Crocheted Fan Afghan (1951): vintage crochet pattern

Materials

• Worsted (#4) yarn. American Thread "Dawn" Knitting Worsted was a worsted-weight yarn; substitute any worsted yarn that matches the gauge.
• Colours: 47 oz White, 11 oz Baby Blue, 22 oz Sky Blue, 26 oz National Blue.
• Original hook: plastic crochet hook No. 5 or G.
• Tapestry needle for sewing motifs.
• Hook: Start with 4 mm (US G-6) and change size to match the gauge.

Abbreviations (US terms)

ch

chain

sc

single crochet

dc

double crochet

pc

popcorn

st

stitch

sts

stitches

rep

repeat

Notes before you start

• Source: "Crocheted Fan Afghan", Beautiful, Beautiful Afghans (Star Book No. 82), American Thread Company, 1951. Public domain in the USA.
• As printed — materials: AMERICAN THREAD COMPANY “DAWN” KNITTING WORSTED, Article W 11 or W 41 or W 42; 47 ozs. White; 11 ozs. Baby Blue; 22 ozs. Sky Blue; 26 ozs. National Blue; Plastic crochet hook No. 5 or G. Gauge: Each motif measures 11 inches at widest point, 5½ inches at center..
• Modernisation note: The original is written in US terms; abbreviations were updated to modern style (s c → sc, d c → dc, tr c → tr, s d c → hdc). "Row" is written as "Rnd" where the work is in rounds.
• Modernisation note: "Cut yarn" is written as "fasten off"; "attach" is written as "join"; "yarn over" as "yo"; "skip" as "sk".
• Modernisation note: "Popcorn st" is kept as printed in the instructions (listed as "pc" in the abbreviations).
• Modernisation note: The motif's unlabelled first row is labelled "Row 1"; "continue working rows of s c … until there are 19 s c in row" is labelled "Rows 4–10" (our arithmetic: 5 sc in row 3, +2 per row, and the next printed row is the 11th).
• Modernisation note: "Repeat last 2 rows once" in the half motif is labelled "Rows 8 and 9", matching the printed "10th Row" that follows.
• Modernisation note: "17th and 18 Rows" is written as "Rows 17 and 18".
• Modernisation note: Printed stitch counts (9, 14, 23, 5, 8 and 12 popcorn sts; 25, 43, 11, 15, 23 and 26 sc) are kept from the original.
• Modernisation note: Half-motif heading "make 11 for each side" summarises "Work 10 more half motifs" plus the opposite-side half motifs (22 in all, as printed).
• Modernisation note: Metric conversions, the modern hook suggestion and the yardage estimate were added; they are not in the original.
• Modernisation note: Hook numbers from this period were not standardised to millimetres; the starting size given is a modern equivalent, and the gauge is what matters.

Motif (make 99)

1. Row 1: With White ch 2, sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 1, turn.
2. Row 2: Work 3 sc in sc, ch 1, turn.
3. Row 3: 2 sc in 1st sc, 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in last sc, ch 1, turn.
4. Rows 4–10: Continue working rows of sc, increasing in first and last st of each row until there are 19 sc in row, fasten off.
5. Row 11: Join Baby Blue, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), popcorn st in next sc (popcorn st: 4 dc in same st, drop loop off hook, insert hook in 1st dc and pull loop through, ch 1 to tighten st), *1 dc in next sc, popcorn st in next sc, repeat from * across row, ending with 1 dc in last sc, ch 1, turn (9 popcorn sts).
6. Row 12: 2 sc in next dc, *1 sc in next popcorn st, 1 sc in next dc, 2 sc in next popcorn st, 1 sc in next dc, repeat from * across row ending with 2 sc in last st (25 sc), fasten off.
7. Rows 13 and 14: Join White and work in sc, increasing 1 sc at the beginning and end of each row, fasten off.
8. Row 15: Join Sky Blue and work same as row 11 (14 popcorn sts).
9. Row 16: Ch 1, sc in same space, *1 sc in next popcorn st, 2 sc in next dc, repeat from * across row (43 sc), fasten off.
10. Rows 17 and 18: Join White and work same as rows 13 and 14, fasten off.
11. Row 19: Join National Blue and work same as row 15 (23 popcorn sts).
12. Row 20: Work in sc increasing 1 sc at the beginning and end of row, fasten off.
13. Rows 21 and 22: Join White and work in sc increasing 1 sc at the beginning and end of each row, fasten off.
14. Work 98 more motifs in same manner.