Well, there was a pattern book out a while ago that had patterns for small rugs that looked like doilies.
At the time, I thought about buying the book but decided that,
with all the doily patterns I already had,
I could use one of them if the need arose.
When the question was asked on the list, I wondered about how the size would change from the thread doily to the yarn rug.
I decided to use a coaster pattern to get an idea about the size difference.
I chose the "Elegant Black Coaster" pattern
by Theresa Dunlap
I used Size 10 thread and
a Size 7 steel hook.
My coaster is 4 1/2" across.
I made up the same pattern
using worsted weight acrylic yarn
and a
Size "H" aluminum hook.
My "doily" is 9 1/2" across.
Using baby yarn
and a
Size "F" aluminum hook.
My "doily" is 7 1/2" across.
Since rugs seem to usually be
crocheted using two strands of yarn,
I made one more using
two strands
of worsted weight yarn
and a
Size "K" aluminum hook.
My "hot pad" is 13" across
You can see that the pattern looks the same no matter what yarn I use.
But, looking at the pictures, it is rather difficult to tell the difference in size.
So I took one more picture with all four together.
Drum roll, please
Ta Dah !!
The pattern in yarn
(single strand)
is a little over twice the size
of the pattern in thread.
Using two strands of
worsted yarn
makes it almost three times larger.
I have seen rug patterns using
three strands of worsted,
but I don't think I'll try that.
I don't particularly like using two.
if you start with
a 20" doily pattern
(using Size 10 thread)
your rug will be
at least 40"
if you only use a single strand of
worsted weight yarn.
If
you make the same pattern
with two strands,
you might end up with a 60" rug.
Oh,
I almost forgot.
Disclaimer: Your results may vary.
June 9, 2008: from Dianne - "It reminds me of something I saw on Ravelry, some people used a Pineapple Fan Chair back pattern to make a beautiful shawl just by changing the yarn and hook size!" note: the pattern is here: Pineapple Fan Chair Set
