Old-Fashioned Crochet Threads

Seems it's getting more and more difficult to find crochet thread in stores. Even the craft outlets that carry it often don't have a wide variety. Fortunately you can still find wonderful threads by shopping on the internet, and a trip to a thrift store, garage sale, or estate sale can yield some great finds.



Pictured above are vintage spools of Coats and Clark's #5 pearl cotton thread, found in a bag of notions at a local thrift store. This high-quality thread is mentioned in many old pattern books. One spool still has a 70-cent price tag from the old Ben Franklin five-and-dime chain.







Another old favorite is Star Puritan bedspread cotton, pictured here in a lovely green. The inside of the label has a pattern for a thread crochet motif.




Other thrift store finds are these variegated shades in light blue and green. I was very excited to find these, since they're practically impossible to find new!




A recent purchase in the crafting department is this pastel variegated pattern, another thread you'll see in vintage books.





You'll see the yellow and lavender variegated thread in old photos of pansy doilies. You can still find it online.


For traditional thread crochet and vintage goodness, please check my Etsy shop at www.acadiancrochet.etsy.com

Rose Crochet Potholder, In Progress

I am using two squares from a bedspread pattern to make this rose potholder in white, shaded yellows, and green. The two sides are stitched together with a border using double crochet, chains, and picots. Potholder is crafted with #10 bedspread cotton and a #7 steel hook.

This pattern is from the 1959 Coats and Clark's book "Crochet Favorites Old and New" which also features instructions for doilies, motifs, a hankerchief edging, and a tablecloth.

If you wanted to make the Rose Bower bedspread you would need 77 flower motifs as well as 76 plain motifs for a single bed, and 94 flower motifs and 93 plain motifs for a double bed. Spread has a fringed edging.









For traditional thread crochet and vintage goodness, please visit my Etsy shop at www.acadiancrochet.etsy.com

Tea-Dyed Doily on Etsy

Measuring 11 inches across, this crocheted doily has a stylized sun circled by rows of waves. It was crafted in bedspread cotton using a small steel hook, and the natural shaded thread was dyed in black tea to a rich beige..

It is of sturdy construction yet delicate in appearance. Lovely as a dining table centerpiece, or under a bedside lamp, this doily is appropriate for primitive, Victorian, or shabby decor.



Here it is a few rows from the edge.



Here's what it looked like when it was just finished, prior to tea-dying and blocking.



Preparing to dye in black tea.



Now in my Etsy shop at www.acadiancrochet.etsy.com

Canadian Crochet

From Patons and Balwins of Toronto, Canada, this Beehive knitting and crochet book features patterns for stuffed animals including pandas, a Scotty dog, a colorful turtle, and a cute baby duck. There are two rug patterns, one crocheted in rows and one knitted with a Greek key motif. Other patterns include a lampshade cover, a knitting bag, and crocheted mats.

Also of interest are two patterns for art crochet wall hangings. One is crocheted in rows with a fringed edging. The other is made in motifs that are sewn together.

Book has a French translation for crochet and knitting abbreviations.










For retro crafting books, traditional thread crochet, and other fun stuff, please visit my Etsy shop at www.acadiancrochet.etsy.com

New Thread Crochet Project for Etsy

Now in progress, the Mediterranean Surf doily, a pattern from the Coats & Clark archives republished in the 2007 book "Contemporary Crochet."

The pattern calls for #3 cotton thread and a #4 steel hook to make a 20-inch doily. I'm using #10 bedspread cotton and a #7 hook, which will create a smaller piece. I also plan to tea-dye it to a darker beige, giving it an antique look for primitive or Victorian decor.





The intro says the Mediterranean Surf doily is "reminiscent of ocean waves with a stylized sun center." The thread used in the pattern picture is Aunt Lydia's Fashion Crochet #3 in Warm Teal.




Doily is made with a combination of chains, double crochet, and triple crochet. The pointed "waves" are made with a triple crochet flanked by double crochets and single chain stitches, separated by a single crochet.




For traditional thread crochet and vintage goodness, please check out my Etsy shop at www.acadiancrochet.etsy.com.

Gothic Lily Doily in Black Thread

Gothic and dramatic, this black thread doily was crafted with #10 crochet cotton and a #7 steel hook, using a vintage lily flower pattern. This piece features a chain mesh with flowers and leaves in triple crochet. It measures 18 inches across.



In this photo it's a few rows away from the edge. It's made with chains, triple crochet, and triple crochet clusters. The edging is what's called a "rice stitch," three triple-crochet clusters with a chain loop atop triple crochets and double triple crochets.



This is the Lily-of-the-Valley pattern from the American Thread Company book "Doilies, Knitted-Crocheted and Tatted. It's from the 1970's but I suspect many of the patterns are much older. It's the first all-doily book I acquired as a young crocheter.



Perfect on a large or small table, lovely under your special treasures.
Now listed in my Etsy shop at www.acadiancrochet.etsy.com.

Be Your Own Betsy Ross

From 1942, this Spool Cotton Company book features a pattern for a 48-star American flag, crafted with a #9 steel hook and J&P Coats Knit-Cro-Sheen in red, white, and blue. Stripes and block are crafted with rows of double crochet, finished with a slip stitch edging. The white stars are made with chains, single crochet, double crochet and half-double crochet, and they're sewn on separately (you have to make a total of 96, since they're sewn onto both sides). Completed flag measures 24 x 36 inches.



Gift Shopping with Crochet features 23 pages, with patterns for motifs, jewelry, bags, baskets, flowers, slippers, and other novelties. Price 10 cents.







For retro crochet books and traditional thread crochet, please check my Etsy shop at www.acadiancrochet.etsy.com. Lots of fun vintage too!