02-12-2019 Beginning activities

Although the designer used size 70 thread, I have no intentions of going that small. Will have to do a test swatch with size 20 and size 10 to see what result I like better.

The pattern uses a mix of UK and US terminology -- does this have something to do with the geography of its publication (border between US and Canada) or something to do with vintage stitches in the early 20th century. It’s really no biggie because the stitches are limited to calling a double crochet a treble. I will be transcribing the pattern to assist me in counting rows etc.

02-13-2019 Pattern diagram

I was able to scan the doily in the book and enlarge it without distortion to print it on 11x17 paper. It’s detailed enough to count the rows and double-check the accuracy of rewriting the pattern. I’d love to have it printed on even larger paper, but I don’t have those resources at hand.
I should be able to use it to estimate the size of my finished doily, although at this point I suspect it may become a “DAR Table Topper.”
ETA: Fedex can print this up to 4 feet wide for under $5.00 at a self-service machines.

02-14-2019 Gauge testing with threads and hooks

I have some size 20 and size 10 crochet thread from leftover projects and am making samples of the first 9 rows to check out a couple of things. (1) Do I have a comfortable crochet hook and the proper size for each thread. (2) What would be the estimated size of the finished doily.

02-14-2019 Researching Mary Card

I was hoping to discover that Mary Card was an American designer, but I am glad that she was well known enough to be able to find a lot about her. She was Australian. I need to download the original Needlework Magazine where she was introduced to the readers via an interview.

02-14-2019 Making this more historic

I am going to use vintage American hooks. I have a Boye set dating from 1932 and some WW2 black metal hooks. I need to find a source confirming that black hooks date from WW2.

03-27-2019 Which thread?

I couldn’t extrapolate how much thread I’ll need for this project. It’s just not in the write-up. In looking at my 2 sample motifs, I decided on the size 20. The size 10 just ruffles too much. I ordered 2 cones of mercerized cotton from Creative Yarn Source. I’ve ordered crochet cotton from them in the past and found its quality to be excellent. I’d love to use DMC but my current budget would not allow that extravagance.

03-25-2019 Estimating final size from beginning rounds

I blocked my two samples and was relieve to see that the pink which was extremely ruffled ironed out flat. The blue had minor ruffles which flattened with a hand smoothing -- no iron needed.

The pink’s 4 rounds was about 40 mm. Extrapolating that to 59 rounds, the final size is estimated to be about 24 inches.

The blue’s 4 rounds was about 28 mm; 5 rounds was about 37 mm; final estimated size, 16 to 17 inches.

ETA: Boy was this off. Final size is 32 inches across.

Pattern Errors / Quirks / Comments

Pattern as I rewrote it has been scanned into GoogleDocs
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mUZiLclnlhrRZm1_M52vUkCE...

Errors
Round 6 (spokes round)
Says to start with 4 DC in 4DC. It should be 3 DC in 3 DC. The pattern repeat is 9 stitches. If you do 4 DC, you will have 5 DC in a row and a repeat of 10 stitches. The prior row is clearly 117 DC’s and 117 is a factor of 9, producing the 13 spokes.
Round 17 “(of ch 1, miss 1 …)” should omit the word ‘of’.
Round 28 This Round is solid DCs. It calls for 44 DCs in each spoke for a total of 572 DCs in all (13x44). However, following the directions produces 43 DCs in most of the spokes. Given the next round, I’m squeezing in an extra DC in many of the spokes.
Round 29 I didn’t really need to add extra DCs in Round 28 because it would have been easy enough to simply count the spaces in this round. My gauge using this thread and this hook is just a bit too big, so I’ve got a bit of ruffling -- the extra DCs in Round 28 contribute to this, but it should block fine.
Round 41 This Round tends to say to do a Space (a chain 2 followed by DC in the next DC) when just Chain 2 should be used. Not a big error because the Round is fairly regular and easy to see what is intended.
Round 42 As written, it seems as if there are 17 DC in a row, but I can only count 16 in the photo and 16 works out.
Rounds 42-44 This comment is about the 2 sections using half-spaces (chain 1 followed by DC in next DC). I was unable to get the correct amount of half-spaces following the instructions (I was off by one or two), so in Round 44, I adjusted to make sure I only had 17 half-spaces.
Round 51 In the * to * section, “after 7 DC under the bar”, there should be a DC into next DC, then 12 (not 13) half-spaces, 7 DC under the bar, then another DC into next DC.
Round 52 In this round, the designer switched from using the words “7 DC under the bar” to 9 DC. The reason for this change only makes sense when Round 53 is done. Round 53 says to repeat Round 52.
Similar to Round 51, I only count 21 half spaces, not 22 half-spaces.
The written pattern and the photo of the finished doily differ when it comes to doing the swinging flax next to the bottom end of the spindle. I think the photo is correct. With that in mind, following the part “repeat end of spindle” 10 DC, 1 space, 3 Bars (bar-7, bar-7, bar-6), add 2 bar-6 over the Round 51’s half-spaces, then 19 half-spaces, 1 space. At this point, resume with 7 DC under the bar, 21 half-spaces etc.
Round 54 Rounds 52 and 53 have 25 DC for the spindle tip. Round 54 begins the decrease in width. Pattern says to replace the 25 DC with 1 DC, ch2, skip 1 DC, then 22 DC, ch 2, skip 1 DC and DC in 25th. It should read 21 DC instead of 22 DC.
Round 55 Similar to Round 54. The spindle tip should be 1 Bar-6, 15 DC, 1 Bar-6
General comment The pattern sometimes uses the word parenthesis when we would use the term brackets. Some of the repeats in the rounds before the lettering can be confusing because there are both brackets and parenthesis printed in the instructions.
General Comment In the rounds where the lettering is developed,the designer sometimes begins the row with the words, ch 5 and create sp 1; other times, the row begins by simply stating something like, 10 spaces.
General Comment
The designer says to increase the stitches in the bars on Rounds 50 and up if the doily begins ruffle.
Half Spaces are inconsistent
The pattern has a significant percentage of half-spaces (DC, ch 1, DC). Before the lettering rounds, the half-spaces are built on the ch1 of the Round before it (staggered). During the lettering rounds, the DCs of the half-spaces stack up (if they didn’t stack, the letters would be skewed). The stars have the half-spaces stacked. The half-ovals in Rounds 50 to 56 show the half spaces built on the chain 1 (staggered). I made mine stacked for the letters, the stars, and the ovals.

