What's up with (ow!) this??

So the wonderful thing about crocheting doilies is that they're so portable. I keep this one in a sandwich bag to keep it clean and to keep from losing the ball of thread under every chair I come across, and that means I can take it places like the laundromat.

The not-so-wonderful thing about doilies is that crocheting them makes my hands hurt. I so did not expect that from this doily!! But it is pineapples and that means one uses one's non-dominant hand to hold the doily tight while one makes chains of stitches... and my left hand is starting to hurt a lot, especially the part of my palm where the thumb connects.

I don't know if the Starwheel didn't cause this problem because I couldn't crochet on it for extended times--my eyes kept getting tired--or because it was more solid.

I took this pic of the doily at the laundromat on a sorting table. The light seems to have minimized what you can see of the tea-dying. I still haven't decided what to do about the whole splotchy issue. It bothers me less right now but I'm afraid that might just be familiarity.

Oh, and I discovered that I am making mistakes like crazy (mostly missed stitches). So far I've been able to compensate, but it's kinda weird... cuz yanno, the me I used to be would have ripped whole rows out to get to and correct even a small mistake.

The me I am today quotes Lisa, "oh well, no one will notice," and then goes off to rub her sore hand muscles. *wry smile*