Provincial Woven Mesh Rug (vintage American Thread): vintage crochet pattern

Materials

• Aunt Lydia's Heavy Rug Yarn (Coats & Clark) is still sold. It is a bulky (#5)-class rug yarn; substitute any bulky rug yarn that matches the gauge.
• Yardage: the original lists 21 skeins but does not print the skein size. Other American Thread books of the period list this yarn in 70 yd skeins, which would be about 1470 yd (1344 m) — check the current label before buying.
• Colours: 8 skeins dark green, 5 skeins rust, 8 skeins light yellow.
• Original hook: aluminum crochet hook size G.
• Large-eyed tapestry needle for darning.
• Hook: Start with 4.5 mm (US 7) and change size to match the gauge.

Abbreviations (US terms)

ch

chain

dc

double crochet

sk

skip

st

stitch

rep

repeat

tch

turning chain

Notes before you start

• Source: "Provincial", Crocheted Rugs (Star Rug Book No. 106), The American Thread Company. Public domain in the USA.
• As printed — materials: AMERICAN THREAD COMPANY "AUNT LYDIA'S" HEAVY RUG YARN, Article 235; 8 skeins Dk. Green.; 5 skeins Rust.; 8 skeins Lt. Yellow or colors desired.; Aluminum crochet hook size G.. Gauge: Not given.
• Modernisation note: The original is written in US terms; abbreviations were updated to modern style (s c → sc, d c → dc, s d c → hdc).
• Modernisation note: "Skip 1 st of ch" is written as "sk 1 ch"; "cut Green" as "fasten off green"; "attach Rust" as "join rust".
• Modernisation note: The long colour sequences are transcribed exactly, in order.
• Modernisation note: "Weave in the ends of the crocheted rows" was added as a finishing step; it is not in the original.
• Modernisation note: Metric conversions and the suggested gauge were added; they are not in the original.
• Modernisation note: Hook letters from this period were not standardised to millimetres; the starting size given is a modern equivalent, and the gauge is what matters.

Mesh

1. Row 1: With green, ch 113, dc in 7th ch from hook, *ch 1, sk 1 ch, dc in next ch; rep from * across. Ch 4 to turn all rows.
2. Row 2: Dc in next dc, *ch 1, dc in next dc; rep from * across, ending with ch 1, sk 1 st, dc in next st (when changing colour, always complete the last half of the st with the next colour). Fasten off green.
3. Row 3: Join rust and work the same as row 2.
4. Continue in the same way, working 1 row yellow, 1 row green, 1 row yellow, 1 row green, 1 row rust, 1 row yellow, 1 row green, 1 row yellow, 1 row rust, 1 row green, 2 rows yellow, 1 row green, 1 row rust, 1 row yellow, 1 row green, 1 row yellow, 1 row rust, 1 row green, 1 row yellow, 1 row green, 1 row yellow, 1 row rust, 1 row green, 2 rows yellow, 1 row green, 1 row rust, 1 row yellow, 1 row green, 1 row yellow, 1 row green, 1 row rust, 1 row yellow, 1 row green, 1 row yellow, 1 row rust, 1 row green, 2 rows yellow (center of rug).
5. Then, starting with the green row, work the sequence backwards to the 1st row. Fasten off.