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Cover for Tassel of Window-Blind (1850): vintage crochet pattern
A lacy tube to slip over the tassel of a window-blind cord, in Raworth's crochet-thread No. 40, with double-crochet diamonds that widen and narrow between chain bars. Originally published as "Cover for Tassel of Window-Blind" 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.
By the crochetpatterns.io editorial team · Updated · Editorial policy · pattern testing in progress
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Skill level | Intermediate |
| Yarn weight | Lace (#0) |
| Yardage | Not printed. (as printed; yardage not given) |
| Hook | 1.15 mm |
| Gauge | Not printed. Work to the size of the article. |
| Finished size | Not printed (40-ch foundation). |
| Time | about 8 hours |
Materials
- White cotton crochet thread about size 40 (period: Raworth's No. 40)
- A blind-cord tassel to cover
- Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
- Hook: Start with a 1.15 mm (US steel 10) 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
- single crochet
- double crochet
- stitch
- stitches
- round
- repeat
- skip
Notes before you start
- Source: "Cover for Tassel of Window-Blind", 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. 40; Penelope crochet No. 3.. 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: 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: 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: Check: the number of repeats in each round is not printed, and the book does not say where the single dc between the chains are placed (read as into the chain loops or over the dc below).
- Modernisation note: Check: Rnd 18 has no “repeat” printed, although every other round is repeated; it is presumably repeated all round.
- Modernisation note: “Weave in ends” and fitting over the tassel added.
Row progress: 0 of 3 done (0%)
Stitches
0 of 3 done- 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
- Single open crochet (book's definition): “a succession of long stitches, with a chain-stitch between each, missing one stitch of the foundation; in the succeeding rows the long stitch is worked between the two long stitches of the preceding rows.” = *1 dc, ch 1, sk 1; rep from *; on following rows each dc goes into the ch-1 space between the dc below.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:
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).
Continue this pattern
The rest of the Cover for Tassel of Window-Blind (1850) pattern is in the Heirloom Doilies & Tablecloths
Still to come in the full pattern:
- Cover
- Finishing
Included with 236 patterns for $19 — $0.08 per pattern.
Errata
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Frequently asked questions
Where is the Cover for Tassel of Window-Blind pattern from?
It was published as "Cover for Tassel of Window-Blind" 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 Cover for Tassel of Window-Blind?
Cotton crochet thread about size 40 (period: Raworth's No. 40). Not printed.
What hook should I use?
Start with a 1.15 mm (US steel 10) hook and adjust to suit your thread; no gauge is printed. Gauge: Not printed. Work to the size of the article.
