Once thought of as only something a grandmother could love, doilies are experiencing a renaissance.

like mosaic knitting, but instead of slipping stitches to be worked on the next row, uses dc on the row below to create color pattern.

This is Noël V. Nevins (AKA Tangleweeds) old website on thread crochet. It has the kind of info on thread, hooks, finishing, etc, that I'm looking for as a beginner but that is not easy to find.

See also her designs on Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/designers/noel-v-nevins

Some good info on the long-tail cast on, including why it is better to use the tail-end to create the half-hitches