Help with my doily please

[Yarnmistress]

For the last swap I was in, I recieved some really nice books on doily patterns...am I even spelling that right? LOL. Anyway, I am attempting my very first doily and man I just don't get how people can work with such small needles and small thread. My eyes are starting to flip out on me. I'm sticking with it though, becuase I really want to make this one pattern.

 

Much respect for those of you who can complete these patterns and still be able to see anything later on! LOL!

 

I'll post it in show and tell once it is finished. I just had to vent about it first.

[The Shrone]

I'm always thrilled to hear when someone is being adventurous and trying to crochet with thread. What helps is to have good lighting, like a desk lamp that can be shined onto your work to help you see the stitches better, and I also find that having the right hook(s) help out, too. I love the Clover Soft Touch hooks and will promote them until they rip them out of my cold, dead hand! You can't beat their hooks when working with thread!

 

I don't know if there is a secret to working with thread other than it takes getting used to, and just keep trying. Practice makes perfect as they saying goes. Tension is another important factor that seems to be more important than when working with yarn.

 

I will be on the look-out for your upcoming show-and-tell!

 

~ Lori

[albarinos]

One trick that was good for me when I first started crocheting was to start with a thick yarn and then slowly moving on to thinner ones.

Maybe you could try this with doilies, start with a smaller one (that could use a thick yarn), and then try bigger ones or ones with thinner yarns.

[Julie]

When I first started working with thread I made nothing but squares. I chained out 25 or so and made little squares of sc, hdc, dc and tr stitches until I was comfortable making them with the small hook. I found I hold a thread hook slightly different than a yarn hook and even execute the stitches a little bit differently though they look the same. A little more twisting of the hook. In any case, that really helped me to get familar with the differences and not worry about them so much so I could concentrate on the patterns. Good luck, don't give up and you're going to be thrilled with the results!!

[monael]

I started out by making bookmarks. They were small enough so that if I found that it turned out totally ugly, at least it didn't take me so long and I could still use it as a bookmark (carefully tucked in so nobody could see said ugliness). It helped me to forget that I had a small hook and thread by just thinking I was simply crocheting. The movements are the same, the stitches are the same. The only thing was I have to wrap the thread twice around my pinky to keep the right tension.

[Yarnmistress]

Okay so I have started this thing and I am on round 5. I'm stuck though, because I can't figure out why my work looks twisted. I have read and reread the pattern to make sure I wasn't missing a step and I am doing it exactly as it says.

 

round 5 is: ch 1, sc in tr, ch 5 then sc in first ch 5 loop (then I basically repeat that all the way around). I can't figure out why my work is all twisted......

 

Help me, please, because I am slowly starting to hate thread crochet... lol! Just kidding! I'm just really frustrated.

[Katchkan]

How is it twisted?