Done!

In case this is the first time you've ever read my blog, this is the "Rising Star" doily by Janet Carroll, from her book Elegant Tatting Patterns. I made it as a wedding present for a childhood friend of mine. The threads are "Leafy" and "Peace" HDT's by Yarnplayer. (Note: this link goes to her Etsy shop, where she sells the thread; however, the shop is currently closed while she works on her latest book. You can also get updates on her blog, which is here.) Tatted in size 40, it measures 13 3/16 inches (33.2cm) across.

I'm just going to touch this up with an iron under a damp cloth. Despite rather vigorous blocking, there are still a couple of problem spots that don't quite lay flat. They're not obvious in the picture, but they stick out like a sore thumb in real life, at least to me. Then all I have to do is find a way to keep it flat in the mail. I'm thinking of placing it between two pieces of matboard.

My next project is going to be another doily from the same book, and I'm probably going to enter it in the State Fair. I was planning to do this one again in different colors, but I decided against it for two reasons. First, I'm pretty sick of it by now. Second, I had a lot of trouble with my tension on the long concentric chains-- hence the need for the iron-- and I'm not sure that I can really make it competition-worthy without a lot of undoing and redoing.

Despite those last two sentences, I really enjoyed making this. I love the way the chains sort of swoop in and out, and I think the colors I chose make it look like a rose garden with lots of trailing vines. I really think this is a brilliant pattern, and I feel a real sense of accomplishment for having finished it.

On a completely different subject, Fox has gotten her Thread Exchange idea up and running. Check it out-- and join in-- at The Thread Exchange Blog!