Santa Fé Modern 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 13 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 910 yd (832 m) — check the current label before buying.
• Colours: 6 skeins dark green, 4 skeins light yellow, 3 skeins brown.
• Original hook: aluminum crochet hook size H.
• Stitch marker; a piece of cardboard 4 in (10 cm) wide for fringe.
• Hook: Start with 5 mm (US H-8) and change size to match the gauge.

Abbreviations (US terms)

ch

chain

sc

single crochet

hdc

half double crochet

sl st

slip stitch

yo

yarn over

sk

skip

st

stitch

sts

stitches

rep

repeat

pm

place marker

Notes before you start

• Source: "Santa Fé Modern", 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; 6 skeins Dk. Green.; 4 skeins Lt. Yellow.; 3 skeins Brown.; Aluminum crochet hook size H.. Gauge: Not given. The center should measure 12½ × 18¼ inches after the 22nd row..
• 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: The original's "s d c" (short double crochet), defined in the pattern as yo, insert hook, pull through, yo and pull through all loops, is the modern half double crochet (hdc). "1 s c, 1 s d c, 1 s c in next s c" is written as "(sc, hdc, sc) in next sc".
• Modernisation note: The original numbers the rounds of this rug as "Rows"; that numbering is kept so row references match.
• Modernisation note: "Next 9 Rows" after row 3 is written as rows 4–12, matching the original's next number (13th row); "Next 3 Rows" after row 19 as rows 20–22; "Next 3 Rows" after row 24 as rows 25–27; and "repeat the 15th … 19th rows" as rows 31–35 (the original's next row is the 36th). "Next 6 Rows" after row 36 is written as rows 37–42.
• Modernisation note: "Attach" is written as "join"; "cut yarn" as "fasten off".
• Modernisation note: "Weave in all ends" was added as a finishing step; it is not in the original.
• Modernisation note: Metric conversions 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.

Center

1. Row 1: With green, ch 22, 3 sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in each of next 19 ch, 3 sc in next ch; working along the other side of the ch, sc in each of next 19 ch. Do not join this or the following rows. Place a marker at the beginning of each row. Work firmly throughout.
2. Row 2: (Sc, hdc, sc) in next sc (hdc: yo, insert hook in st, pull up a loop, yo and pull through all loops at one time), sc in next sc, (sc, hdc, sc) in next sc, sc in each of next 19 sc, (sc, hdc, sc) in next sc, sc in next sc, (sc, hdc, sc) in next sc, sc in each of next 19 sc.
3. Row 3: Sc in next sc, (sc, hdc, sc) in next sc, sc in each of next 3 sc, (sc, hdc, sc) in next sc, sc in each of next 21 sc, (sc, hdc, sc) in next sc, sc in each of next 3 sc, (sc, hdc, sc) in next sc, sc in each of next 20 sc.
4. Rows 4–12: Sc in each sc, working (sc, hdc, sc) in the center st at each corner in each row. Sl st in next st to even the row, pulling the st tight.
5. Row 13: Join light yellow in the center st at any corner and work (sc, hdc, sc) in same st, sc in each sc all around, working (sc, hdc, sc) in the center st at each remaining corner, join in 1st sc.
6. Row 14: Sl st in next st (corner st), ch 1, (sc, hdc, sc) in same st, then sc in each sc, working (sc, hdc, sc) in the center st at each corner, join. Fasten off yellow.
7. Rows 15–17: Same as row 13, working 1 row dark green, 1 row brown and 1 row dark green. Fasten off.
8. Rows 18–19: Join light yellow and work the same as rows 13 and 14.
9. Rows 20–22: Join brown and work even in sc, working (sc, hdc, sc) in the center st at each corner in each row. Fasten off. The center should now measure 12½ × 18¼ in (32 × 46 cm). Block carefully before starting the next row.