From My Draft Archive: Happy Doilying

When I was rummaging around my blog archive to find this post, I realised that I have quite a few drafts sitting in my blogger account, unpublished and unloved... So I thought that I would gradually pick them up, dust them off, and actually post them! 

So if you see 'From My Draft Archive' in the title, you'll know that the post was written a while ago... I'll check them through them before posting in case I can add any new links or correct anything that has since changed, but otherwise they will remain as they were initially written - they'll just be very late! 
 

I don’t know if you are already familiar with a blog called By Haafner, written by a lovely Dutch lady? I discovered her blog via Pinterest, as she has also made a lovely cotton hexagon blanket in the same pattern I'm making. 

I was absolutely captured by the colours she uses. Lots of pastel colours, beautifully combined to make really enchanting crochet pieces. You’ll have to check it for yourselves though, as I really can’t do it justice with my inadequate words!

If you like, you can start with this post; the first picture really sucked me in as it my current favourite combination of a gorgeous soft rose pink and an equally gorgeous soft mint colour – both similar to the Rose and Mint in my Cuddly Hexagon Blanket in fact!

Anyway, a little further down and we come across her wonderful crochet doily in yet more beautiful colours. Now, I didn’t have any colours as lovely as these, but I did have a go with the colours I did have, using her pictures as a guide.

Here is my result:

I then had another go, alternating the main colour and border colour:

The yarn I used for these was Patons 100% Cotton DK for the centre – the same yarn I am using for my cotton blanket- though these were done before that was started, or I might not have used it here! The other yarns are Patons Cotton Blend DK (50% cotton) in Natural and Green Spray. The cotton blend is very soft and easy to work with, it also comes in a large range of colours, but it does seem to pill easily and it has more complicated care instructions than the 100% cotton. If only I could find the 100% over here in Australia!

I was quite pleased with these results, so I went on to look for more patterns to have a go at. I found this graph pattern on Pinterest and decided to have a go with my Patons 100% Cotton 4 ply stash. Here are the results – the green colour is Jade, but I’m afraid I can’t remember the other colour and the band is lost (I think it might be Fuchsia though, looking at various online yarn shops to try and match it!).

Then, I decided to have a go at making my own. This colour is either Apple or Kiwi, but I'm not sure which and again, the band is lost. It’s not very fancy, but I think it’s ok – although I really need to start writing down how I do things!!

They all need blocking, and the 4 ply ones still need to have ends sewn in - once I've found my tapestry needles (my wool needle is too big) 

But there they are, a random collection of doilies that might get sold when I eventually have enough stuff organised to do a craft stall!