Six Pointed Star Popcorn Bedspread (1941): vintage crochet pattern

Materials

• Knit-Cro-Sheen mercerized cotton (about a size 10 crochet cotton today)
• Yardage: about 90 yd (82 m) per block, as printed, plus about 4 balls for fringe. The number of blocks is not printed. Check your label for ball size.
• Original hook: Milward's steel crochet hook No. 5 or 6.
• Tapestry needle; rustproof pins for blocking.
• Make one motif first and check it against the printed motif size before buying all the thread.
• Hook: Start with 1.9 mm (US steel 5) and change size to match the gauge.

Abbreviations (US terms)

ch

chain

sl st

slip stitch

dc

double crochet

pc

popcorn

BLO

back loop only

sk

skip

sp

space

st

stitch

sts

stitches

lp

loop

rnd

round

rep

repeat

Notes before you start

• Source: "Six Pointed Star" (210), 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. 5 or 6.. Gauge: Using the materials recommended, each block measures 7½″ across and requires about 90 yds. of thread. About 4 balls are required for bedspread 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: In rnd 5 the popcorn definition ("to make a pc st, ch 1, make 5 dc in same place…") is placed in parentheses; the stitches are unchanged.
• 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: Check: the original says "Starting at center, ch 4" and then "11 dc in ring" without printing a join; presumably join the ch-4 with a sl st to form a ring.
• 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.

Block

1. Note: Slight cupping of block, which is unavoidable, will be taken care of by blocking.
2. Starting at center, ch 4.
3. Rnd 1: Ch 3, 11 dc in ring. Sl st in 3rd ch of first ch-3.
4. Rnd 2: Ch 3, * dc in next dc; in next dc make dc, ch 3 and dc. Repeat from * around, ending with dc at base of first ch-3, ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch of ch-3. Hereafter pick up only the back loop of each dc.
5. Rnd 3: Ch 3, dc in next 2 dc, * dc in next ch, ch 4, sk 1 ch, dc in next ch, dc in next 3 dc. Repeat from * around, ending with dc in last ch of previous rnd, sl st in 3rd ch of first ch-3.
6. Rnd 4: Ch 3, dc in next 3 dc, * dc in next ch, ch 4, sk 2 ch, dc in next ch, dc in next 5 dc. Repeat from * around, ending with dc in last dc of previous rnd, sl st in 3rd ch of first ch-3.
7. Rnd 5: Ch 3 (counts as dc), * in next st make a pc (to make a pc, ch 1, make 5 dc in same place, drop loop from hook, insert hook in ch-1 preceding the 5 dc, and draw dropped loop through); dc in next 3 dc, dc in next ch, ch 4, sk 2 ch, dc in next ch, dc in next 3 dc. Repeat from * around. Join as before to 3rd ch of first ch-3.
8. Rnd 6: Ch 3, * dc in tip of next pc, dc in next 4 dc, dc in next ch, ch 4, sk 2 ch, dc in next ch, dc in next 4 dc. Repeat from * around. Join.
9. Rnd 7: Ch 3, dc in next 2 dc, pc in next dc, * dc in next 3 dc, dc in next ch, ch 4, sk 2 ch, dc in next ch; (dc in next 3 dc, pc in next dc) twice. Repeat from * around. Join.
10. Rnd 8: Ch 3, dc in next 7 sts, * dc in next ch, ch 4, sk 2 ch, dc in next ch, dc in next 13 sts. Repeat from * around. Join.
11. Rnd 9: Ch 3, * (pc in next dc, dc in next 3 dc) twice; dc in next ch, ch 4, sk 2 ch, dc in next ch, dc in next 3 dc, pc in next dc, dc in next 3 dc. Repeat from * around. Join.
12. Rnd 10: Ch 3, dc in next 8 sts, * ch 3, sk 1 dc, 3 dc in next sp, ch 3, sk 1 dc, dc in each of next 15 sts. Repeat from * around. Join.
13. Rnd 11: Ch 3, dc in next 2 dc, * pc in next dc, dc in next 4 dc, ch 3, sk 1 dc, dc in next 3 ch, ch 3, sk 3 dc, dc in next 3 ch, ch 3, sk 1 dc, dc in next 4 dc, pc in next dc, dc in next 3 dc. Repeat from * around. Join.
14. Rnd 12: Ch 3, dc in next 6 dc, * ch 3, sk 1 dc, dc in next 3 ch, ch 3, dc in center ch of next ch-3, ch 3, sk 4 sts, dc in next 3 ch, ch 3, sk 1 dc, dc in next 11 dc. Repeat from * around. Join.
15. Rnd 13: Ch 3, * pc in next dc, dc in next 4 dc, ch 3, sk 1 dc, dc in next 3 ch, ch 3, sk 4 sts, (dc in center ch of next ch-3, ch 3) twice; sk 4 sts, dc in next 3 ch, ch 3, sk 1 dc, dc in next 4 dc. Repeat from * around. Join.
16. Rnd 14: Ch 3, dc in next 4 dc, * ch 3, sk 1 dc, dc in next 3 ch, ch 3, dc in center ch of next ch-3, ch 3, sk 2 sts, dc in next 3 ch, ch 3, sk 2 sts, dc in center ch of next ch-3, ch 3, sk 4 sts, dc in next 3 ch, ch 3, sk 1 dc, dc in next 7 dc. Repeat from * around. Join.
17. Rnd 15: Ch 3, dc in next 3 dc, * ch 3, sk 1 dc, dc in next 3 ch, ch 3, sk 4 sts, dc in center ch of next ch-3, ch 3, sk 2 sts, dc in next 3 ch, ch 3, sk 3 dc, dc in next 3 ch, ch 3, sk 2 sts, dc in center ch of next ch-3, ch 3, sk 4 sts, dc in next 3 ch, ch 3, sk 1 dc, dc in next 5 dc. Repeat from * around. Join.
18. Rnd 16: Ch 3, dc in next 2 dc, * ch 3, sk 1 dc, dc in next 3 ch, ch 3, sk 4 sts, dc in center ch of next ch-3, ch 3, sk 2 sts, dc in next 3 ch, ch 3, sk 3 dc and 1 ch; in next ch make 3 dc, ch 3 and 3 dc; ch 3, sk 3 dc, dc in next 3 ch, ch 3, sk 2 sts, dc in center ch of next ch-3, ch 3, sk 4 sts, dc in next 3 ch, ch 3, sk 1 dc, dc in next 3 dc. Repeat from * around. Join.