Doily Rug For Outside Front Door

I love swirly whirly designs in doilies, and the radiant, graduate petal looks. On Ravelry I aw a rug that had both the whirling petals and a nice density. The maker said it was from a 1991 book she got from the library. So I Googled 1991 doily books and couldn't find anything that showed a doily like this.

Finally, I chanced it (yes, I'm congenitally shy) and asked her the name of the book.
It was from Crochet Lace in Pictures by Yoko Suzuki.  I saw another project that looked very similar --  up to Row 20 of a pattern by Agnes Russel, Passionate Plum Doily in the book Favorite Throws and Table Toppers.

As my local library is inaccessible to me, I would have to by it or find it.
After hours of Googling and the lure of torrent sites, I found the 1991 book (and no malware or adware) on Scribd. The pattern is an “application exercise”, but so instructive -- it is charted(!)

as now I know how to structure the windmill and it could be made with more or fewer of these arms/petals/blades.

Door Wreath

I started a wreath last century. It was to have crocheted grapes and an array of flowers... and now that I think about it, it was from a now out of print and highly treasured publication -- a calendar of crocheted wreaths from Annie's. My plan included some of  August's components and a bit of May and June.

I've learned a lot since then - a lot more about dimensional creations. That wreath was before I knew about amigurimi, or felting, or the wide array of flowers that I would meet and come to design.

With the return of spring this year, there has been the desire to declare myself
to myself and to stretch. So crochet will be made visible outside my home as well as within it -- and what lovelier more home affirming way than a wreath on the door.

Pattern Discovered, New Pillow

So in looking for one thing, I was lead to another, a handsome Russian( pattern)
that I found so very compelling.

Its sinous curves and arches looked like towers and minarets, or softened oinion domes. The chart was clear but challenging.
I finally came to understand it as an attenuated/elongated wave chevron pattern - with gathers over 5, 7, or  19 stitches, with pillars of stitches rising above the deep gathered valleys.
It can be found here:

http://img0.liveinternet.ru/images/attach/c/4/83/576/8357...
http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/3824100/post206495404/

The colors in the tiny image are lovely and color continues to be a challenge for me.
But I put my favorites -- yellow and purpe to gether  thinking working from dark to light and add a contrast (green).

'Tis is the year of the figurative in freeform for me, so the pillow edges have two spirt women.  One of my  smack my forehead moments was realziing that framing the figures, extended them in an easy to use way.


This National Crochet Month I spent time working on objects for my home -- for the first time. My yellow leather couch is enhanced by this pillow: