Dressing for the evening most often involves purchasing and tailoring a fancy dress or elegant outfit. Unless you go out frequently and have a lot of money, this elegant outfit will be topped with your usual winter jacket in the colder months. What could be a very elegant evening ensemble can be ruined by your everyday coat. To get over the problem, you can turn to your own creativity and handiness. You can crochet an elegant evening cape and a matching pouch to hold your wallet and keys.
Materials Needed for the Evening Cape and Pouch
1. Specialty yarn in some fancy form
2. A crochet hook
3. A satin cord approximately 12 inches long
4. Scissors and a yarn needle
Crochet the Evening Cape
The evening cape is actually a short tube meant to be worn over the shoulders. The measurements will vary based on the size of the person for whom it is designed.
The cape should be wide enough to sit a bit atop the shoulders but still ease over the upper arms of the person wearing it. This is done by increasing the stitches on the rows of crochet as it is completed. The resulting shape of the crocheted evening cape is a trapezoid when laying flat.
If you are using a decorative specialty yarn to crochet this evening cape and pouch, it is a good idea to make it from basic single or double crochet. If you do a fancy stitch, it will be hidden by the decoration on the yarn itself. For summer wear, an open net or lacy stitch is quite lovely.
If the yarn is plainer, such as a Lurex or chenille, you can experiment with different crochet stitches. Plain yarns can be jazzed up for evening with fringe, looping edge treatment, or even beaded fringe or accents.
Crochet the Evening Pouch
The evening pouch is crocheted in the round as a cylinder. Begin with five to seven chain stitches formed into a ring for the bottom of the pouch. Then, stitch in the round, increasing stitches to form a circular bottom about four inches across. Then, continuing stitching without increasing to form the sides. Finish the top edge with a nice edging stitch.
To attach the cord on this drawstring evening pouch, simply use the needle to thread the satin cord in and out around the top of the evening pouch. It should be approximately one and a half inches from the top to leave a nice ruffle when closed.
Creating this elegant evening cape and matching pouch will allow you to truly dress up for your fancy evening affairs without breaking the bank. Some specialty yarn and a few hours of your time is much less expensive than purchasing a special occasion evening coat or jacket. By creating an elegant evening cape and pouch in various colors or styles, you will be able to wear a different one for every party you go to.
