How to Crochet an Oval Doily — Part 3 of 4: Building the Middle Rounds and Adding Lace Detail
Welcome back to our ongoing series on crocheting a beautiful oval doily from scratch. If you’ve been following along since Part 1, you already know how to set up your foundation chain and work the tricky oval base without puckering or curling. In Part 2, we tackled the first few rounds of the body, establishing the framework that gives the doily its elegant elongated shape. Now, in Part 3, we’re diving into the most rewarding stage of the whole project — the middle rounds where the doily really starts to look like something special, and the introduction of the open lace detail that transforms it from a simple fabric circle into a truly delicate piece.
If this is your first time reading the series, I’d encourage you to start from Part 1 so the stitch counts and construction logic make sense as we move forward. That said, if you’re a confident crocheter who just needs a refresher on oval construction or lace insertion, you should be able to pick up from here with a little adaptation.
Before we get started, let’s do a quick materials recap and then jump straight into the pattern.
What You’ll Need for Part 3
You should already have your hook and thread from the previous parts, but here’s the full list in case you’re picking this project back up after a break.
Thread: Size 10 crochet cotton thread in white or ecru is the classic choice, but any fine mercerized cotton will work beautifully. You’ll need approximately one full ball (roughly 300 yards) to get through Parts 3 and 4 combined if your gauge is close to standard.
Hook: A steel crochet hook, size 7 (1.65 mm) is recommended for size 10 thread. If your tension runs tight, bump up to a size 6 (1.8 mm).
Other supplies: Scissors, a yarn or tapestry needle for weaving in ends, stitch markers, and a blocking board with rustproof pins. Blocking is absolutely essential with thread doilies — it’s what turns a slightly rumpled piece into something that looks truly professional and heirloom-quality.
A Quick Note on Gauge and Oval Shaping
Oval doilies are a little more demanding than round ones because the elongated shape has to be managed carefully at every stage. The “short ends” of the oval — the rounded tips — require increases at a faster rate than the long sides, which grow more slowly and sometimes not at all on certain rounds. Throughout this part of the pattern, pay close attention to which sections of the oval you’re working in. I’ll note the increases explicitly, but developing an eye for where the fabric wants to curve versus where it wants to lie flat is a skill that will serve you well on every future doily project.
If you notice your doily starting to cup upward (like a bowl) or ruffle around the edges (too much increase), this is the point in the construction where you can still correct it. Cupping means you need more increases; ruffling means you have too many. Don’t be afraid to frog a round or two — thread crochet is patient work, and the results are worth the attention to detail.
Where We Left Off
At the end of Part 2, your doily should measure approximately 4 inches by 7 inches (roughly 10 cm by 18 cm), blocked. You should have completed through Round 12, ending with a slip stitch to join and a chain to begin the next round. The piece has a solid or semi-solid body from Rounds 1 through 8, and Rounds 9 through 12 introduced your first open-work shells or fans, depending on the variation of the pattern you’re following.
If your measurements are slightly off, don’t panic. Thread tension varies from crafter to crafter, and as long as your piece is lying flat and the proportions feel right — roughly 3:5 length to width ratio — you’re in good shape to continue.
Round 13: Setting Up the Lace Framework
Round 13 is a transitional round. It’s not flashy on its own, but it creates the structure that makes the lace pattern in Rounds 14 through 18 possible. Think of it as laying train tracks — the train doesn’t run yet, but without the rails it couldn’t.
Chain 5 at the start of the round to count as your first double crochet plus a 2-chain space. This chain-5 beginning is a common feature of thread doily work, and it keeps your round starts from pulling inward.
Work around the doily as follows: in the spaces or stitches established in Round 12, work a pattern of (double crochet, chain 2, double crochet) — also written as a “v-stitch” — with a chain-3 space between each v-stitch along the long sides of the oval. At the short ends (the rounded tips), substitute (double crochet, chain 2, double crochet, chain 2, double crochet) — a “fan” or “shell” — to add the extra increase needed to keep the ends curved without buckling.
Join with a slip stitch to the third chain of your starting chain-5. You should end this round with a satisfying, even spread of v-stitches along the sides and fans at each end.
