Doily won't lie flat!

[EpixStudiosNH]

Hi everyone! I am attempting to crochet a doily that is going to go on the back of a loveseat. This is my first time ever making one so I am not sure if I am doing this right or not. I have followed the pattern to the letter with the exception that I am using size 10 thread instead of 30 (I wanted the doily to be bigger). I am using a size 10 steel hook. As I am working on row 16 I am wondering if it is going to flatten out once I am done, if I have to iron it, or if I have done something wrong and need to start over again.

 

So long story short, when you make larger doilies, do it look like this along the way?

 

 

Thank you!!

[magiccrochetfan]

Welcome to the ville

 

Your link to the pattern won't work because Crochetville policies prohibit web archive sites.

 

A 10 steel hook is pretty small for sz 10 thread, but the inner part seems to look fine, not too tight. Often with pineapple patterns, you have to get to the tip of the pineapples before the stitches pull themselves into shape and lie more flat. The middle psrt can bunch up a lot because there are a lot of sts there, but further on it does work out. Just the nature of pineapple stitch pattern.

[ReniC]

Your tension might be too tight and if stitch count is incorrect, it may cause puckering.

I usually use a steel size 7 or 9 hook for size 10 thread and never have any problems with puckering or waving.

After you block the finished doily, it may lay flat then.

Here's a link for a list (page bottom) of thread sizes and what hooks to use.

And another good reference link.

Hope these help.

[RoseRed]

It's gonna pucker a bit because your hook is too small for the size 10 thread but you can fix that with blocking.

 

You can even dry block as you go.  Simply pinch opposite sides and pull all the way around the circle..  The purpose is to stand the stitches up so that they lay flat.  This will actually help with wet blocking later on.

 

But, yeah - it's normal for larger doilies to look like that.

[Granny Square]

Some thread brands are a little thinner than others for the same size (Aunt Lydia's Bamboo comes to mind), but a #10 hook is a little small but then again everyone's tension is different.  

 

How close is row 16 to the end of the doily? Sometimes doilies will ruffle for a while in the center but later rows will take up the slack...However yours is sort of doing the opposite.  It's almost looking like a purposely ruffled doily that were popular in the 1940's or so.

 

I've only ever had 1 doily defeat me (yeah, it was a pineapple one) where I kept hoping that the (extreme) ruffle would go away but at just a few rounds from the end I realized it wouldn't...I ended up ripping it out almost all the way back and replacing the DCs with triples and it fixed the problem.  If something ruffles, it means there is too much circumference for the diameter; to fix it you can remove stitches (decreasing the circumference) or increase the diameter (add rounds or make taller stitches).

 

Can you stretch the doily and make it flat?  Blocking is really important for lace.  

[Granny Square]

Is this the large pineapple doily from

Suggestions for Fairs and Bazaars

Star Book No. 98

The American Thread Company

1953

?

 

The edges look sort of like 3 petal flowers?  If so you are only about halfway through (it's 34 rounds) and might be OK.....

[EpixStudiosNH]

This is what it is supposed to look like when it is done. It is going to be over 30 inches in diameter so I don't want to get too far in. I have not blocked it as I don't have an iron, blocking board or anything like that. I may end up taking it apart and using a 5 hook instead. I have stretched it out but it doesn't get any better.

[magiccrochetfan]

You should only have sixteen pineapples at this point. Looks like you have maybe twice that many. Your center does not look like the pattern photo. I think you have extra columns of dc in there.

[EpixStudiosNH]

Lol I was just counting them and realized that I had way more than I should. I unraveled it all and will have to start again. Trial and error right?

[Granny Square]

Yep, that's the doily.  Celt's Vintage Crochet site moved to a Yahoo Group where you can find her patterns by the way, and she's added a few more since moving there..  

[magiccrochetfan]

Lol I was just counting them and realized that I had way more than I should. I unraveled it all and will have to start again. Trial and error right?

In my experience, that kind of thing is so easy to do. Especially with a pattern that is written only and doesn't have many photos.

[EpixStudiosNH]

Well I am happy to say that I figured out where I went wrong the first time and it looks much better now! I am using a size 7 hook this time around instead of the 10. This is very time consuming but I think it will be worth it. Thank you all for your help!

[Granny Square]

[RoseRed]

That is stunning!  Beautiful work!!!

 

Frogging that much can be so frustrating but so worth it, too.