Quandry

Doily versus Motif

Granny Square versus Motif or Square

How do you See it?

I see so many offerings/posts of what I term as motifs offered as a small doily.

Personally I don't consider anything smaller than six inches a doily.

 A motif, a coaster, a pincushion top, a snowflake.

Oh Yes!

But a doily?

No!

Maybe I am old fashioned.

Don't know

Could be.

But I really hate to see things lumped together under a name whether to sell a design or just to impress your friends and family you made a doily.

To me a doily showcases the art of fine crochet.

4 rnds of shell stitches isn't all that impressive folks.

Great jump off point. Nice motif,

but I don't see it as a doily.

If a 4 inch motif constitutes a doily then I have 6 doily designs all done.

Instead I figure I have 6 great motifs waiting for me to either expand upon and make a doily from any one of them, or put them together in an artful manner to create a top, shawl, runner, afghan, purse, pillow, or what ever the motif tells me it needs to be.

So I want your opinion here.

What is the difference to you?

 Size, number of rnds, or style? I am curious.

 

Granny Squares  are another item that I think we have turned into a lump together category. I only consider a old fashioned granny square or simple variation on a granny square deserves that title.

All else in my book is a motif or square. If it has clusters, puff sts, chain variations , front and back post stitches. or various stitch heights I don't see them as a granny square. When I see a round motif called a granny square, I scratch my head.

At what point in time did we start lumping it all together.

 

It's confusing enough, why are we making it even more confusing by blurring the lines?

Again I may be a bit old fashioned in my thinking.

So convince me otherwise.

I am truly trying to grasp this concept.

But at this point if you ask me to design something with a granny square, I am going to sigh and design something with a granny square or something with a slight variation.

Ask me to design a motif or square and my heart would sing at the possibilities just offered to me.

Ask me to design a doily and it definitely is going to be larger than 6 inches.

Remember this is my personal opinion and I am asking only what you think.

 

My Irish Rose Pillow

These motifs were put together to make a pillow

Which will be up on the Mainly Crochet Site shortly

http://mainlycrochet.com/

Picture used with permission of Mainly Crochet. Don Patty photo

My picture of said pillow.

Motifs/Squares are wonderful.

I would never call this a granny square.

 

Motif

Not a doily

This is a doily

Spicy Rose Afghan Square

One of my few free patterns

Not a granny square either.

Squares put together to form a whole

 

Motifs and granny Squares.

Those I would call granny squares