Persian Print Motif Afghan (1952): vintage crochet pattern

Materials

• Worsted (#4) yarn. Chadwick's Red Heart Knitting Worsted, 4 ply, was a worsted-weight yarn; substitute any worsted yarn that matches the gauge.
• Colours: 21 oz Bittersweet (about 1,092 yd) and 25 oz Navy (about 1,300 yd).
• The book notes that 2 oz skeins (Art. E.230-B) of the same yarn may be used instead: buy half the number of skeins.
• Original hook: Clark's O.N.T. plastic crochet hook No. 5.
• Tapestry needle for weaving in ends.
• Hook: Start with 4 mm (US G-6) and change size to match the gauge.

Abbreviations (US terms)

ch

chain

sl st

slip stitch

sc

single crochet

dc

double crochet

rnd

round

sk

skip

sp

space

rep

repeat

st

stitch

Notes before you start

• Source: "Persian Print" (C-117), Afghans (Afghan Book No. 289), The Spool Cotton Company, 1952. Public domain in the USA.
• As printed — materials: CHADWICK’S RED HEART KNITTING WORSTED, 4 Ply, Art. E.232: 21 skeins (1 oz. “Tangle-Proof” Pull-Out Skeins) of No. 789 Bittersweet and 25 skeins of No. 858 Navy.; Clark’s O.N.T. Plastic Crochet Hook No. 5.. Gauge: Each motif measures 4 inches square..
• Modernisation note: Round and row labels ("1st rnd", "2nd row") are written as "Rnd 1", "Row 2"; "half dc" is written as "hdc"; "thread over" and "yarn over" as "yo"; "skip" as "sk"; "repeat" as "rep" where abbreviated.
• Modernisation note: "Break off" is written as "fasten off"; "attach" is written as "join".
• Modernisation note: Colons printed between instructions (e.g. "sc: ch 3") are written as semicolons, the separator used elsewhere in the same book.
• Modernisation note: The printed stitch count (24 sc) is kept from the original.
• Modernisation note: Check: on the second-motif joining round the first corner reads "ch 2, sl st … ch 2, 3 dc" but the second corner reads "ch 2, sl st in next loop on First Motif, 3 dc" with no second ch 2; it is left as printed — you may want to add ch 2 to match the first corner.
• Modernisation note: Long printed paragraphs were split into one step per row, round or sentence; no stitches were added, removed or reordered.
• 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.

First motif

1. Starting at center with Bittersweet, ch 5. Join with sl st to form ring.
2. Rnd 1: Ch 3, 15 dc in ring. Join and fasten off.
3. Rnd 2: Join Navy to same place as sl st, sc in same place, *2 sc in back loop of next dc, sc in back loop of next dc. Rep from * around. Join and fasten off (24 sc).
4. Rnd 3: Join Bittersweet to back loop of first sc, sc in same place, sc in back loop of next 2 sc, *sk next sc, in back loop of next sc make 3 dc, ch 3 and 3 dc; sk next sc, sc in back loop of next 3 sc. Rep from * around. Join and fasten off.
5. Rnd 4: Join Navy to first sc, ch 3, dc in next 2 sc, *ch 3, in next sp make sc, ch 3 and sc; ch 3, dc in next 3 sc. Rep from * around. Join and fasten off.
6. Rnd 5: Join Bittersweet to same place as sl st, sc in same place, *ch 3, sk next dc, sc in next dc, (ch 3, sc in next loop) 3 times; ch 3, sc in next dc. Rep from * around. Join and fasten off.
7. Rnd 6: Join Navy to first loop, ch 3, in same loop make 2 dc, ch 5 and 3 dc; *ch 3, sk next loop, (sc in next loop, ch 3) twice; sk next loop, in next loop make 3 dc, ch 5 and 3 dc. Rep from * around. Join and fasten off.