flsc 4. After the increase, you should have 8 chains more or 108 chains in total.
74 – 84 rounds – flsc to end.
Step 10
Front part
(use 54 chains or half of your total number of chain stitches)
1st row – flsc 54 + 2 RC
2nd row – blsc backwards to end + 2 RC
3rd row – flsc to end + 3 RC
4th row – blsc backwards to end + 3 RC
After the 4 rows you should have 6 chains more or 60 chains in total.
5th row – flsc to end + 1 RC.
Step 11
½ of the front part
6th row – blsc backwards 30 + 2 RC
7th row – insert a hook into the 5th ch. from the hook, [dc1, ch1, dc1 in one base ch., sk2] to last 2 chs; sk1 and dc1 + 1 RC
8th row (wrong side) – [flsc 3, bump1] to last 2 chs; flsc 2 + 2 RC
9th row (right side) – insert a hook into the 3rd ch. from the hook, [blcluster 1, ch 2] to last 2 chs; cluster1 + 2 RC
10th row = 7th row
11th row - [blsc 3, bump1] to last 2 chs; blsc 2 + 2 RC
12th row = 9th row
13th row = 7th row
14th row = 8th row
15th row = 9th row
Step 12
Shoulder piece
(use 16 chains from the arm point)
16th row = 7th row
17th row = 11th row
18th row = 9th row
Step 13
Repeat steps 11 and 12 for the other front part.
Step 14
Back part
Work the part almost like the front one (steps 10, 11, and 12), but crochet the actual pattern not for 9 rows on 30 chains, but 10 rows and then work 2 rows on 16 chains for the back shoulder part.
Step 15
Join shoulder pieces together whether entirely or just at the neck and arm points.
Connect front and back parts together underarms.
Step 16
Edges
Work sc to end.