Stitch count note: The exact number of v-stitches will depend on your foundation, but a typical oval doily at this stage has 8 to 10 v-stitches along each long side and 3 fan units at each short end.
Rounds 14 and 15: The First Lace Layer
This is where things start to look really beautiful. Rounds 14 and 15 work together to create a two-row lace motif. The pattern uses chain spaces to build an airy mesh that’s characteristic of vintage thread doily work.
Round 14: Chain 4 to begin (counts as double crochet plus chain 1). Work into the chain-2 spaces of the previous round. In each chain-2 space of the v-stitches along the sides, work a double crochet — then chain 3 — then another double crochet. In the chain-2 spaces of the fan units at the ends, work the same pairing but add an extra chain-3 arch between each pair of double crochets to accommodate the curve.
The goal of Round 14 is to replace every v-stitch and fan from Round 13 with a slightly more open version, pushing the chain spaces out a little wider and creating arches rather than V-shapes.
Round 15: This is a picot round on the arches. Work a single crochet into each chain-3 arch, then — in the center of the arch — work a picot by chaining 4 and slip stitching back into the first chain. Continue around the entire doily, placing a single crochet and picot in each arch. At the short ends, you’ll have more arches clustered together, and the picots here fan outward naturally, which is exactly what you want.
When you finish Round 15, step back and look at the doily from a distance. You should see a delicate picot edge framing the oval, with the mesh of arches beneath it creating a lacy, lattice-like appearance. If you’ve done it right, this round gets a lot of compliments — even at this unfinished stage, it’s a real looker.
Round 16: The Open Mesh Center Band
Round 16 introduces a mesh band that runs along the long sides of the doily only. This technique — selectively adding detail to the sides without increasing at the ends — is one of the key strategies for maintaining oval shape in more advanced rounds.
Begin your round and work along the long side of the doily in the following repeat: single crochet into the single crochet below the picot, chain 5, skip the picot, single crochet into the next single crochet, chain 5. Continue this repeat along the entire long side. When you reach a short end, switch to a different treatment: single crochet into each stitch or arch with chain 3 between each one, working closely and adding small increases at the very tip of the curve.
This selective technique creates a contrast between the open, airy mesh on the sides and the slightly denser, more curved construction at the ends — and that contrast is precisely what gives a well-made oval doily its elegant, intentional look.
Join the round and don’t cut your thread. Round 17 begins immediately from this point.
Round 17: Shell Stitch Accent Row
Round 17 introduces the shell stitch accent that gives this doily much of its classic vintage character. Shell stitches — groups of 5 or 7 double crochets worked into a single stitch or space — create fan-like clusters that immediately elevate the piece aesthetically.
Along the long sides: Work a 5-double-crochet shell into every other chain-5 space from Round 16. In the alternate chain-5 spaces (the ones you skip the shell), work a single crochet. The rhythm is: shell, single crochet, shell, single crochet — all the way along each side.
At the short ends: Work a smaller shell of 3 double crochets into the chain-3 spaces, with a single crochet between each one. The smaller shells keep the ends from ruffling while still providing the visual texture of the shell pattern.
When you finish Round 17, your doily will look noticeably fuller and more dimensional. The shells trap the light differently than flat stitches, giving the piece a slight sculptural quality that really comes to life after blocking.
Round 18: Chain Arch Bridge Round
Round 18 is a bridging round — it links the tops of the shells and the single crochets with chain arches, creating a unified open-work fabric that will support the final lace detail in Part 4.
Work a single crochet into the top (center double crochet) of each shell, with a chain 4 between each one. In the spaces above the single crochet stitches from Round 17, work a single crochet with a chain 4 on each side. Continue around the entire oval.
At the short ends, the chaining increases slightly — chain 5 instead of chain 4 — to keep pace with the wider curve. This small adjustment is easy to forget but important to keep the ends lying flat.
Join at the end of Round 18. Your doily should now measure approximately 6 inches by 10 inches (roughly 15 cm by 25 cm) in its unblocked state.
