How To Crochet Simple Oval Doily Part 2: Rounds 7–13

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations — you’re well on your way to finishing a beautiful oval doily that you can be truly proud of. In Part 1, we covered the foundation chain and the early rounds that established the oval shape, building up the center section and getting familiar with the rhythm of working in the round. Now in Part 2, we’re diving into Rounds 7 through 13, where the doily really starts to blossom. These rounds introduce more texture, wider shells, and the kind of lacy openwork that makes crocheted doilies so timeless and elegant.

Before we dive in, let’s do a quick check to make sure you have everything you need and that your project is in good shape coming off of Round 6.

What You’ll Need

If this is your first time landing on this tutorial, here’s a quick overview of the supplies you’ll want to have on hand:

Thread or Yarn: Size 10 crochet cotton thread is the traditional choice for doilies and gives you that crisp, delicate look. White or ecru are classic, but don’t be afraid to work in a soft sage green, pale lavender, or dusty rose if you want something a little more contemporary.

Hook: A steel crochet hook in size 7 (1.65mm) is ideal for size 10 thread. If you’re using a light fingering weight yarn instead of thread, you might go up to a size B/1 (2.25mm) or C/2 (2.75mm) hook.

Scissors and a Tapestry Needle: You’ll need these at the end for weaving in your tail ends neatly.

Stitch Markers: Helpful for keeping track of your round beginnings and for marking specific anchor points as the pattern gets more complex.

Blocking Board and Pins: Doilies live or die by their blocking. Once you finish, you’ll want to wet block your doily to open up all that gorgeous lacy detail.

A Quick Recap of Where We Are

Coming out of Round 6, your oval doily should have a nicely defined shape with visible shell clusters at both ends of the oval and a row of open chain spaces running along each straight side. The piece should lie flat — if it’s cupping or ruffling, that’s a sign to check your tension before continuing. A doily that ruffles may need a slightly smaller hook or tighter tension, while one that cups may need to loosen up.

Take a moment to count your stitches and shell clusters. You want to be sure you’re working into the right spaces as we continue, because in these middle rounds, each stitch placement builds directly on what came before.

Understanding the Stitch Pattern

Throughout Rounds 7–13, you’ll primarily be working with a combination of shell stitches, chain spaces, and single crochets or slip stitches used as anchors between the decorative elements. As the rounds expand outward, each shell will gain a little more room to breathe, and you’ll notice the chain spaces between clusters growing slightly longer to maintain the flat, even shape of the oval.

A “shell” in this pattern consists of five double crochets worked into the same stitch or space, creating a fan shape. Between shells, you’ll typically work a chain-3 or chain-5 arch and anchor it with a single crochet into the chain space of the previous round. This combination is what creates that classic lacy look.

Here are the abbreviations used throughout this tutorial:

ch — chain
sl st — slip stitch
sc — single crochet
dc — double crochet
tr — treble crochet (yarn over twice)
sp — space
beg — beginning
rep — repeat
sk — skip

Round 7

Round 7 is the first round in Part 2, and it begins to widen the lacy sections along the sides of the oval noticeably. After joining your thread with a slip stitch into the first chain space from Round 6, work a beginning shell.

Begin your round by chaining 3 (this counts as your first double crochet), then work 2 more double crochets into the same space — this is your beginning half-shell. Chain 2, then work 3 double crochets into the same space to complete an opening cluster arrangement. As you move along the top of the oval end, work your way around the full fan clusters at each curved tip of the shape, spacing them evenly and bridging between clusters with chain-3 arches anchored into the spaces below.

Along the straight sides of the oval, work (sc in chain space, chain 5) across, repeating to maintain the open mesh-like texture on the sides. This contrast between the densely built fan clusters at the ends and the open chain arches along the sides is what gives an oval doily its distinctly graceful look.

Slip stitch to join at the end of the round and fasten off if you’re working in separate color sections, or simply proceed to Round 8.

By the end of Round 7, you’ll notice the doily has grown a visible amount. The side arches should be clearly defined and the end clusters should have a fuller, more pronounced shell shape.

Round 8

Round 8 continues to build on the same architectural logic, but now you’ll increase the chain arches along the sides from chain-5 to chain-5 with a picot tucked in the center, or simply to longer chain-7 arches depending on your preferred variation. For this tutorial, we’ll use chain-6 arches along the sides for a beautiful elongated effect.

Join into the first arch from Round 7 and work (sc, chain 6) across each arch on the sides of the oval. At the end clusters, work full 5-double-crochet shells into the chain-2 spaces between the clusters, bridging with chain-3 arches between each shell. The end sections should now have three full shells visible at each tip of the oval.

One important note for Round 8: pay close attention at the transition points where the sides meet the end curves. These four “corner” areas (two on each end of the oval) are where increases happen. At each transition, you’ll want to work two chain arches into the space that previously held one, or work an extra shell to keep the oval from pulling in. If your doily starts to develop four little corners and look more rectangular, that means you need to spread the increases out more gradually.

Round 9

Round 9 is where the doily starts to truly look like a finished heirloom piece rather than a work in progress. In this round, you’ll begin incorporating picot details into the shells at the oval ends, which adds a delicate decorative edge and gives the crocheted stitches more visual interest.

To work a picot, simply chain 3 and slip stitch back into the first chain — it creates a tiny loop or “bead” that sits on top of your work. In Round 9, work your shells as before but add a picot between the 3rd and 4th double crochets of each shell: work 3 dc, picot, 2 dc. This creates a shell with a picot crown.

