Crocheting with Thread

Well, Spring was looking promising until I got up this morning. The temp had dropped down to freezing, there was ice on my vehicle, and the wind was biting. I had taken a brief vacation from using worsted weight yarn and opted for something lighter and "springy" (in color not texture). Over the years and seasons, I have made my sister a number of doilies using #10 crochet thread, and thought I would make a couple for her Spring collection. This has been quite the process because I'm looking for a very specific looking design, but don't really know what that is. I want something to POP out at me. I have found several that are adorably cute, and some that are so elegantly vintage that I haven't been able to make up my mind. Does anyone else ever have this problem?

So, while I obsess over finding the perfect Spring doily pattern, I decided to start with some of my old favorites. The first doily I made this year was a pattern I accidentally found several years ago when I was first beginning to use crochet thread. It is a lovely pattern, easy to follow, works up pretty quickly, and is beautiful when finished and blocked. The pattern is called Starlight and is by Julia Hart; shown above. You can find her designs on Ravelry or on her website linked here.

The second doily I've made since the beginning of the year is called Pineapple and Rose by Katherine A White. I found it in a book that I purchased years ago and this was actually the first doily I ever attempted to make. The book is called Old Fashioned Doilies and it's an Annie's Attic publication. I believe that it must be out of print because I could not find another physical copy online. However, I linked the designers pattern page on Ravelry, here The booklet contains 6 doily patterns that are just beautiful! Though I have not made all of them, I think this is the year that I will work my way through it.

I love working with crochet thread. The beautiful timeless designs that you can create using such delicate thread is quite satisfying. I'm sure you are thinking that I am crazy because it can be difficult to work with and hold on to, I love it because of how clean the stitches look and how defined they become when the piece has been finished. Sometimes, depending on the design, blocking helps. If it's a very delicate design, I lightly starch the finished doily. To do this, I use just an ironing starch that you would use on your laundry to get crisp collars.

Speaking of things you starch, I love using crochet thread to make snowflakes. Snowflakes are so much fun to make, and with the variety of snowflake patterns out there, you don't ever have to get bored. I haven't really found a starch that I like to use exclusively on them. The art teacher at my school recommended Sta-Flo heavy starch. It seemed to work really well, but I had extra left over, and I'm not sure what kind of a shelf life it has. When I starched the snowflakes, I added translucent shimmery glitter to give the snowflakes a sparkle when on display. Be careful when using glitter on items especially if you are gifting them... not everyone likes the mess glitter leaves.

I hope you have a fantastic couple of weeks. I am working on adding some patterns to the pattern page, so check back soon.

Happy Hooking!