Doilies!

I always used to think doilies were so old fashioned and not for young women like myself to be making, but recently I realized just how awesome and fun these pretty things are to crochet! You work in the round, so you can pretty much make it up as you go along, using simple repeating patterns or intricate designs, as long as you increase enough to keep it growing! To get you started, here's a simple pattern that I came up with for practice!

Simple Doily Pattern

Skills needed: magic ring, chain, slip stitch, double crochet, half double crochet, increase

This can be made with any yarn and hook. Acrylic doilies will be about 7 inches in diameter, while cotton crochet thread doilies will be about 4 inches in diameter, when made with the recommended hook size.

1. Start with a magic ring (or you could just chain 4 and slip stitch into the first chain to form a ring).

2. Double crochet 10 into the ring.

3. Chain 2. Double crochet twice into each stitch of the previous round until you get to the last stitch. Double crochet once in this stitch and slip stitch into the chain space to complete the round.

4. Chain 3. Skip the first stitch and double crochet once in the next one. Chain one. Skip the next stitch and double crochet once in the next one. Repeat until you come to the second to last stitch. Chain one and slip stitch into the chain space (where you started) to complete the round.

5. Chain 4. Skip the space made by the chain in the previous round and double crochet once into the next stitch, then chain two. Repeat this until you come to the last stitch of the round. (You should never make a stitch into an open space, only into stitches of the previous round.) Chain 2 and slip stitch into the chain space you began with to complete the round.

6. Chain 6. Repeat the last round, but chain 4 between each stitch this time.

7. After you slip stitch to complete the round, chain one. In the space made by the four chains of the previous round, half-double crochet once, double crochet twice, and half-double once more. Then slip stitch into the stitch of the previous round. Repeat that pattern for the entire round. After the last repeat, slip stitch into the chain you began with.

8. Chain 6, then slip stitch into the slip stitch you made between repeats in the previous round. Repeat this all the way around. When you reach the end, just bind off, weave in your ends, and you're done!

I hope that was easy enough to understand! Have fun making your doilies, and post them in the Birds Flickr group so we can all enjoy them! :D