Along the sides of the oval, continue working into the arches from Round 8 with chain-6 or chain-7 arches, maintaining the open lace mesh. At the transition corners, increase as needed to maintain flatness.

After completing Round 9, lay your work flat on a table and take a good look at the shape. The oval should be clearly defined, the picots should be visible along the end curves, and the side lace arches should create an airy, open panel between the two decorative ends.

Round 10

By Round 10, you’ve reached the midpoint of Part 2 and the doily is really taking shape. This round introduces a slightly more complex element along the sides: the V-stitch. A V-stitch is simply (dc, ch 2, dc) all worked into the same stitch or space, creating a small inverted V shape. Working V-stitches into the chain arches along the sides adds a lovely transitional texture between the open mesh and the full shells.

Work the ends of the oval as established, continuing with picot shells and chain-3 bridges between them. Along the sides, instead of working a simple single crochet into each arch, work a V-stitch into the center of each arch. This subtly changes the texture of the side panels and sets up a nice staggered pattern for the following round.

Round 10 will add a meaningful amount of circumference to your doily. When you join and lay it flat, it should now be a noticeably sizeable oval — likely somewhere in the range of 8–10 inches from end to end, depending on your thread weight and tension.

Round 11

Round 11 rewards all the careful work you’ve put in so far. In this round, you’ll work shells into the V-stitch chain-2 spaces from Round 10, which creates a field of small shells along the sides that echoes the large fan clusters at the ends. This is one of those rounds where the pattern suddenly “clicks” visually and you can see exactly how everything fits together.

Work (sc in chain space, 5-dc shell into V-stitch space, sc in next chain space) across each side of the oval, alternating the shells and anchor single crochets to create an even repeat. At the ends, continue building the fan clusters with picot shells and chain bridges.

This round takes a bit longer than the previous ones because there’s more going on, but take your time — the result is absolutely worth it.

Round 12

Round 12 is essentially an open-up round, meaning its primary job is to create the foundation arches that Round 13 will use to build the final decorative border. In this round, you’ll work a ring of chain-5 arches all the way around the doily, anchored by single crochets worked into the tops of the shells and into the spaces between them.

Work (sc into top of shell, chain 5) around the entire oval, spacing your anchor points evenly so that each arch is roughly the same size. At the end curves where there are more shells clustered together, you may need to anchor into the spaces between shells rather than the shell tops, just to keep the arches evenly spaced and the oval shape intact.

By the end of Round 12, your doily will be surrounded by a ring of uniform chain-5 loops, like a delicate crown waiting for its finishing touch.

Round 13

Round 13 is the final round of Part 2 and one of the most satisfying rounds in the entire pattern. This is where you work the outer decorative border — a series of larger shell fans or joined picot clusters that give the doily its finished, professional edge.

Into each chain-5 arch from Round 12, work a 5-dc shell with a picot in the center (dc, dc, picot, dc, dc, dc pattern from earlier — or your preferred shell variation). Between shells, anchor with a slip stitch or a single crochet directly into the top of the previous round’s anchor stitch.

As you work around the oval, the shells will fan out beautifully along the outer edge, creating a rippled, petal-like border. At the two ends of the oval, where the arches are slightly more tightly curved, the shells may overlap a little — this is normal and actually adds to the lush, layered look of the border.

When you’ve worked the final shell and arrived back at your starting point, slip stitch firmly to join, cut your thread leaving a 6-inch tail, and pull the tail through the final loop to secure it.

Finishing Your Doily

Now that Rounds 7–13 are complete, you have a fully crocheted oval doily. Before you call it done, there are a few finishing steps that will make a world of difference in how polished your piece looks.

Weave in your ends first. Thread each tail onto a tapestry needle and weave it in and out through several stitches on the wrong side of the doily, changing direction at least twice to secure it, then trim close to the work.

Blocking is the step that transforms a crocheted doily from something that looks handmade into something that looks truly beautiful. Fill a basin with cool water and a small drop of dish soap or no-rinse wool wash. Submerge your doily completely and gently squeeze the water through the fibers — don’t wring or twist. Lift it out, roll it in a clean towel, and press gently to remove most of the moisture.

Lay your damp doily on a foam blocking board and pin it into shape, stretching each picot point and shell tip outward to open the lace fully. Use as many pins as you need — more is better here. Allow it to dry completely (usually overnight) before removing the pins. When you lift it off the board, you’ll be amazed at the difference.

Tips for Success

Working these middle and outer rounds successfully really comes down to three things: consistent tension, careful stitch placement, and patience with yourself. If you find your doily starting to ruffle or wave at any point, try working the next round with a hook one size smaller. If it cups inward, go up a hook size or add an extra chain to your arches.

Don’t be discouraged if your first attempt doesn’t come out perfectly. Doilies are one of the more challenging things you can make in crochet precisely because they require such consistent, careful work — but they’re also one of the most rewarding. Every time you improve your tension or nail a picot shell, you’re building a skill that will serve every project you make from here on out.

What’s Coming in Part 3

If this pattern continues into a Part 3, you can expect to see additional border rounds that add even more decorative depth, or instructions for a stiffened display finish that lets you frame or mount your doily as wall art. Some oval doily patterns also include variations for adding a second color in the outer rounds, which can create a beautiful two-tone heirloom effect.

In the meantime, enjoy the progress you’ve made. Rounds 7 through 13 represent the heart of this oval doily, and working through them means you now have the skills and confidence to tackle even more complex patterns. Save your work, take some photos to track your progress, and feel proud of what you’ve made — because it really is lovely.

Happy crocheting!