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Flower-Stand Mat (1850): vintage crochet pattern
A round mat to stand a flower-pot on, in shaded scarlet and shaded green eight-thread Berlin wool: a scarlet centre of double-crochet groups with a green border of chain-loop net. Originally published as "Flower-Stand" in The Lady's Album of Fancy Work for 1850 by Not printed (the Address names only “the Publishers of the Lady's Album of Fancy-Work”).
By the crochetpatterns.io editorial team · Updated · Editorial policy · pattern testing in progress
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Skill level | Intermediate |
| Yarn weight | Light (#3) |
| Yardage | Not printed. (as printed; yardage not given) |
| Hook | 4 mm |
| Gauge | Not printed. Work to the size of the article. |
| Finished size | Not printed. |
| Time | about 6 hours |
Materials
- Sport- to DK-weight (CYC #2–3) soft wool, approximating eight-thread (double) Berlin wool, in shaded (ombré) scarlet and shaded green
- Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
- Hook: Start with 4 mm (US G-6) and adjust to suit your yarn; no gauge is printed.
Yarn Kit & Substitution Options
This pattern calls for 350 yards of weight #3 yarn. Select a suggested yarn to see required skeins and estimated cost:
Caron Simply Soft Light · 100% Premium Acrylic
330 yds per skein · Gentle sheen, ultra soft against skin
2 skeins required
approx. $$11.98 total
Abbreviations (US terms)
- chain
- single crochet
- double crochet
- stitch
- stitches
- round
- repeat
- skip
Notes before you start
- Source: "Flower-Stand", The Lady's Album of Fancy Work for 1850, Not printed (the Address names only “the Publishers of the Lady's Album of Fancy-Work”), 1850. Public domain in the USA.
- As printed — materials: Scarlet and green shaded eight-thread Berlin wool; Penelope crochet needle No. 1.. Gauge: Not given.
- Modernisation note: Stitch names converted to modern US terms strictly by the book's own “Explanation of the Various Terms used in Crochet”, not by modern UK usage: “double crochet” / “close double crochet” / “d c” = sc; “single crochet” / “single” / “s c” = sl st; “long stitch” / “long” / “l s” = dc; “double long stitch” / “d l s” = tr; “treble long stitch” / “t l s” = dtr; “chain” / “c s” = ch; “single open crochet” = dc, ch 1, sk 1; “chain-stitch open crochet” = ch loops (5 or another odd number) joined into every 3rd st, then into the centre of each loop below; “three chain crochet” = the same with ch-3 loops; “miss” = sk; “unite” = join (the joining stitch is not named). Note that the book's “double crochet” is a modern sc and its “single crochet” a modern sl st.
- Modernisation note: “Plain” is not defined in the book. It is written as sc throughout this design. Check: some period books meant a sl st by “plain stitch”; compare with the engraving.
- Modernisation note: Period wording modernised: “needle” / “tambour-needle” written as “hook”; “commence” as “begin”; “cotton” / “thread” as “thread”; “receipt” as “directions”. Round and row numbers are kept as printed.
- Modernisation note: Printed paragraphs split into one step per row, round or instruction; no stitches, counts or rows added, removed or reordered. Words in square brackets or marked “Check:” are ours.
- Modernisation note: Berlin wool was a fine, soft worsted-spun wool. Four-thread Berlin wool is approximated as fingering weight (CYC #1), eight-thread or “double” Berlin wool as sport to DK weight (CYC #2–3). “Shaded” wool changes gradually from light to dark along the strand (modern ombré or self-striping yarn). Where the thread count is not printed, four-thread is assumed. Check: approximate.
- Modernisation note: The book names Penelope crochet hooks by number (No. 1 thickest used here, No. 4 finest). Penelope numbers have no exact modern equivalent; the modern hook is an approximate starting point. No gauge is printed.
- Modernisation note: No yardage is printed and none is estimated.
- Modernisation note: Colour swatches are approximate modern readings of the period colour names; they are not in the book. “Drab” is a dull greyish brown; “puce” a dark purplish brown; “cerise” a deep cherry pink; “geranium” a bright scarlet-pink.
- Modernisation note: Check: there is no “2d round” in the book — the first round is followed by the “3d round”. Nothing has been added.
- Modernisation note: Check: “solid long stitch” (Rnd 10) is not defined; it is read as 1 dc in every st with no chain between.
- Modernisation note: Check: Rnd 18 (“3 chain, 1 plain, taking the centre chain-stitch of every 5th chain of 9”) would draw the edge in sharply; kept as printed — compare the engraving.
- Modernisation note: “Weave in ends” added.
Row progress: 0 of 4 done (0%)
Stitches
0 of 4 done- Double crochet (book's definition): “having made a chain, pass the needle through the first loop on the chain, draw the cotton through the loop, there will now be two loops on the needle, through these draw the cotton.” = single crochet (sc). “Close double crochet” = sc worked in every st with no chain between.Mark row complete
- Long stitch (book's definition): “Twist the cotton round the needle, pass it through the loop, draw the cotton through the first two loops on the needle, then catch the cotton again and draw it through the next two loops; there will be one loop left on the needle.” = double crochet (dc).Mark row complete
- Chain-stitch open crochet (book's definition): “This consists of five or any uneven number of loops attached by a plain stitch to every third stitch of the foundation, and in the succeeding rows to the centre loop of the chain of previous row.” = *ch 5 (or the odd number given), sc in the 3rd st of the foundation; rep from *; on following rows the sc goes into the centre ch of each chain loop below (a chain-loop net). The joining “plain stitch” is not defined — see the Check note on “plain”.Mark row complete
- “Plain” (plain stitch, plain crochet) is not defined in the book; it is the stitch that joins the loops of chain-stitch open crochet, and elsewhere an ordinary short stitch. It is written here as sc. Check: a sl st may have been meant; compare the engraving.Mark row complete
Working on:
Double crochet (book's definition): “having made a chain, pass the needle through the first loop on the chain, draw the cotton through the loop, there will now be two loops on the needle, through these draw the cotton.” = single crochet (sc). “Close double crochet” = sc worked in every st with no chain between.
Continue this pattern
The rest of the Flower-Stand Mat (1850) pattern is in the Heirloom Doilies & Tablecloths
Still to come in the full pattern:
- Mat
- Finishing
Included with 236 patterns for $19 — $0.08 per pattern.
Errata
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Frequently asked questions
Where is the Flower-Stand pattern from?
It was published as "Flower-Stand" in The Lady's Album of Fancy Work for 1850 by Not printed (the Address names only “the Publishers of the Lady's Album of Fancy-Work”) in 1850. The publication is in the public domain in the United States; this version is transcribed and modernised by crochetpatterns.io.
What yarn or thread do I need for the Flower-Stand?
light (#3) yarn. Not printed.
What hook should I use?
Start with 4 mm (US G-6) and adjust to suit your yarn; no gauge is printed. Gauge: Not printed. Work to the size of the article.
