Star In A Snowflake Doily

[Megcsti]

This is a vintage pattern from North Dakota State University Germans From Russia Heritage Collection. I found this online, and was fascinated, so I gave it a try. The pattern has very odd symbols, using ? where most patterns use *, but it is perfectly accurate. In making this, I felt like I was touching the fingertips of a woman I admire for both her crochet skill and her courage to be a pioneer in North Dakota. I was even able to find Connie Dahlke, who is the granddaughter of Karoline (Liebich/Liebig) Kirschenmann, who made the original pattern on Ravelry and thanked her for preserving and sharing it.

This was my first large doily. I used size 10 crochet thread and a 2.25 mm hook. I made a lot of mistakes, but along the way, I learned to value my work enough to redo rows as many times as necessary to get it perfect. I used the greens to complement a Chinese jar my sister gave me for Christmas years ago. Something like this is a ton of work, but the result is worth it

https://library.ndsu.edu/grhc/histor...schenmann.html

[Susan2014]

Hi, I am amazed at the Talented tiny & neat hooking done here. I just get such sore fingers & can do for a short time. Done 3. This is Lovely.

Thanks for Sharing -- Susan2014

[kl1000]

I love this doily and light green makes it special

[Megcsti]

Thank you, Larissa. A complement from you means a lot.

[bristol2002]

such a beautiful doily. I've had an interest in doilies for years but haven't started doing them but I now have the supplies to start.

[Jean Marie]

Hi Meg,
Looks Real Nice

[Megcsti]

Thank you for your complements. Now that I am working in size 20 thread, I am still striving for smaller, more delicate stitches. Larisa said that Boye hooks aren't very good, so I began to search for thread hooks with better tips. I looked at photos of antique hooks, and the tips are much deeper and better defined on some of them. Then I finally discovered that there are more companies than Boye making hooks in the US. There are Susan Bates hooks in thread sizes, but I couldn't see the tips in online photos well enough to tell how they're shaped, and Hobby Lobby seems to have steel hooks too, so the hunt is on. I am currently using hooks that are technically too large for the threads, but if I didn't use a 2.25 on size 10 thread instead of the 1.65 I am supposed to be using, I never would have gotten into size 10 thread at all. I am actually using the 1.65 on my size 20 project, but it looks satisfactory to me so far. The actual effect I'm getting is never clear until the finished doily has been washed and dry, so we'll see when it's done which will be sometime early next week.

[crochetbyruth]

thank you for including the link to the website - very thoughtful - I really enjoyed the doilie patterns. One day (not soon) I hope to make one of them. They are not patterns that you normally see on the web. Thank you again for sharing your lovely doilie and the website. Quite interesting site.

[AudreyL]

your doily is very pretty