I try to have only one doily project going at a time, because otherwise, one gets pushed to the side, and I lose interest. The subject of this blog post has been my "in-progress" doily since the end of last November. It shouldn't have taken so long to finish, because it's not particularly large or difficult, compared to other patterns I've crocheted. I guess I was just distracted by other (non-doily) projects... And maybe my reluctance to crochet on it was partly due to the fact that I used dark thread, which is more difficult to see than lighter colors.
Whatever the reason, this finish has been a long time coming, so I'm even more excited than usual to have it done!
The pattern is "Tavra", by Grace Fearon.
Based on the stated yardage requirements, I thought it wise to have three balls of thread in the same color and dye-lot, but as it turned out, two were enough. If I'd known that, I wouldn't have chosen this dark purple thread (one of only a few options I had in sufficient supply). On the other hand, it's good to use up the older stash.
This is America's Best Country Cotton Crochet Thread, size 10, in "Plum". This brand of thread was discontinued when the Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co. went out of business-- which is when I bought a fair bit of it at a bargain price. I've been crocheting with it for years, but I'm finally getting close to using up most of it. It's decent thread, but I prefer a firmer, more tightly-twisted thread-- and I'm not crazy about some of the colors I have left-- more dark, hard-to-see colors like brown and navy blue.
I used a 1.75mm hook-- my favorite Clover Amour hook for crocheting doilies.
The pattern is advanced, but no more difficult than many other of this designer's patterns. There are a ton of popcorn stitches. I usually enjoy popcorn stitches, but when there are this many, they can slow down your progress a bit.
I think I found an error in Round 50 in my copy of the pattern. There seems to be a missing "ch-3" before the first asterisk. It's a small thing, but it caused me to have to rip out a whole round near the end, which is always annoying. ...But I just ripped it out, wound the thread back on the ball, and crocheted it again-- and now it's done, and no-one would ever know.
These days, I don't have to re-do rounds nearly as often as I once did, but mistakes can happen to anyone, no matter how long you've been crocheting or how careful you are. It's just part of the process of making things.
I'm happy with how it turned out, though I suspect this purple thread will show dust and Eskie fur more than a pastel or cream would.
...Honestly, I'm mostly just glad that this one's done. For the next doily, I've chosen a variegated thread to keep things more interesting. It's mostly shades of green, with some blue, and it makes me think of cool lakes surrounded by lush green grass and lily pads... Such a pleasing mental image, while we're held tight in the steamy clutches of a hot, humid summer! (I'm already dreaming of autumn. It can't come quickly enough!)
Until autumn makes its appearance (October for us, if we're lucky, as we were not, last year), crocheting doilies is a nice, cool pastime.
Whatever the reason, this finish has been a long time coming, so I'm even more excited than usual to have it done!
The pattern is "Tavra", by Grace Fearon.
Based on the stated yardage requirements, I thought it wise to have three balls of thread in the same color and dye-lot, but as it turned out, two were enough. If I'd known that, I wouldn't have chosen this dark purple thread (one of only a few options I had in sufficient supply). On the other hand, it's good to use up the older stash.
This is America's Best Country Cotton Crochet Thread, size 10, in "Plum". This brand of thread was discontinued when the Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co. went out of business-- which is when I bought a fair bit of it at a bargain price. I've been crocheting with it for years, but I'm finally getting close to using up most of it. It's decent thread, but I prefer a firmer, more tightly-twisted thread-- and I'm not crazy about some of the colors I have left-- more dark, hard-to-see colors like brown and navy blue.
I used a 1.75mm hook-- my favorite Clover Amour hook for crocheting doilies.
The pattern is advanced, but no more difficult than many other of this designer's patterns. There are a ton of popcorn stitches. I usually enjoy popcorn stitches, but when there are this many, they can slow down your progress a bit.
I think I found an error in Round 50 in my copy of the pattern. There seems to be a missing "ch-3" before the first asterisk. It's a small thing, but it caused me to have to rip out a whole round near the end, which is always annoying. ...But I just ripped it out, wound the thread back on the ball, and crocheted it again-- and now it's done, and no-one would ever know.
These days, I don't have to re-do rounds nearly as often as I once did, but mistakes can happen to anyone, no matter how long you've been crocheting or how careful you are. It's just part of the process of making things.
I'm happy with how it turned out, though I suspect this purple thread will show dust and Eskie fur more than a pastel or cream would.
...Honestly, I'm mostly just glad that this one's done. For the next doily, I've chosen a variegated thread to keep things more interesting. It's mostly shades of green, with some blue, and it makes me think of cool lakes surrounded by lush green grass and lily pads... Such a pleasing mental image, while we're held tight in the steamy clutches of a hot, humid summer! (I'm already dreaming of autumn. It can't come quickly enough!)
Until autumn makes its appearance (October for us, if we're lucky, as we were not, last year), crocheting doilies is a nice, cool pastime.