I have been working in this doily for almost 2 weeks. It's a free pattern from Coats and Clark. You can download it
from them or the PDF attachment in this post. I like the design. Mantilla is Spanish for "veil" and it resemblance the old veils that women used to go to church. The thread I used is a new one for me. It's Helwan, a 100% Egyptian cotton. The thickness is a little bit more than the regular #10 we use to crochet but not quite the #5. It's very soft to work and I liked the result. I took so long to make it because I'm having problems with my eyesight and I was able to crochet only a few hours per day using the natural sunlight. Also the pattern is written in a confusing way in some parts and I had to "frog" several rounds twice or thrice. But yesterday afternoon I finished it.
I need to wash it to see if the dye wash-off,, but while working with it my hands didn't get black so I think it's okay. Also I need to steam it 'cause it's a little ruffled. This pattern is definitively for an intermediate to advance crocheter. The total size of the doily is 18" and I used a 2.50mm hook.
Detail of the center
