A remarkably approachable Victorian crochet design from My Crochet Sampler (1847). Miss Lambert presented it as an elementary exercise for learning the basic crochet stitch, but the same striped fabric can be adapted to a sofa pillow, table cover, mat, or other household piece.
Historical terminology note: the 1847 book uses its own definitions for “plain crochet” and related stitches. Crochet Board has preserved that historical wording rather than forcing it into a modern US/UK stitch name that could be misleading. Read the source’s stitch definitions before beginning.
Materials
The original source recommends six-thread fleecy wool and a good-sized ivory or steel crochet needle. For a modern recreation, choose a smooth yarn that gives a firm but flexible fabric and a hook suited to that yarn. The historical design uses black, white, scarlet shades, blue shades, and optional multicolored or shaded wool.
Pattern Instructions
Foundation and Working Method
Make a foundation chain to the width required for your project. Miss Lambert notes that with the wool she used, about half a yard measured roughly sixty-five stitches, but the exact count should be determined by the size of the finished article.
Work the rows from the same end rather than turning back and forth. At the end of each row, fasten off and leave a short tail to be secured later.
Stripe Sequence
- Stripe 1: one row black, one row white, one row black.
- Stripe 2: work one row each in dark scarlet, bright scarlet, and light scarlet, then reverse those shades to complete the graduated stripe.
- Stripe 3: repeat Stripe 1.
- Stripe 4: repeat the shaded sequence of Stripe 2, this time using shades of blue.
Continue alternating the black-and-white stripe with the shaded colored stripes until the piece reaches the required size.
Finishing
Secure the yarn ends neatly. If making a pillow, work or sew a matching back and assemble around a cushion form. If making a table cover or mat, finish the edges as desired while keeping the historical striped character of the design.
Vintage Source
Publication: My Crochet Sampler
Author: Miss Lambert
Publisher: D. M. Peyser, New York
Year: 1847
Original pages: 24–26
Project Gutenberg eBook: #57595
Rights note: Project Gutenberg identifies this work as public domain in the United States. Readers outside the United States should check the copyright law that applies in their location.
About This Crochet Board Edition
This Crochet Board page is an editorially organized presentation of a historical public-domain pattern. The original construction, counts, color sequence, and period terminology have been preserved where they are important to the design, while punctuation and layout have been clarified for easier reading. Historical yarn names, hook conventions, sizing practices, and stitch terms may differ from modern standards.
Explore more: Browse the Vintage Crochet archive or read How to Read Vintage Crochet Patterns before working from nineteenth-century instructions.