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Crochet Net for the Hair (1854): vintage crochet pattern
A round hair net worked from the centre in treble crochet and widening chain loops, with elastic ribbon run through a band of treble blocks and tassels hanging over the ears. Worked in scarlet or blue netting silk. Originally published as "Net for the Hair" in The Ladies' Complete Guide to Crochet, Fancy Knitting, and Needlework (Mrs. Ann.
By the crochetpatterns.io editorial team · Updated · Editorial policy · pattern testing in progress
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Skill level | Easy |
| Yarn weight | Lace (#0) |
| Yardage | Not printed as yardage; the book gives three skeins of netting silk. (as printed; yardage not given) |
| Hook | 2.5 mm |
| Gauge | Not printed. |
| Finished size | Not printed. |
| Time | about 4 hours |
Materials
- Silk crochet thread about the thickness of size 10 crochet cotton, in scarlet or blue (period: netting silk; three skeins printed)
- Narrow elastic, or elastic ribbon, to match
- Two tassels to match
- Hook: Start with a 2.5 mm (US B-1/C-2) hook and adjust to suit your thread (original: crochet hook No. 12, eagle card-board gauge; approximate conversion). 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
- treble crochet
- stitch
- stitches
- round
- skip
- repeat
Notes before you start
- Source: "Net for the Hair", The Ladies' Complete Guide to Crochet, Fancy Knitting, and Needlework (Mrs. Ann S. Stephens), Dick & Fitzgerald, 1854. Public domain in the USA.
- As printed — materials: Three good skeins of scarlet or blue netting silk; elastic ribbon and tassels to correspond; crochet hook, No. 12.. Gauge: Not given.
- Modernisation note: Stitch names checked against the book's own definitions (pp. 22–23), which describe the same stitches as modern US terms, so they are kept: “ch.” = ch; “sl.” / “slip” = sl st; “sc.” = sc; “dc.” = dc (US, not UK); “tc.” (treble crochet) = tr; “l tc.” / “long tc.” (long treble crochet) = dtr; “miss” = sk. Note that the book's “tc.” is a modern US tr, not a UK treble (US dc).
- Modernisation note: Period wording modernised: “needle” (meaning the hook) → hook; “commence” → begin; “close for a loop”, “close in a round” and “form it into a round” → join into a ring (the book does not name the joining stitch unless it says “slip”); “under” a chain → in the ch-sp; “fasten off” → FO; “alternative” → alternate. Repeat marks (✕, +, *, †, ¶, (a)) are written as parentheses with the book's total count.
- Modernisation note: Printed paragraphs split into one step per row, round or instruction; no stitches, counts, rows or rounds added, removed or reordered.
- Modernisation note: Crochet hook numbers belong to the book's “eagle card-board gauge”, a period bell-type gauge in which higher numbers are finer. The metric and US sizes given are approximate conversions only, and no gauge is printed.
- Modernisation note: “Netting silk” was a smooth twisted silk sold in skeins; a silk crochet thread of about size 10 is a close modern equivalent. No yardage per skein is printed.
- Modernisation note: Check: rnd 11 follows rnds of long chain loops (ch 19 in rnd 10) but does not say how the 3 tr are placed over the loops, so the number of blocks per rnd is not fixed by the text.
- Modernisation note: Check: rnd 1 is worked “into every chain” of the ch-6 ring, which gives 6 tr and 6 ch-1 (12 sts), as printed.
Row progress: 0 of 2 done (0%)
Stitches
0 of 2 done- Chain (book's definition, “ch.”): “A loop of thread made on the hook, and through this the thread is drawn, forming the first chain stitch; draw the thread through this one, and a second is formed.” = ch.Mark row complete
- Treble crochet (book's definition, “tc.”): as dc, “but as the thread is passed twice round the hook before the insertion of the latter in the chain, there will be four loops on … Bring the thread three times through two loops to finish the stitch.” = modern US tr.Mark row complete
Working on:
Chain (book's definition, “ch.”): “A loop of thread made on the hook, and through this the thread is drawn, forming the first chain stitch; draw the thread through this one, and a second is formed.” = ch.
Continue this pattern
The rest of the Crochet Net for the Hair (1854) pattern is in the Vintage Crochet Hats, Bags & Accessories
Still to come in the full pattern:
- Net
- Finishing
Included with 202 patterns for $12 — $0.06 per pattern.
Errata
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Frequently asked questions
Where is the Net for the Hair pattern from?
It was published as "Net for the Hair" in The Ladies' Complete Guide to Crochet, Fancy Knitting, and Needlework (Mrs. Ann S. Stephens) by Dick & Fitzgerald in 1854. 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 Net for the Hair?
Silk thread comparable to size 10 crochet cotton (approximate). Not printed as yardage; the book gives three skeins of netting silk.
What hook should I use?
Start with a 2.5 mm (US B-1/C-2) hook and adjust to suit your thread (original: crochet hook No. 12, eagle card-board gauge; approximate conversion). No gauge is printed. Gauge: Not printed.
