Lace Doily

I still have some crochet cotton left over from when I made my lace garters.   I love the heirloom lace doilies that have been passed down in the family, but I have been curious if I can create them in colors other than white.  (*I know I could make them in colors, I want to see if I love them as much.)  I decided to make a less classic doiley for my first try. If I find this project tedius (like I found my lace scarf) - then how can I make an entire lace shawl?

Right off the bat I can see that this vintage lace pattern is missing one thing that I look for in my knitting patterns.... no stitch count when there are increases in a row. This ended up not being a bit issue, but there were points where the lack of stitch count made it difficult.

I didn't realize that the border was crocheted, but I figured that I would be able to handle it okay.  (Ironically my learn to crochet kit would arrive later that same day!)

 Blocking the doily was simple, much easier than I thought.  If you look at the last photo above, it was a mess when it came off the needles.  This really shows the importance of blocking!

This doily is so delicate, it makes me really want to make a shawl.  Do you have any suggestions for me?