I have no further progress to report on any afghan project, because all crochet-time lately has been devoted to doilies. Thread crochet is ideal for hot, summertime weather, so when the doily bug bit, I didn't resist.
Unfortunately both these latest doilies are unidentified charted patterns I found online, so I can't provide pattern information. Sorry about that!
I'm calling the first doily "Rosy-Fingered Dawn" in honor of the thread color. (I'm not particularly great or clever at naming things...) The thread is more from my "going-out-of-business" clearance-priced stash of America's Best Country Cotton Crochet Thread (size 10), and the color is "Rose Pink".
I used a smaller hook size than I typically use for size 10 thread, just to see if my results might be nicer or "tidier" in some way. Instead of my usual size 1.75mm or 1.65mm, I used a 1.5mm hook. You wouldn't think such a small variation in size would make much difference, but it was actually noticeably more difficult to handle the size 10 thread with the smaller hook. It was worth a try, but from now on, I'll stick to the slightly larger hooks. (For size 20 thread, the 1.5mm hook is just fine, incidentally.)
This is one of the rare times I wish I had tried to measure the doily before and after blocking. It grew a lot during blocking. Of course, I do tend to block things within an inch of their lives, but the difference would probably be impressive even with a gentler blocking.
The second doily (also unidentified) is in the same "Nile Green" Cébélia Cotton size 20 thread I used for the recent PK doily, "Momentous Occasion". Again seeking inspiration from the thread color, I named this doily "Krokodiler på Nilen", which is Swedish for "Crocodile on the Nile".
I don’t really love making these open, “meshy” doilies with tons of chain spaces-- though they are sometimes very pretty. The impressive photo that accompanied the chart convinced me to give this one a try, and I'm happy with the results-- but I don’t ever want to make this pattern again. I don't know what it is about these meshy doilies, but they trip me up. It's not an especially difficult pattern, as doilies go, but I've made multiple minor mistakes that I've had to rip back long rounds to fix. Annoying.
On the last round, I pulled out the remnant from a matching dye-lot (left over from "Momentous Occasion"). I thought it would be enough, but just a couple of repeats shy of finishing, it became clear that it wasn't. (Argh!) So I pulled back yet another round and decided to make my own very streamlined, thread-conserving border round, to be absolutely sure there would be enough the second time around. My simplified final round is nowhere near as fancy as the one charted in the pattern, but I think it's fine. The only way anyone will ever know it's not "as written" is if I make a point of talking about it (and then they'll probably just try to change the subject to something other than crochet).
While blocking, I found that I'd skipped one of the picots in the last round. I suppose I could go back and add one in as an afterthought, but I'm not sure I'll bother. At this point, I'm just glad to have it finished. Let me reiterate: I never want to make this doily again. It is pretty, though... Blocking makes all the difference in the world!
After that last doily, I'm looking forward to working with worsted weight yarn again, for a while.
Unfortunately both these latest doilies are unidentified charted patterns I found online, so I can't provide pattern information. Sorry about that!
I'm calling the first doily "Rosy-Fingered Dawn" in honor of the thread color. (I'm not particularly great or clever at naming things...) The thread is more from my "going-out-of-business" clearance-priced stash of America's Best Country Cotton Crochet Thread (size 10), and the color is "Rose Pink".
I used a smaller hook size than I typically use for size 10 thread, just to see if my results might be nicer or "tidier" in some way. Instead of my usual size 1.75mm or 1.65mm, I used a 1.5mm hook. You wouldn't think such a small variation in size would make much difference, but it was actually noticeably more difficult to handle the size 10 thread with the smaller hook. It was worth a try, but from now on, I'll stick to the slightly larger hooks. (For size 20 thread, the 1.5mm hook is just fine, incidentally.)
This is one of the rare times I wish I had tried to measure the doily before and after blocking. It grew a lot during blocking. Of course, I do tend to block things within an inch of their lives, but the difference would probably be impressive even with a gentler blocking.
- - - - - - -
I don’t really love making these open, “meshy” doilies with tons of chain spaces-- though they are sometimes very pretty. The impressive photo that accompanied the chart convinced me to give this one a try, and I'm happy with the results-- but I don’t ever want to make this pattern again. I don't know what it is about these meshy doilies, but they trip me up. It's not an especially difficult pattern, as doilies go, but I've made multiple minor mistakes that I've had to rip back long rounds to fix. Annoying.
On the last round, I pulled out the remnant from a matching dye-lot (left over from "Momentous Occasion"). I thought it would be enough, but just a couple of repeats shy of finishing, it became clear that it wasn't. (Argh!) So I pulled back yet another round and decided to make my own very streamlined, thread-conserving border round, to be absolutely sure there would be enough the second time around. My simplified final round is nowhere near as fancy as the one charted in the pattern, but I think it's fine. The only way anyone will ever know it's not "as written" is if I make a point of talking about it (and then they'll probably just try to change the subject to something other than crochet).
While blocking, I found that I'd skipped one of the picots in the last round. I suppose I could go back and add one in as an afterthought, but I'm not sure I'll bother. At this point, I'm just glad to have it finished. Let me reiterate: I never want to make this doily again. It is pretty, though... Blocking makes all the difference in the world!
- - - - - - -
After that last doily, I'm looking forward to working with worsted weight yarn again, for a while.