Rounds 19 and 20: Pineapple Preparation (Optional Advanced Detail)
Rounds 19 and 20 are marked optional because they introduce the base of a pineapple motif — one of the most beloved and iconic patterns in thread crochet doily work. If you’re new to pineapples or prefer a simpler finish, you can skip ahead to the closing notes and continue with a simpler edging in Part 4.
If you want to go for it, here’s what these rounds do: they set up a “base chain” grid that pineapple stitches will be worked into in Part 4. Pineapple motifs begin with treble crochet clusters and develop through a series of decrease rows that narrow the cluster into the classic pointed, grape-bunch shape. Rounds 19 and 20 establish the chains into which those trebles will be anchored.
Round 19: Work (double crochet, chain 3, double crochet) into each chain-4 arch around. This creates a series of open “gates” — each one will become the base of a pineapple in Round 20 and beyond.
Round 20: Into each chain-3 space from Round 19, work 7 treble crochets side by side. This is the first and widest row of the pineapple — 7 trebles fill the base space completely, and the subsequent rounds in Part 4 will decrease this number steadily toward a single treble at the tip.
After Round 20, your doily will look rather full and ruffled. Don’t worry — this is completely normal at this stage of pineapple construction. Blocking after the full pattern is complete will pull everything into shape. For now, what you’re seeing is the raw potential of the pattern before it settles into its final form.
Common Mistakes at This Stage (And How to Fix Them)
Thread doily work at the Part 3 stage is where many crafters hit a wall. The pattern gets more complex, the stitches get more numerous, and mistakes from earlier rounds start to show up in ways they didn’t before. Here are the most common issues and some practical advice for each one.
Losing your place in the round. This happens to everyone. The solution is simple: use stitch markers aggressively. Mark the start of each round, mark the center of each short end, and mark the center of each long side. Four markers, placed at the oval’s “compass points,” will keep you oriented as the rounds grow larger and the stitch counts climb.
Uneven tension between rounds. If you’re switching between a tighter tension on shells and a looser tension on chains, it will show up as puckering between rows. Try to maintain a consistent grip and yarn feed throughout. Some crafters find it helpful to work chain spaces slightly looser than feels natural, since chains tend to tighten under the weight of surrounding stitches.
The ends not lying flat. If your short ends are buckling up or ruffling out, check your increase rate. Too few increases cause cupping; too many cause ruffling. This section of the pattern has worked the ends as described to maintain flatness, but individual tension varies. Add or subtract a chain space at the ends to correct the curve.
Running out of thread mid-round. Calculate your thread needs before beginning each round. It’s much easier to join a new ball at the end of a round than in the middle of a shell or pineapple base. If you’re getting low, finish at the closest round-ending point even if it means frogging a few stitches.
Blocking Your Progress Piece
Even though the doily isn’t finished, this is a great moment to do a partial block. Thread the piece onto your blocking board, pinning the long sides and short ends into their correct positions. Dampen with cool water (or use a spray bottle) and allow it to dry completely. This gives you a realistic preview of the final shape and can also reveal any structural issues — gaps where there shouldn’t be gaps, pulls, or uneven shells — while there’s still time to correct them.
A partially blocked doily also just looks so much better for photos if you want to share your progress in an online crochet community or on social media. The arches open up, the shells fan out gracefully, and the picots from Round 15 point neatly outward instead of curling. It’s genuinely motivating to see how far you’ve come.
What’s Coming in Part 4
Part 4 is the grand finale — we’ll complete the pineapple motifs through their decreasing rows, add the final edging (a choice between a classic picot shell border and a more elaborate scalloped lace edge), and cover everything you need to know about final blocking and stiffening your doily for display.
We’ll also talk about display options: how to frame a doily under glass, how to use it as a table centerpiece without it sliding around, and how to store handmade thread lace so it stays pristine for years or even decades.
Part 3 covers a lot of ground — you’ve built the middle body, introduced open-work lace, established your shell accent row, and laid the groundwork for the pineapple motifs. That’s a significant achievement. Thread doily work takes patience, but every round you complete is a round that will last, with proper care, far longer than you will. There’s something genuinely meaningful about that.
Take your time with these rounds, enjoy the rhythm of the stitches, and I’ll see you in Part 4 to finish this beautiful piece together.
