Irish Crochet Popcorn Bedspread (1941): vintage crochet pattern

Materials

• Knit-Cro-Sheen mercerized cotton (about a size 10 crochet cotton today)
• Yardage: Printed: about 57 yd (52 m) per 5-in motif, plus about 3 balls for edging and fringe. Example (ours): 14 × 18 motifs = about 70 × 90 in (178 × 229 cm) and 252 motifs × 57 yd = about 14,364 yd (13,134 m). Ball size is not printed — check your label.
• Original hook: Milward's steel crochet hook No. 6.
• Make one motif first and check it against the printed motif size before buying all the thread.
• Hook: Start with 1.8 mm (US steel 6) and change size to match the gauge.

Abbreviations (US terms)

ch

chain

sl st

slip stitch

sc

single crochet

hdc

half double crochet

dc

double crochet

tr

treble crochet

pc

popcorn

BLO

back loop only

sk

skip

st

stitch

sts

stitches

lp

loop

rnd

round

rep

repeat

Notes before you start

• Source: "Irish Crochet Popcorn" (60), Old and New Favorites: Crochet Designs (Book No. 173), The Spool Cotton Company, 1941. Public domain in the USA.
• As printed — materials: J. & P. COATS KNIT-CRO-SHEEN. See thread information on page 22.; Milward’s Steel Crochet Hook No. 6.. Gauge: Using the materials recommended, each block measures 5″ square and requires about 57 yds. of thread. About 3 balls are required for bedspread edging and fringe..
• Modernisation note: The original is written in US terms; abbreviations and wording were updated to modern style ("half dc" → hdc, "pc st"/"popcorn st" → pc, "skip" → sk, "p" → picot, "bl" → block).
• Modernisation note: The picot is defined in rnd 6 as "ch 4, sc in same st"; "p" is written as "picot" throughout.
• Modernisation note: "Catching hook in back loop only" is written as "working in back loop only".
• Modernisation note: "3rd st of ch-3" and similar are written as "3rd ch of ch-3"; "center st of next ch-3" is written as "center ch".
• Modernisation note: The dash in rnd 11 ("18 sts—2 dc…") is written as a colon.
• Modernisation note: Check: rnd 10 places "(catching hook in back loop only throughout block)" part-way through the round, although the earlier rounds do not mention back loops; kept where printed.
• Modernisation note: Check: the fringe length is not printed.
• Modernisation note: Round labels rewritten in modern form ("1st rnd:" → "Rnd 1:"); run-on paragraphs split into one round or step per line. No stitches were added, removed or reordered.
• Modernisation note: Milward's steel hook numbers were not standardised to millimetres; the starting size given is a modern US steel hook of the same number, and the motif size is what matters.
• Modernisation note: Metric conversions, the yardage example and the modern thread/yarn suggestions were added; they are not in the original.
• Modernisation note: The block is printed in the section "Popcorn Bedspreads".

Block

1. To begin, ch 8, join with sl st to form ring.
2. Rnd 1: Ch 1, 12 sc in ring. Join with sl st in first sc.
3. Rnd 2: * Ch 5, sk 1 sc, sc in next sc. Repeat from * until there are 6 loops. Join last ch-5 in sc of first loop.
4. Rnd 3: Over each ch-5 work sc, hdc, 5 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc.
5. Rnd 4: Ch 5, fasten with sc on back of preceding row between two petals, ch 5, fasten as before. Repeat around 6 petals.
6. Rnd 5: Over each ch-5 work sc, hdc, dc, 5 tr, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc.
7. Rnd 6: Sl st in each of first 3 sts of first petal made in this row, sc in first tr, * ch 9, sc in 5th tr, ch 4, sc in same st forming a picot, ch 7, 1 sc and 1 picot in first tr of next petal, ch 7, 1 sc and 1 picot in 5th tr, ch 9, 1 sc and 1 picot in first tr of next petal, ch 7, 1 sc and 1 picot in 5th tr of same petal, ch 7, 1 sc and 1 picot in first tr of next petal, and repeat from * once.
8. Rnd 7: Sl st to middle of ch-9 loop, * ch 7, sc in same st from which ch-7 started, ch 7, 1 sc and 1 picot in center of next ch-7 loop of preceding row, ch 7, 1 sc and 1 picot in center of next ch-7 loop, ch 7, sc in center of ch-9. Repeat from * 3 times.
9. Rnd 8: Sl st to middle of first ch-7 loop, ch 8, dc in same st from which ch-8 started, * ch 6, sc and 1 picot in center of ch of preceding rnd, ch 7, 1 sc and 1 picot in center of next ch-7, ch 7, 1 sc and 1 picot in center of next ch-7, ch 6, dc in center of next ch-7 loop, ch 5, dc in same st from which ch-5 started and repeat from * 3 times, ending rnd with sl st (instead of dc) in 3rd ch of ch-8.
10. Rnd 9: Ch 3, * dc in each of next 2 sts, ch 5, dc in same st as previous dc, dc in each of the next 2 sts, 1 pc in next st as follows: ch 1, 5 dc in next dc, drop st from hook, insert hook back in ch-1 and draw dropped loop through the one on hook. Dc in each of next 3 sts, ch 6, 1 sc and picot in center of ch loop of preceding rnd, ch 7, 1 sc and 1 picot in center of next ch loop, ch 6, dc in each of last 3 sts of next ch-6, pc in next dc, dc in next st. Repeat from * 3 times, ending row with a pc and sl st in 3rd ch of first ch-3.
11. Rnd 10: Ch 3, * dc in next dc, 1 pc, dc in each of next 3 sts, ch 5, 1 dc in same st for corner. Work in next 12 sts as follows: 2 dc, 1 pc, 5 dc, 1 pc, 3 dc (working in back loop only throughout block), ch 6, 1 sc and 1 picot in center of next ch-loop, ch 6, dc in center of next ch-loop, 2 dc, 1 pc, 5 dc, 1 pc, 4 dc. Repeat from * 3 times, ending rnd by sl st in 3rd ch of first ch-3.
12. Rnd 11: Ch 3, * 4 dc, 1 pc, 3 dc, ch 5, 1 dc in same st for corner. Work across next 18 sts: 2 dc, 1 pc, 5 dc, 1 pc, 5 dc, 1 pc, 3 dc. Ch 5, dc in center of next ch-loop, 2 dc, 1 pc, 5 dc, 1 pc, 1 dc and repeat from * 3 times, ending rnd with pc and sl st in 3rd ch of first ch-3.
13. Rnd 12: Ch 3, dc in each st to corner, ch 5, 1 dc in same st for corner; then 1 dc in each st, making corners as before. Join with sl st in 3rd ch of first ch-3. Do not fasten off.
14. Loops: Work loops around block as follows: Ch 3, sk 2 sts, sc in next st. Continue around entire block with ch 3 and sc so that there are 18 loops on each side and an additional loop at each corner.