Jar Doilies

I'm going to refer you to my Twitter feed again: the other night I spent the evening watching Price & Prejudice while working on some crochet. I was making covers for the jars of strawberry jam. Giving homemade jam at Christmas is sort of a family tradition. Especially when budgets are tight. I think we've wrapped the jars in the past, and maybe last year we didn't even do that. I don't remember. But this year I've finally got my act together to crochet lid doilies. How darling is that?

Let's get in a little closer. (sorry the pic is a little blurry) I've made four of these. They're made from 4-ply cotton yarn (same stuff as the market bag). They were so easy to make! I only made four because I ran out of yarn. I think it looks Christmassy, don't you? The green ribbon makes it.

This is the one I was working on while watchinglistening to Pride & Prejudice. It took me about an hour and a half. It's my very first attempt at thread crochet! I love the delicate look.
I've been intrigued with it for a while, but never took the plunge. I took LB to Walmart the other day, and couldn't resist spending a little bit of that Craigslist money on a spool of thread. (I got 1000 yards for under $4, so it's not that bad.) I am very pleased with how it came out. The pattern calls for other colors, but I was just lucky that Walmart carried the thread at all. Maybe someday I'll be able to invest in other colors of thread.

Here's a closer look at the top detail. I really like it. It's more interesting than just rounds and rounds of double crochet. (Uses less thread, too).
Somehow mine came out smaller (as in diameter) than the pattern said it would. I was actually using a bigger hook, so I'm not sure how that happened. I suppose I may have been making the stitches too tight, but I would think the bigger hook would counteract that. My other thought was that it was because of the way I made the ring in the center. (here comes the technical jargon that only other crocheters will understand) The pattern, like most patterns in the round, starts with a chain, then joined with sl st to make a ring, then x number of sc in the ring. I don't start my rounds that way any more because it leaves a hole in the center. I found this amazing website called Crochet Cabana where, among other tips such as the invisible finish, I learned how to make an adjustable ring. So no more holes in the center of MY rounds! But, if the pattern was expecting that hole to be there, it would have an impact on the diameter of the doily. DH said the only way to find out would be to cut out the center design and see if the rest of the doily fit the jar the way it's supposed to. I looked at him cross-eyed, wondered if he understand all the ramifications of such an action, and explained that ACTUALLY, the only way to find out would be to make another one, WITH the hole in the center. He thought there were too many uncontrollable variables in my proposed experimental design, but since I'm certainly not going to cut the center out of this one, he wisely dropped it.

So anyway, my first thread crochet project is a success, so I'm encouraged to continue with thread crochet :)