What the Doily, yo?

There are some really odd crochet trends floating around the fibre world at the moment, and Crocheting covers for pebbles is definitely one of them. They sound absolutely barmy, but have you seen how frakking pretty they are? Practically for designers, I would imagine that they would be a nightmare. So I stopped imagining. I mean, really; you can't write a pattern for a pebble cover, and then ask the maker to take a day trip to a beach, and take a pebble which 'matches the stated dimensions'. Odd, very odd. These are for crocheters who are happy to freeform a little.

I must admit though, a necklace one would be nice..

Crocheted pebble covers

I keep getting wedding ideas even though it's no secret that we won't be getting hitched for a pretty long time. Firstly, I have bought the yarn to make the dress. Yes. You heard. Which might not sound like a big deal, but think about it. I need to work on it when he's not around (bad luck to see the dress before the day, obviously). I've got to design the thing, and make it over a period where I can't gain or lose any weight, which would include getting pregnant! But before any of that is even thought about, I want the date set in stone. So it's not happening for a while. That's cool though, we're 9 years together already. But I digress!!

The wedding idea was painted and crocheted stone covers as baloon weights, but that's not the best on that's hit me in the last few days. I ask you, then; why is nobody making doilies for weddings?

Crocheting my Doily on the way to my Mum's on the Easter weekend.

In the office last week, was a ball of Rico Essentials Crochet Cotton (I've just looked up that link - only 30 people have it stashed which is batty - It's something stupid like £1.90 for 260m). It was red, which isn't really my colour, but I wanted to have a play and get to know the yarn, plus it's kind of a personal tradition for me to craft something over the Easter weekend. So I rooted out a doily pattern, and got hooking. Figured I'd make it for my fella's mum, she likes red and frilly things. I'd made one before so it wasn't completely out there, the idea just suited the yarn. After three rounds I was consumed by the mesmerising construction of each round, and blasted through the yarn in 2 days. End of the story was, my doily did not get done by the end of Easter Sunday. But whatever.

Point is, they're pretty. But what is really bugging me, is how versatile they are. I say bugging simply because I don't quite understand why they are so unappreciated. After a few minutes digging around on Ravelry I found hundreds of free vintage ornamental, beautiful doily patterns that people had carefully typed out and uploaded from very old originals (not a clue how this works with copyright - mine is from 1946). My daydream would be black tablecloths with electric blue doilies over the top as a wedding centrepiece (ok, so maybe not poebbles too, that might be too much). This lady crocheted a doily pattern and modified it as she went to make it fit an umbrella. SO pretty, if slightly impractical.

Modified Doily umbrella by Liana

One of the girls in the office has announced that she is pregnant. She is really lovely, too. So after finding that my red Rico doily (above) is coming out twice the suggested size because of the thickness of thread, what is stopping us from swapping a 30-count cotton up to sock yarn, and turning it into the most decorative baby shawl anyone could possibly dream of getting? Sock yarns are mostly washable too, right? Do it, people!

...anyway so I ran out of red yarn mid-doily and now have no doily-ing to do until more arrives. Hence I have time to blog instead. Meh.

EDIT: If you're not sold by doilies (you moron, how can you not be sold!!) but still fancy trying out this fab 'crisp and clean' yarn, go superclean and make a soap cover. Great gifts for the um.. 'mature' lady in your life. I wouldn't say no, though! It would be a good exfoliant, right? ..right?