Last updated on December 27th, 2021 at 11:05 pm

I come from a family of what I’d consider a lot of crafty and creative people. Everyone in my family is good at at least one creative endeavor. When I was younger, my Grandma would always knit my sister and I sweaters. She even made us each a blanket that I’m currently wrapped up in now. But one other thing she loved to make were doilies. Just like her mother did. So I decided that now I was going to try my hand at crocheting a doily. 

When I was younger, I would knit occasionally. But I was limited to just scarves. I had no idea how to do anything else. Also, YouTube didn’t exist yet. 

When I went on maternity leave, I found a Star Wars crochet kit and thought, why not? How hard could it be? Well, if we’re being honest, a little harder than I expected. My mom was trying to teach me, but she’s a lefty so that added another level of complexity.

After a whole lot of trial and error (like how in some books DC stands for a “double crochet”, and others DC is just a standard crochet. And then you end up doing double crochet stitches for an entire project and you have no idea why it ended up so huge and weird.) I sort of got the knack for it. 

So I started thinking, why not give crocheting a doily a try? Grandma was awesome at it, and it could be fun to give it a shot! 

I ordered yarn specifically for doilies, and the tiniest crochet hooks I think I’ve ever seen. I found some free patterns online, and while I understood the concept, I was having the hardest time figuring out how the heck to do it. My living room couch became a graveyard of started and abandoned doilies. 

I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me sooner, but then I turned to YouTube for help. And boy did that make a difference. I landed on Kristines Crochets and I’m a big fan of the style of her videos. She puts the pattern steps on screen, and shows how to do the stitches. I tried a couple videos with a voiceover tutorial, but I couldn’t follow along as quickly and couldn’t remember what I was supposed to do next. 

There’s also some wild (probably not that wild) patterns that look like a diagram of a doily and my brain couldn’t process it. Does anyone know how to read these? 

Getting used to the skinny yarn and tiny hook is a whole new ballgame too. I was having such a hard time finding stitches and missing stitches and it was kind of a mess. I did manage to actually crochet a full doily, but probably not my best work. Probably my handiwork, and not the pattern.

In my frustration, I briefly turned to a thicker yarn and bigger needle and tried crocheting doily snowflakes. They were quick and easy, and a nice distraction from anything and everything else going on. 

I eventually went back to the thinner yarn and teensy needle, and I’m not sure if I just needed more practice or I picked the wrong pattern to start with, but I’ve definitely improved.

And now I can’t stop crocheting doilies. Someone send help! Mike thinks they’re going to end up all over our house, which is a very valid concern. 

My latest obsession is a small square doily that you connect with other doilies with the same pattern. I’ve done so many at this point I remember the pattern by heart. So it’s an easy and mindless if I don’t feel like thinking all that hard, but want to do something.

Want to Start Crocheting?

Want to get into crochet? Start with a kit that has almost everything you need – yarn, a hook, needles, eyes, stuffing and a pattern. I’m guilty of diving head-first into a new project, buying a bunch of stuff and then giving up. So a kit is a great way to learn before you start buying a whole bunch of materials. 

If you’re going to be working in the round (patterns that are a circle), you’ll also want to get some sort of stitch marker. This is so you know when you’re at the end of that row. Otherwise, you’ll just keep going! And I’ve tried counting stitches before, and I always get messed up. 

There are so many different stitch markers out there, but honestly, I use a bobby pin most of the time. I have a million of them laying around the house, and there’s no opening or closing the stitch marker. They slide out easily, but don’t fall out easily. 

If you’ve gotten a kit, there’s probably an instruction book on how to do basic stitches. If you haven’t done any sort of crochet before, I would probably check out a tutorial on YouTube first. Once you know the basics, following written instructions is a little easier. 

There are so many different kinds of stitches out there, that YouTube has been such a big help when trying to figure them out. 

How my Grandma and Great-Grandma learned how to knit and crochet and pass it down, it’s crazy to think about, and so cool. Learn more about my Great-Grandma here!

Have you picked up a new hobby during quarantine? Have you ever tried crocheting a doily, or even just crochet?

Share your latest projects with me below, I’d love some new ideas!