Colour Therapy

In 1893, a wonderful little booklet was printed on Handiwork.

It was called:

The People's Handbook Series

The Ladies' Model

Fancy Work Manual

So dainty in primrose yellow

I have always enjoyed making this pattern

and right now this is my latest crochet project.

I came across a slightly modified pattern made by someone called Sandi Marshall

in 2006.

This simple, but lovely pattern is the centre part of a bigger doily called

"Crocheted Wheel for Tidy"

I wonder what a 'tidy' was in 1893?

The black and white photos at the end are of the original vintage booklet.

There's something refreshing about aqua tones

rich and vibrant

or in a paler shade.

Luminous pink

and sometimes all of them together.

Four together are nice

but five are even better!

They make lovely gifts and I use mine all the time:

Under glasses, mugs or small vases, even a special ornament

or made into a napkin ring.

I've even attached them together on a crocheted chain and hung them up to make a bunting

or individual ones attached with a thread and hung up against my windows!

Here is the link to Sandi Marshall's rewritten instructions to the original pattern

Here is the original full doily pattern

including the central flower motif.

The coaster pattern has been much copied, slightly modified and renamed

by many people, claiming the pattern as their own,

but the original, and protected version here has only one name:

The Crocheted Wheel for Tidy.

I haven't yet tried to make the whole doily, but a blogging friend,

Sandra from Cherry Heart:

has told me that she would like to try and decipher the original old pattern.

Do go and visit this lovely blog about crochet,

you will love looking at all her beautiful work,

Since colour is so important to me,

I had to finish up with a colourful collage!