Versatile pretty little doilies!

Aida Coats, hook no. 0.75 mm.

So I had been planning to make something handmade for a friend of mine (we had met at her craft store in Greece a couple of years earlier) - knowing that our mutual friend was traveling there on vacation soon, I thought I'd save on postage by sending the gifts with them! With some Finnish candies. From idea to action it was then!

Had in mind to do a whole set of 12, but I didn´t have the time so I settled with seven. Also told her if she didn´t like them, she could just sell them or whatever.. that was the only bit she did not like lol! Anyways a lovely, versatile little pattern (origins sadly unknown).

So there it is, some examples of the doily below.. pretty much have used it everywhere lol! Thanks for your visit, have a lovely day! Oh also btw: hand-drawn chart of the pattern available upon request!

💝 The set I eventually sent to Anna 💝

 The same doily as

 a spice jar lid 

tags & labels: #lace border #lace #crochet #coasters #doilies

"Empty hands syndrome"

Right, so the time consuming work is done, threads tied up and tools packed for the next. Time to relax and rest: everything is open as if just waiting for us to find something new to get excited about! So we browsing through magazines and crafting sites, maybe having a glass of wine while our mind is still basking in our latest achievement..

..so as a result, nothing is there. Nothing stands out. Not a one single idea! Nothing works, nothing fits, nothing seems interesting enough.. and there goes you thinking "all this waste of time when I already could have created something new! But what? Whaaat?"

Well, I call it "empty hands syndrome". You have to let the old wear out, and I believe this is the same in any creative field really. Forcing would only make it worse. The funny thing is, after all that struggle you managed to resist the urge of starting on a new project while your current project was nowhere near finished - we won, we resisted, we were strong and now there is.. nothing stands out. "Empty hands syndrome" huh? Irony well served, lads and lasses.

Well, here is me then: the lace border for roller blinds is done and it would be nice to merge into something new! And while looking for new.. eh, any, ideas really, I crocheted a small coaster (if a bit bigger compared to ones I usually do). Just a filler, found it in a magazine somewhere, unfortunately there are no instructions, and to be honest I don't even remember where I found it from. But there it is, some in-between activity.. while debating on what next 😏

Oh also, you know how they say inspiration needs feeding?

Thus.. a doily! Now. I fed it. Where´s my inspiration?

Aida Coats, hook 0,75 mm.

tags & labels: #crochet #doilies #coasters #empty hands syndrome

The most beautiful lace border ever?

Time to publish my very first blog post ever! Where should we start?

How about the most beautiful pattern I´ve ever laid my eyes on - the heirlooms of my mother's hand from over forty years ago..

My own memories go back to the early 80´s when I saw my mother working on this - so the pattern most likely is a lot older. Secondly, the lace was originally part of a larger work, a bedspread where those semicircles were whole, and those "grids" in between were connecting them. Over the years, I have also come across several variations, but never really anything like this - of course they do exist! Sadly, I don't have any better information about where the lace originally came from.

I don't dare to publish the pattern due to possible copyrights, but will do my very best to find something (at least similar) to link to!

Edt: years later from this post I came across information that a very similar pattern could be found in a book "Kauneimmat Pitsini" (Asta Virtamaa), Kauppiaitten Kustannus! Might even go & buy it now!

Anyways, thanks for coming by, and indeed welcome to my crafting madness, and thanks for sharing the bits of this journey with me <3

tags & labels: #crochet #lace #lace border