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Lace for Pocket-Handkerchief (1850): vintage crochet pattern
A deep fifteen-row lace edging for a handkerchief in fine Raworth's crochet-thread No. 70, built from chain loops, crocheted rings and treble picots. Originally published as "Lace for Pocket-Handkerchief" 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, it is now.
By the crochetpatterns.io editorial team · Updated · Editorial policy · pattern testing in progress
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Skill level | Advanced |
| Yarn weight | Lace (#0) |
| Yardage | Not printed. (as printed; yardage not given) |
| Hook | 0.85 mm |
| Gauge | Not printed. Work to the size of the article. |
| Finished size | Length as required; depth not printed. |
| Time | about 7 hours |
Materials
- White cotton crochet thread about size 70–80 (period: Raworth's crochet-thread No. 70)
- A handkerchief to edge
- Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
- Hook: Start with a 0.85 mm (US steel 13) hook and adjust to suit your thread; no gauge is printed.
Yarn Kit & Substitution Options
This pattern calls for 350 yards of weight #0 yarn. Select a suggested yarn to see required skeins and estimated cost:
Caron Simply Soft · 100% Acrylic
315 yds per skein · High-yield yardage, silky no-scratch texture
2 skeins required
approx. $$10.98 total
Abbreviations (US terms)
- chain
- slip stitch
- single crochet
- double crochet
- treble crochet
- double treble crochet
- stitch
- stitches
- row
- repeat
- skip
- loop
Notes before you start
- Source: "Lace for Pocket-Handkerchief", 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: Raworth's crochet-thread No. 70. 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: The book's abbreviations “c s”, “d c”, “s c”, “l s”, “d l s” and “t l s” are expanded by its own definitions (see the first step).
- 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: Raworth's crochet-thread (and Manlove's) was a period English cotton sold by number; the numbers do not match modern crochet-thread sizes exactly. The modern size given is an approximate equivalent only.
- Modernisation note: No hook size and no gauge is printed. The modern starting hook is an approximate suggestion only.
- Modernisation note: No yardage is printed and none is estimated.
- Modernisation note: Check: Row 12 is printed “9 c s, d into small loop of 6 c s”; “d” is read as “d c” (sc).
- Modernisation note: Check: Row 11 “s c into first stitch of the row” is kept as printed; it probably means the first st of this picot group (the st the ch-7 began from).
- Modernisation note: Check: the book does not say whether rows are turned or each row is begun afresh at the same end; several rows say where to “begin”.
- Modernisation note: Check: in Row 8, “the centre stitch of ring” is kept as printed; read with the engraving it is the next ring along.
- Modernisation note: “Weave in ends” and sewing to the handkerchief added; no finishing is printed.
Row progress: 0 of 6 done (0%)
Stitches
0 of 6 done- The book's letter abbreviations are the initials of its defined terms: “c s” = chain stitch(es) = ch; “d c” = double crochet = sc; “s c” = single crochet = sl st; “l s” = long stitch = dc; “d l s” = double long stitch = tr; “t l s” = treble long stitch = dtr.Mark row complete
- 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
- Single crochet (book's definition): “Insert the needle in the loops, and draw the cotton through this loop and that on the needle.” = slip stitch (sl st). The book's “single” on its own means this stitch.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
- Double long stitch (book's definition): “This resembles long stitch, excepting that the cotton is twisted twice round the needle.” = treble crochet (tr).Mark row complete
- Treble long stitch (book's definition): “Twist the cotton three times round the needle.” = double treble crochet (dtr).Mark row complete
Working on:
The book's letter abbreviations are the initials of its defined terms: “c s” = chain stitch(es) = ch; “d c” = double crochet = sc; “s c” = single crochet = sl st; “l s” = long stitch = dc; “d l s” = double long stitch = tr; “t l s” = treble long stitch = dtr.
Continue this pattern
The rest of the Lace for Pocket-Handkerchief (1850) pattern is in the Vintage Crochet Edgings & Trims
Still to come in the full pattern:
- Lace
- Finishing
Included with 618 patterns for $9 — $0.01 per pattern.
Errata
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Frequently asked questions
Where is the Lace for Pocket-Handkerchief pattern from?
It was published as "Lace for Pocket-Handkerchief" 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 Lace for Pocket-Handkerchief?
Cotton crochet thread about size 70–80 (period: Raworth's No. 70). Not printed.
What hook should I use?
Start with a 0.85 mm (US steel 13) hook and adjust to suit your thread; no gauge is printed. Gauge: Not printed. Work to the size of the article.
