How to Crochet a Doily (Easy Valentine pattern)

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Crochet doilies are delicate and lovely additions to any decoration, aren’t they? And when they are handmade, they can become so much more special. With this tutorial on how to crochet a doily, you can make a beautiful crochet heart doily.

This would be a great decor ornament for many occasions, like Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, anniversaries, or simply as an elegant touch for your home decoration.

Before we dive into the tutorial on how to crochet a doily, here are a few topics that may answer your questions on how to crochet a doily. And I am also giving you all the details on yarn and supplies.

I hope you love making this doily as much as I loved designing it. Would you rather skip to the pattern? Use the table of contents below to skip to the information you want if that’s what you prefer.

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An inexpensive PDF can be purchased on my Ravelry or Etsy shops.

What are crochet doilies? 

Crochet doilies are ornamental decoration mats that are usually made of lacy to light weight yarns. Traditionally, doilies have an openwork characteristic, and are great for a minimalist decoration style for your home. 

But the good thing about making them yourself is that you can pick a design and use any kind of material you want. Not to mention, with this tutorial on how to crochet a doily you can customize them with your favorite colors as well.

What are crochet doilies used for?

Here are some ideas on how you can use crochet doilies.

• Use them as coasters for table and dresser decoration.
• Another great use of doilies is to place them under your dinner dishes as placemats.
• Place them under plant pots and vases to prevent furniture scratches.
• Another idea is, you could make several and sew them together and use it as a table runner.
• Make them as mandalas.
• Frame them on a hoop or wall art framer for hanging on the wall.
• Make them for gifts. By the way, the one in this pattern would make a great Valentine’s or Mother’s Day gift.

The best yarn for crochet doilies

The best yarns for crochet doilies are lacy, super fine, and fine weight threads. By the way, for the brown doily pictured in this pattern, I used Aunt Lydia’s Fashion 3, which is a super fine (#1) crochet thread. 

Here is what I recommend.

Crochet Cotton Thread Super Fine (# 1) 

I used Aunt Lydia’s Fashion 3, 100% mercerized cotton.

• Color 1: Copper Mist / Amount: 1.11 oz (32 g), 101 yards (92 m)
• Color 2: Coffee / Amount: 0.89 oz (25 g), 81 yards (74 m)

Crochet Cotton Thread Fine (# 2) 

I used Cotton Fair by Premier Yarns, 52% cotton / 48% acrylic.

• Color 1: Baby Blue / Amount: 1.11 oz, 101 yards (92 m)
• Color 2: Coral / Amount: 1.06 oz (30 g), 96 yards (88 m)

Supplies you need to crochet a doily

Crochet doilies are such small projects that you don’t need a lot to make them. In fact, they will take a very small amount of yarn and only a few supplies. Here is what you need.

• 3.00 mm (US D) crochet hook 
• Scissors
• A smaller tapestry needle to weave in the ends

How big should a crochet doily be?

The size of a crochet doily will vary, depending on what you will use it for. But the ideal size for a doily made for decoration purposes only should be between 8” (20 cm) to 15” (38 cm).

The doilies pictured in this pattern will be approximately 13” (33 cm) if you use the same yarn weight and hook size. And it’s important to mention that stitch tension will influence it too. 

This is not mandatory, but please look at the gauge section if you would like it to be same the size as mine.

How to crochet a doily?

I created this “how to crochet a doily” tutorial to be easy to make. Yet I wanted it to feature those cute hearts to make it cute and unique at the same time. 

So, the best way to do it was by working with a color-work and adding the treble shell stitches to make the top of the hearts. 

Also, you will be using the sc2tog (single crochet two together) and sc3tog (single crochet three together) on round 16.

Here is what you need to know before you get started.

How to do the Treble Shell Stitch

1. yo twice
2. insert the hook in the designated st 
3. yo
4. pull up a loop, now you have four loops on the hook
5. (yo, pull through two) 3 times 
6. repeat the steps above 8 more times, you will have a shell with 9 tr sts.

How to single crochet 2 together (sc2tog)

Insert the hook in the designated st, yo, pull up a loop, insert the hook in next st, yo, pull up a loop, now you have 3 loops on the hook, yo, pull through all 3 loops.

Single crochet 3 together (sc3tog) instructions

Insert the hook in the designated st, yo, pull up a loop, (insert the hook in next st, yo, pull up a loop) 2 times, now you have 4 loops on the hook, yo, pull through all 4 loops.

Switching yarn colors to make the hearts

When it’s time to crochet the hearts in this “how to crochet a doily” tutorial, it’s going to be so simple. Even if you have never done a color-work project before, you will get a hang of it very quickly.

1. Crochet the last dc with the current color until you have the last two loops on the hook.
2. Drop the current yarn.
3. Yo, and pull up a loop with the new yarn to complete the dc.
4. Crochet all the sts you need with the new yarn, per patten instructions.
5. Repeat previous steps every time you need to switch yarns again.
6. Every time you switch the yarn, you will carry the previous yarn strand within the sts until it’s time to switch back.
7. Right after you drop the yarn and right before you pick it up again, give it a little tug to put it in place.

How to crochet a doily pattern notes

• This pattern is crocheted on the round, starting in the center, and going outwards. Chain 2 in the beginning of each round doesn’t count as a stitch. 
• This tutorial on how to crochet a doily was created with color-work (aka tapestry crochet). Meaning that you will be carrying the yarn within the stitches when it’s time to create the hearts. As you start crocheting the doily, it’s normal that it looks slightly cupped. 
• Use a hot steam iron to slightly press and shape the doily when you’re done.
  I haven’t tried to crochet this doily with heavier weight yarns, so it may or may not work if you do. 
• When you see “with C1” or “with C2”, starting in round 11, means you need to drop the current yarn and pick the new one (see instructions on how to switch the yarn above) 

Termos and abbreviations

• blo: back loop only C1: Color 1
• C2: Color 2 
• ch / chs: chain / chains
• dc: double crochet
• inc: increase (two dc sts in the same st)
• mc: magic circle
• rnd: round
• sc2tog: single crochet two together (a decrease over 2 sc stitches)
• sc3tog: single crochet three together (a decrease over 3 sc stitches)
• Shell st: shell stitch (see “special stitch instructions” for details)
• sk: skip
• st / sts: stitch / stitches
• sl st: slip stitch
• tr: treble
• yo: yarn over
• ( ): indicates how many times a group of stitches should be worked or what yarn color to use
• [ ]: stitch count in a round
• *: Repeat instructions after asterisks as directed 

A note on gauge: The first 4 rounds will be 3 inches (7.6 cm) with both super fine crochet thread (# 1) and fine thread (# 2).

Size of the finished doily: Approximately 13” (33 cm) with super fine (# 1) and with fine (# 2) crochet thread.

How to crochet a doily step-by-step

Estimated Cost: 10.00 USD

Supply:

• Crochet thread fine or super fine

Tools:

• 3.00 mm (US D) crochet hook

Materials: Scissors Small tapestry needle

An inexpensive PDF can be purchased on my Ravelry or Etsy shops.

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Conclusion

There you have the tutorial on how to crochet a doily. This was such a fun project to design and to crochet that I can’t wait to make any more. Next time, I will make them with lacy yarn, I bet they will look darling.

Drop a comment below if you have any questions or if you just would like to say “hi”. Another way to reach out to me is by joining my community group on Facebook. 

If you use any of my patterns or tutorials for a project, please tag me @zamiguz or use the hashtag #zamiguzmakers. I would love to see what you make.

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