Poinsettia Doily Pattern

One of the first free patterns I made from the Net is the Poinsettia doily below. I modified the pattern at the end and added a few rows to make it a little bigger. I made this last Christmas and everyone liked it so much that I even made and gifted/sold a few pieces.

This pattern is crocheted a bit tightly, to hide the thread you are carrying underneath as there is no cutting except at the end when you finish off with a particular colour of thread. Whilst changing colours, just draw the new colour through the last two loops on hook of last stitch with the old colour. Always work over the strand(s) not in use.

Materials : Steel hook No. 7 ; size 10 thread in red, green, yellow and white.

Size : Completed doily is about 11.5" in diameter.

Instructions :

With yellow, ch 6, join with sl st to form a ring.

Round 1 : Ch 3 (counts as 1st dc), work 15 dc in circle, join with sl st; fasten off.

Round 2 : Join green in last yellow sl st and ch 3, then dc in same sp. * With red, 2 dc in next dc; with green, 2 dc in next dc. Repeat from * all the way around, alternating 2 red dc and 2 green dc. Join with sl st. (Total 32 dc around). Ch 3 (green).

Round 3 : Work 1 green dc in each green dc and 2 red dc in each red dc. Total 48 dc around. Join with sl st. Ch 3 (green).

Round 4 : Work 1 green dc in each green dc. With red, 2 dc, 1 dc, 1 dc and 2 dc. Total 64 dc; join with sl st. Ch 3 (green).

Round 5 : Work 1 green dc in each green dc. With red, 2 dc in first and last red dc and 1 dc in each of the middle 4 dc. Total 80 dc; join with sl st. Ch 3 (green).

Round 6 : Work as for Rounds 4 & 5; increasing at beginning and end of each red petal. Total 96 dc; join with sl st. Ch 3 (green).

Round 7 : With green work 1 dc in each green dc and 1 dc in first red dc. With red work 2 dc in 2nd red dc, 1 dc in next 6 dc and 2 dc in next red dc. In last red dc work 1 green dc. Complete pattern with each leaf having 4 green dc and each petal having 10 red dc, with 2 red dc at beginning and end. Join with sl st; 116 st in all. Ch 3 (green).

Round 8 : With green make petal wider by working 1 dc in each green dc and 2 dc in first and last red dc of previous round. With red, work 1 dc in each of the 8 red dc remaining. Join with sl st; 128 st total, ch 3.

Round 9 : With green make petal wider by working 1 dc in each of the 8 green dc of previous round, plus 1 dc in first and last red dc of each petal. Add white and work 1 dc. With red work 4 dc in remaining 4 red dc. (No increases in this Round.) Ch 3.

Round 10 : (Leaf begins to taper); work 8 green dc; with white, work 1 dc in last green, 2 dc in white dc of previous round and 1 dc in first red dc. With red work 1 dc in next 2 red dc. With white, work 1 dc in last red dc, 2 dc in white dc and 1 dc in first green dc. Join with sl st. Break off red. Total 144 dc. Ch 3.

Round 11 : (Continue to decrease leaf); 6 green dc. With white, work 2 dc in first and last green dc of leaf and 10 white dc between the leaves. Ch 3, 160 dc total.

Round 12 : In this round, green leaf has only 4 dc and white is 18 dc, with an inc in first and last green dc of previous round. 176 dc total. Ch 3.

Round 13 : In this round, green leaf has only 2 dc and white is 22 dc. Make 2 inc in each st of white dc, in 5th or 6th dc from each end of white. Fasten off white. 192 dc total.

Round 14 : Fasten off green. Make 2 inc in each st of white dc, in 5th or 6th dc from each end of white. 208 dc total.

Round 15 : 7 ch, skip 3 dc, dc in next dc, (4 ch, skip 3 dc, dc in next dc), repeat all around ending with slip stitch in 3rd of 7 ch.

Round 16 : Sl st into each of 1st two chains of first loop, 1 ch, 1 sc, (5 ch, sc in next loop), repeat all around ending with 2 ch, 1 dc in first sc

Round 17 : 1 ch, 1 sc, (8 ch, sc in next loop), repeat all around ending with 4 ch, 1 tr in first sc.

Round 18 : Repeat round 17.

Round 19 : Repeat round 17.

Round 20 : 3 ch, 2 dc in same loop, (3 dc, 3 ch, 3dc in next loop) repeat all around ending with 3 dc in first loop, sl st into 3rd of 3ch. Fasten off.