How to Crochet Doilies With String
Theoretically, any kind of cordage or ribbon material can be used to crochet a doily; it's just a matter of matching the thickness of the "string" to the size of the crochet hook. What the word "doily" most often evokes, however, is a small, lacy work made of fine thread, particularly of white or off-white crochet cotton. This traditional string comes in numbered sizes, the common ones ranging from the fine 30 to number 3, which is the same size as baby yarn. A happy medium for doily-making is number 10 cotton and a small steel hook.
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Instructions
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1
Make a foundation chain of four stitches. Join the ends with a slip stitch to make a ring. Chain 1 and work 8 single crochet in the ring. Join to the top of the first chain with a slip stitch. Chain 3.
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2
Work 2 double crochet in the same stitch where the chain is based, then 3 double crochet in each single crochet around. Join with a slip stitch. Chain 5.
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3
Make a double crochet in the next double crochet. Chain 2. Repeat around and join to the chain. Chain 6.
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4
Make a double crochet in the first double crochet of the last round. Chain 3 and repeat around, joining to the chain. Chain 7.
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5
Work additional rounds of open double-crochet mesh, on each round adding one chain stitch to the starting chain and between double crochets, until your doily is almost the size you want. Join the last round and chain 3.
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6
Work double crochets into the mesh of the last round --- as many as there are chain stitches in the space --- and two double crochet in each bar of the last round, making a solid edge of double crochet. Cut the thread and pull the end through the loop from the joining slip stitch and knot it securely. Use your hook to draw the end of the thread through several stitches around the edge.
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7
Adapt this basic pattern to your own taste by scattering closed meshes, as in Step 6, or other pattern stitches around the body of the doily, or alternate filled and open meshes in your third-to-last round, work the next round in "checkerboard" fashion, and finish with a solid edge.
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Tips & Warnings
Look for pattern booklets and women's magazines from the 19th and early 20th centuries, the heyday of doilies, for the widest variety of patterns. As late as the 1950s and '60s, the "pineapple" style was popular.
Patterns for medallions or motifs meant to be joined to make tablecloths and bedspreads may also make nice small doilies, such as for coasters.
This pattern is a simple form of filet crochet, which often contains pictures or mottoes worked from charts. These more complex designs may be worked from one side to the other rather than from the middle out to the edge.
Crocheting an edging around a piece of fine linen or an embroidered panel is a quick way to create a doily.
References
Resources
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