I finally went on a long over-due blocking spree, last week. There are three Grace Fearon doilies (plus a bonus NOID doily) happily blocked and photographed. I didn't have enough pins to block the fourth, and over the weekend I finished a fifth, so now there are two more waiting their turn.
Each one gets its own blog post. It only seems fair.
Today has been a little overcast, so I had to bump up the ISO to 400. As a result, the photos may not be perfect, but I think they'll suffice.
First doily up is the one started the longest time ago.
"Orion" by Grace Fearon
I used my favorite hook for size 10 thread-- 1.75mm Clover Amour (the one with the pistachio green handle)-- and a ball of Aunt Lydia's Classic Crochet (Size 10) in "Orchid Pink".
The center of this doily has a floral look, I think.
There are a lot of popcorn stitches in there... Also quite a few "small special bullion stitches" (120 of them in one round!).
Blocking round doilies is always challenging to me-- mainly because I don't bother using a ruler and don't use a marked blocking mat. I eyeball it and call it good enough. And that usually is good enough, by my standards.
Looking at this one, now, it's more "okay" than "wow", but it's not a bad pattern. Probably better in some lights than others.
I definitely wouldn't stitch this one in a dark thread, because the center medallion is so dense that all those popcorns would probably just get lost.
The edging around the center is very nice, and that's the part that is most likely to show, anyway, if you put something in the middle of the doily.
(One doily down!)
Each one gets its own blog post. It only seems fair.
Today has been a little overcast, so I had to bump up the ISO to 400. As a result, the photos may not be perfect, but I think they'll suffice.
First doily up is the one started the longest time ago.
"Orion" by Grace Fearon
I used my favorite hook for size 10 thread-- 1.75mm Clover Amour (the one with the pistachio green handle)-- and a ball of Aunt Lydia's Classic Crochet (Size 10) in "Orchid Pink".
The center of this doily has a floral look, I think.
There are a lot of popcorn stitches in there... Also quite a few "small special bullion stitches" (120 of them in one round!).
Blocking round doilies is always challenging to me-- mainly because I don't bother using a ruler and don't use a marked blocking mat. I eyeball it and call it good enough. And that usually is good enough, by my standards.
Looking at this one, now, it's more "okay" than "wow", but it's not a bad pattern. Probably better in some lights than others.
I definitely wouldn't stitch this one in a dark thread, because the center medallion is so dense that all those popcorns would probably just get lost.
The edging around the center is very nice, and that's the part that is most likely to show, anyway, if you put something in the middle of the doily.
(One doily down!)