07-20-2019 Still rewriting the instructions

I’ve now reached the rewrite of Row 50 -- only 9 more to go. I’ve been working on them while waiting during volleyball practice. The style is so compact that it takes about 15 minutes to transcribe each row.

I’ve decided to crochet from my handprinted instructions and make corrections to them along the way. When I’m finished with them, I’ll scan to make something more permanent.

11-18-2019 Lettering has begun

Got through the first round of lettering last evening on the first try. It will be so much easier in subsequent rows. I’m glad I took the time to not only jot the number of spaces and DCs, but label which letter I was building.

Knots found in Omega thread

This note is just to track how many knots were found in my cone of thread.
So Far: 2

12-04-2019 A thought about the stars

Could I use a very lightweight gold fabric to enhance the visibility of the stars? Would it be blasphemous to print them with pictures of early suffragettes?

12-12-2019 Row 41 done

And that makes this 50% complete.

01-10-2020 Round 53 ready to start

The rounds are going faster now because the changes within the rounds are fewer. There are occasional errors which are time consuming to research.

The meaning of the emblem

Spinning wheel with 13 spokes
13 stars are 13 original colonies
The spinning wheel has a spindle top and bottom
Around the spindle is flax

From DAR.org website
The official Insignia was unanimously adopted by the National Board of Management on May 26, 1891, and patented September 22, 1891. The golden wheel of the Insignia represents a spinning wheel; the platinum or white gold distaff represents flax; the blue rim and the distaff carry the colors of the Society; and the stars represent the original thirteen colonies.

From a 1907 poem …
Our emblem is a gold wheel,
Banded with deepest blue;
Each shining spoke tipped with a star,—
The distaff shining through.
The only jewel in the world
That money cannot buy,
Without such proof of ancestry,
As no one can deny.

01-13-2020

Round 57 has begun. The end is within sight.

01-19-2020 All crocheted; blocking and yardage used

Finished the final round.
Trying to figure out the best way to block this.

Calculations for the yardage:
I used 125 grams of a 240 grams cone, so 52.4%

Manufacturer says the cone has 2157 yards, so this is about 1124 yards.

03-24-2020 Thank you CK Ballard

Things about Mary Card in other Needlecraft Magazines

Needlecraft Magazine Feb 1918 Introducing Mary Card blurb; Fleur-de-Lis Doily; Round Doily with Heart-Shaped Motifs

Needlecraft Magazine Mar 1918 Mary Card Inspiration blurb; Great Seal of the United States in Filet-Crochet; Scarf-End in Filet Crochet, Bluebird Design

Sept 1919 The Statue of Liberty in Filet Crochet “chart 20c”
Nov 1923 The American Legion Emblem, For Panel or Pillow (on cover)

http://threadwinder.info/pubs/CardM/details.htm

Aug 1918 Artistic & Unusual Designs in Crochet; small ad for Seal of US chart 17x21 ˝”

08-10-2021 Prepping for County Fair

I steam-blocked this (using steam cloth) to take to the County Fair. It was too soft, so I used Faultless Magic Premium Sizing Finish (2/5 where 5 is crisp). Sprayed, ironed with press cloth, did a second time, flipped it over and sprayed and ironed one more time. Pretty flat and crisp.
Carefully wrapped it around a towel roll and took to the Fair. Was dismayed to see it flipped out of the towel roll and unceremoniously dumped on the table behind the Registrar. Then a volunteer teen grabbed it with both hands (ungloved) to place on the display table. I’ll be curious to see on Tuesday if they bothered to spread it out.

08-18-2021 A First at the County Fair

My table topper/doiley won a First at the fair! I saw it on display folded in half and thought they didn’t really see that it represented the DAR Insignia. When I picked it up after the Fair, I was surprised to see an evaluation note from the judges. Apparently it was up for Grand Champion.