Does anyone still use doilies? You know the ones I mean, the little lace mats our grandmothers – and even some of our mothers – put under lamps, knick-knacks and dainty glass bowls to prevent scratches on wood. Or the lace tablecloths on dining room tables? I remember both my grandmother and my mother making doilies, their heads bent over a tiny crochet hook and fine thread, intricate patterns appearing as if by magic. I remember wishing I had the skill to produce such beautiful pieces.

I tried, but couldn’t make my fingers and the cotton work together it until I was in my twenties and my mother pointed out that, as usual, I was trying to run before I could walk. She suggested I try using thick yarn and a big hook like this

instead of trying to wield a hook the size of a darning needle and fine crochet cotton

I persevered, and finally, FINALLY! I did it. I could crochet just like my mother and my grandmother before her. But like everything else, timing is everything! By the time I mastered the techniques, nobody wanted doilies and lace tablecloths. So what do I do with all the doilies I inherited from them, as well as those I made myself?

My sister asked me to make her a doilie, so I made this for her.

But really, how many doilies can a person use?

A free pattern arrives in my mailbox every day, and more times than not, it’s for a doilie of some sort or a lacy tablecloth. Some of the patterns are really pretty, but I wonder how many people save those patterns and actually make them. And what do they do with them once they’re done? Church bazaars? Craft sales? I suspect it would be hard to sell them even there.

Anybody want a doilie?