Magic Doilies...

I'm Hooked!

I know most of you need another hobby like you need another hole in your head. But this is one that I just enjoy so much. I thought I'd be selfish not to share. Most of you know I crochet doilies. Lots of doilies.

Funny thing, I can't follow a standard pattern to save my life. All the symbols and abbreviations just wear me out. But this Magic Crochet... that, I can do. Sandy introduced this to me a couple years ago and, as long as it is round, I can crochet it. I showed my Mom and she has shared it with neices and nephews of mine. All of them have picked it up with no trouble.

First, there is the graph. It is just a pie sliced version of the doily that you will be crocheting. It has numbers for the rows and sometimes they have numbers for the chains. But the coolest thing about the graphs are the symbols. Each symbol represents a different kind of stitch. And these are mostly self-explanatory, but there is also a key in the front of the magazines to help you keep it all straight. They are just your standard crochet stitches- chain, single, double, triple. Nothing mysterious. You just repeat the symbols of each row until you are finished with that row.

I have never timed myself, but I figure that if I work on a doily, in my spare time- when I'm not quilting, an average-sized doily would only take me a week or two. The larger ones take longer, of course. Getting used to the tiny hook and thread is one of the hurdles to jump, and when I first started, I felt like a two year old trying hold a crayon and draw between the lines. It was kind of comical. But now I find the yarns and larger hooks quite clumsy to work with.

And doilies aren't just decorative. I love making small ones to use as coasters. Darcy gave me that beautiful variegated orange thread. It is a woven thread- so perfect for coasters. That just takes and hour or two. East peasy!

The Magic Crochet magazines are out of print, but you can still find them on the internet. Ebay, used books, you know. Hope you give it a try.

(Dear Joe, I'm sorry I didn't get any pictures of hearth and kin in this weekend post. That doesn't mean I don't love you, just means that the children probably looked like no one was tending them- think lots of mud pies. Quote of the week goes to Abe- "Light me!" Followed by lots of uproarious laughter. You have to figure out what they were up to as I am not telling. Only the boys... I'll try to do better next week. I love you son. Give my love to Laurie.)