"Pineapples & Crowns"
Pattern by Patricia Kristoffersen
(from Pretty Pineapple Doilies)
Thread: Cébélia size 10, "223 Medium Dusty Pink"
(I love Cébélia. It's a quality thread with plenty of body and a lovely sheen. Always a pleasure to crochet!)
I honestly don't remember much about this pattern... Looking at the finished doily, I'd guess that it wasn't particularly challenging. It's not a highly textured doily, like some of PK's patterns are.
I like this style of pineapple for a change from the usual "mesh" pineapples-- and the crowns (from the pattern name) are there, too, though they're fairly subtle.
I had some leftover yardage from that ball of thread, so I made one of PK's "little doilies".
"Doily #64"
Pattern by Patricia Kristoffersen
(from 99 Little Doilies)
I love the way this doily looks! Square doilies require a little more focus than the "'round and 'round" doilies, but sometimes that's just what you need-- and the results are worth a bit more effort. This is one of PK's textured doilies. See all the "raised" stitches? It's fun to see them work up, but you do have to pay attention to what you're doing and follow the pattern carefully.
I still haven't used up the whole ball of thread, but I'm not sure there's enough for another "little doily". If nothing else, I can use it in a multicolored doily, sometime.
"Pineapple Bloom"
Pattern by Patricia Kristoffersen
(from Pretty Pineapple Doilies)
Thread: Cébélia size 10, "747 Aqua"
(I had a hard time getting the colors adjusted accurately in these photos. The actual color is a "more blue than green" aqua. Very soft, very fresh and pretty.)
This is another of the less-textured PK doilies. Fairly simple, but no less beautiful for that. I like it!
Again, I had more thread left, so I found another small doily to try.
"Mathilde"
Pattern by Grace Fearon
There's a ton of texture packed into this tiny doily. I think this is the first time I've tried a pattern by this designer. She has a number of gorgeous patterns available for sale on Ravelry, but there are also several free patterns, so you can sample her pattern-writing, if you'd like. ("Mathilde" is one of the freebies.)
If you're a fan of textured doilies, this up-and-coming designer seems like a good one to follow.
This pattern (as well as some of the designer's others) is gorgeous worked up in multiple colors. Some crocheters seem to be changing color manually every round or two-- which yields lovely results, but also leaves many tails to weave in. However, some seem to be using variegated thread with long color changes, including a line called "Miss Batik" from a company (I think...) named "Alize". I'll be filing that one away for future reference. This mercerized cotton thread comes in some beautiful colorways! It looks like it has to be ordered online (from any of a variety of sources), but it might be worthy of a little splurge, sometime...
(And no, I didn't use up all of that ball of thread, either. More for later!)
The last doily is my current WIP. I mentioned it last time. It's the charted Japanese pattern with no real name (unless "P19 Table Runner" strikes your fancy). I'm calling it "Graceful Undulations".
I've started the second half of the central panel. It's slow going, compared to a round doily, because I have to keep referring to the pattern. Each row is different from the last, of course, and I am not capable of memorizing such a long pattern repeat-- so there's not as much room for rhythm and that peaceful, meditative "zone".
I don't dislike crocheting this, but it's one of those things I'm making more because I want the runner than because the act of crocheting it fills me with any particular sense of joy. I won't be making this one again and again, in other words. Once will be quite enough for me!
When the central panel's done, I'll make the two flanking panels, which are narrower; however, since they're identical, I'm sure it will feel like a never-ending project, for a while!
Pattern by Patricia Kristoffersen
(from Pretty Pineapple Doilies)
Thread: Cébélia size 10, "223 Medium Dusty Pink"
(I love Cébélia. It's a quality thread with plenty of body and a lovely sheen. Always a pleasure to crochet!)
I honestly don't remember much about this pattern... Looking at the finished doily, I'd guess that it wasn't particularly challenging. It's not a highly textured doily, like some of PK's patterns are.
I like this style of pineapple for a change from the usual "mesh" pineapples-- and the crowns (from the pattern name) are there, too, though they're fairly subtle.
I had some leftover yardage from that ball of thread, so I made one of PK's "little doilies".
"Doily #64"
Pattern by Patricia Kristoffersen
(from 99 Little Doilies)
I love the way this doily looks! Square doilies require a little more focus than the "'round and 'round" doilies, but sometimes that's just what you need-- and the results are worth a bit more effort. This is one of PK's textured doilies. See all the "raised" stitches? It's fun to see them work up, but you do have to pay attention to what you're doing and follow the pattern carefully.
I still haven't used up the whole ball of thread, but I'm not sure there's enough for another "little doily". If nothing else, I can use it in a multicolored doily, sometime.
"Pineapple Bloom"
Pattern by Patricia Kristoffersen
(from Pretty Pineapple Doilies)
Thread: Cébélia size 10, "747 Aqua"
(I had a hard time getting the colors adjusted accurately in these photos. The actual color is a "more blue than green" aqua. Very soft, very fresh and pretty.)
This is another of the less-textured PK doilies. Fairly simple, but no less beautiful for that. I like it!
Again, I had more thread left, so I found another small doily to try.
"Mathilde"
Pattern by Grace Fearon
There's a ton of texture packed into this tiny doily. I think this is the first time I've tried a pattern by this designer. She has a number of gorgeous patterns available for sale on Ravelry, but there are also several free patterns, so you can sample her pattern-writing, if you'd like. ("Mathilde" is one of the freebies.)
If you're a fan of textured doilies, this up-and-coming designer seems like a good one to follow.
This pattern (as well as some of the designer's others) is gorgeous worked up in multiple colors. Some crocheters seem to be changing color manually every round or two-- which yields lovely results, but also leaves many tails to weave in. However, some seem to be using variegated thread with long color changes, including a line called "Miss Batik" from a company (I think...) named "Alize". I'll be filing that one away for future reference. This mercerized cotton thread comes in some beautiful colorways! It looks like it has to be ordered online (from any of a variety of sources), but it might be worthy of a little splurge, sometime...
(And no, I didn't use up all of that ball of thread, either. More for later!)
The last doily is my current WIP. I mentioned it last time. It's the charted Japanese pattern with no real name (unless "P19 Table Runner" strikes your fancy). I'm calling it "Graceful Undulations".
I've started the second half of the central panel. It's slow going, compared to a round doily, because I have to keep referring to the pattern. Each row is different from the last, of course, and I am not capable of memorizing such a long pattern repeat-- so there's not as much room for rhythm and that peaceful, meditative "zone".
I don't dislike crocheting this, but it's one of those things I'm making more because I want the runner than because the act of crocheting it fills me with any particular sense of joy. I won't be making this one again and again, in other words. Once will be quite enough for me!
When the central panel's done, I'll make the two flanking panels, which are narrower; however, since they're identical, I'm sure it will feel like a never-ending project, for a while!