big ass doilies

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I learned to crochet when I was 10, long before I ever tried knitting. My mom handed me my great-grandmother's hand carved crochet hook, taught me the basics, and turned me loose. I made a big white shawl with yarn from two different dye lots. It was wonky, and it took forever. But I loved it, and wore it. And even now, when I tackle a project that seems to be taking too long, I remember Mom saying, With every stitch, it gets bigger...

 I still have that old crochet hook. I love it because of its history, and because it's not a standard size. It's somewhere between a K and an L, which is good enough for lots of things. This week I'm suddenly interested in making doilies. Weird, right? But not your usual dainty little doilies. I'm making what I call Big Ass Doilies, and my mind is off and running with ways to make them even bigger.

This one happened when I couldn't sleep the other night. For hours. Might as well get up and play with string. Here it is before blocking, which is an important step in doily making.


And here's how it looked in mid-block, almost dry. Very much more fabulous.


That first one inspired me to finally use two balls of gorgeous hand spun and dyed yarn a friend gave me. I could see from the start that it was going to be amazing.





















Here it is, finished and blocked. I'm pretty smitten with this one. And look at all the cool places you can show off a Big Ass Doily!






And after this... well, I'm thinking about something sort of architectural, like giant wall-size BADs, or maybe something to use as a trellis on my fence, or a gate in the front yard, or a beach umbrella, or a backyard awning... I'm a pretty fast crocheter, but I can't keep up with the ideas as fast as they happen. So I write them down for safe keeping, and keep reminding myself, With every stitch, it gets bigger.

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