the magic number 6

In several previous posts, I've been calling 6 a magic number in crocheting round objects.  It wasn't until this past week that I finally understood where it came from.

I had told him that sc sts are basically square.  And, I was telling him that a person was having trouble with a hotpad pattern because of not making the "correct" number of increases per round.  He guessed that that number should be 6.  I asked him how he knew that, and he replied "simple math".  The circumference of a circle increases by  2 π  for each increase of 1 in radius -- and  2 π  is approximately 6.

lace scallop for pineapple doily - part 5

 Now to finish the scallop.

Seventh and last row:
Turn. Skip 1st ch-6 space. * ch 6, sc 1 in next ch-6 sp* 12 times. ch 3.
For the first scallop, break yarn, leaving enough yarn to work an sc. Otherwise, sc 1 in next ch-6 sp (in adjoining scallop). Break yarn and weave in end.

After finishing all but the first scallop, finish the first scallop by working a sc in the adjacent ch-6 sp.  Break yarn and weave in end. 

Here's the finished doily.



Start next scallop 5 ch-5 spaces from the right edge of the last one. The scallops are worked in a clockwise order. The second pic in the first pineapple doily post shows the spacing.

lace scallop for pineapple doily - part 4

The scallop is getting larger. So, it's time to replace the ch 5's with ch 6's:

Sixth row:
Turn. Skip 1st ch-5 space. * ch 6, sc 1 in next ch-5 sp* 12 times. ch 6. sc 1 in next ch-5 sp.



If this the last scallop, replace the last "sc 1" of row 6 with "join to sc from first scallop". The pic shows the first and last scallop being joined -- with a slip stitch.

lace scallop for pineapple doily - part 3

The next few rows are all the same:

Third row:
Turn. Skip 1st ch-5 space. * ch 5, sc 1 in next ch-5 sp* 12 times. ch 5. sc 1 in next ch-5 sp.



Fourth and fifth rows:
Turn. Skip 1st ch-5 space. * ch 5, sc 1 in next ch-5 sp* 12 times. ch 5. sc 1 in next ch-5 sp.





If this had been any scallop except for the first one, replace the last "sc 1" of row 5 with "join to sc from previous scallop".

Row 6 in the next post.

lace scallop for pineapple doily - part 2

The second row of the scallop is worked on the wrong side. Before starting the row, you might want to weave in the loose end. It's easier to weave in now than later.

Second row of the scallop:
Turn. Skip 1st ch-1 space. * ch 5, sc 1 in next ch-1 sp* 12 times. ch 5. sc 1 in next ch-5 sp.

The ch-5 sp is the one next to the ch-5 sp holding the first sc of Row 1.

Then, it's time to count. There is a ch-5 sp at the beginning of the row and another at the end. In between are 11 ch-5 spaces that look almost like picots. The pic shows the scallop after row 2. (I often chain a few stitches before putting crochet up for a while. Then, I rip them out when ready to start crocheting again.)

Rows 3, 4, and 5 will be in the next post.

lace scallop for pineapple doily - part 1

I hadn't crocheted lace doilies for ages -- until this month's NerdWars on Ravelry. One of the challenges was to finish a project started by someone else.

I chose my MIL -- who passed away almost 2 decades ago -- and left me with yarn, crochet thread, steel crochet hooks, and booklets.

For the NerdWars challenge, I picked a pineapple pattern doily from one of her books. I used her crochet thread (size 30) and a size 10 (1.5mm) steel crochet hook.

The inner rows of the doily aren't anything special...

But, the scalloped edging is. It transforms what otherwise would be just a plain doily into something exciting.

The last of the inner rows is: * 1 sc in center of ch-3 sp, ch 5 * around. Join.

In order to start the first scallop without the need to fasten off the thread, I ended the row by replacing the last ch 5 with "ch 3, dc in first sc of round".

The first pic show this last "ch-5 sp" plus the beginning of the scallop, a sc into the chain space:



First row of the scallop:
sc in ch-5 sp, * ch 1, dc 1 * 12 times in next ch-5 sp, ch 1, sc 1 in next ch-5 sp, ch 5, sc 1 in next ch-5 sp.

This forms a basic scallop -- plus something extra: ch 5, sc 1. These sts form the beginning of the lace part of the scallop. The second pic shows the entire row plus part of a finished scallop.



Note: Many scallop patterns would have this basic scallop (or a similar one) repeated around the edge:
sc in ch-5 sp, * ch 1, dc 1 * 12 times in next ch-5 sp, ch 1. Repeat to end (starting with a sc in next ch-5 sp). Join to first sc of row.

This pattern doesn't. Each scallop is worked separately. The second row of the scallop is detailed in the next post.