Ladies' Filet and Knitted Sweater (1920): vintage crochet pattern

Materials

• Fine (CYC #2) wool yarn — the original was Lion Brand Shetland Floss, 3 skeins
• Knitting needles for the ribbed bands (original: No. 3 or No. 4; 1920 numbering has no printed diameter — try 3.25 mm / US 3 and match the crochet width)
• Crochet hook (not listed in the original materials)
• Tapestry needle
• Hook: Start with 3.5 mm (US E-4) — approximate; the book lists no hook, so match the width of the filet to the 84-stitch knitted band (no gauge is printed)

Abbreviations (US terms)

ch

chain

dc

double crochet

st

stitch

sts

stitches

sp

space

rep

repeat

row

row

dec

decrease

sl st

slip stitch

Notes before you start

• Source: "Ladies' Filet and Knitted Sweater" (Diagram No. 110), Lion Yarn Book: Describing Latest Creations in Worsted Work, The Lion Yarn Co., 1920. Public domain in the USA.
• As printed — materials: 3 Skeins LION BRAND Shetland Floss; 1 Pair Knitting Needles, No. 3 or No. 4.. Gauge: Not given.
• Modernisation note: The book prints no crochet lesson and no definitions of its basic stitches; it defines only star stitch (with the Auto Scarf) and a picot edge (with the Filet and Knitted Sweater). Its s. c. and d. c. are read as American terms, which are the same as modern US sc and dc, for this reason: the filet designs build open meshes out of d. c. worked on a chain ("Ch. 94 sts. and work 92 d. c. on ch.", then "46M"). Only a tall stitch (modern US dc) forms filet meshes; a British-style "double crochet" (= US sc) could not. The book is an American (New York) publication. So no stitch changes height; s. c. = sc, d. c. = dc, ch. = ch, slip st. = sl st.
• Modernisation note: M (mesh) and B (block) are listed as abbreviations but not defined. The printed counts show that each mesh takes 2 stitches of the row below (92 dc give 46 meshes; 104 dc give 52; a 100-ch sleeve gives 48 meshes), so a mesh is read as dc, ch 1, sk 1 (a 1-chain filet mesh) and a block as the same width filled solid (dc in the ch-1 space instead of the chain). Check: this reading is inferred from the counts, not printed; if your filet is narrower than the printed measurements, go up a hook size rather than changing the counts.
• Modernisation note: Period abbreviations and wording modernised: s. c., d. c., ch., st./sts. written as sc, dc, ch, st/sts; M and B written as mesh and block; "skip" as sk; "yarn over" as yo; "fasten wool on" and "fasten yarn at" as join yarn; "fasten back in" as sl st in; "break off" as fasten off; "crochet needle" as hook; "repeat from star" as rep from *; "sts." after a chain count dropped ("Ch. 94 sts." written as "Ch 94"); ordinal row names ("Second Row") written as Row 2 (or Rnd 2 when worked in the round).
• Modernisation note: Long printed paragraphs split into one row, round or step per line; stitch order and counts unchanged. Section headings added for navigation.
• Modernisation note: The filet charts ("Diagram No. …") are printed as pictures and are not transcribed square by square here; rows that say "follow diagram" are kept as printed, and the chart image is listed with this pattern's images.
• Modernisation note: Hook numbers (No. 1–5, bone or amber) are 1920 makers' numbers; the book prints no diameters, so no exact metric size can be read from it. The suggested modern hook is an approximate starting point for the yarn weight, to be adjusted to the printed measurements.
• Modernisation note: No stitch gauge is printed anywhere in the book; work a swatch and match the printed measurements (given in the modern gauge line) before starting.
• Modernisation note: Lion Brand yarns of 1920 have no exact modern equivalent. The modern CYC weights are approximations only: Lion Brand Shetland Floss (a soft, lofty yarn) as fine (CYC #2); Lion Brand Knitting Yarn / Knitting Worsted as medium (CYC #4) — the book's own advertisement page lists Lion knitting worsted in "4 oz. hanks"; 3-fold (3-ply) Saxony as super fine (CYC #1); Pompadour Wool as fine (CYC #2); Lion Brand Crochet Wool (used doubled in the sacque) as fine (CYC #2), so the doubled strand works roughly as light (CYC #3). Yardage is never printed — the book gives skeins, hanks or balls only.
• Modernisation note: Size is given only as "Ladies'", "Misses'" or an age; vintage sizing and ease differ from today's — compare the printed lengths with a garment that fits before starting.
• Modernisation note: Included because the body is filet crochet; only the two ribbed bands are knitted. Knitting abbreviations (k. 2, p. 2) are spelled out.
• Modernisation note: "Fasten back in 6th st." and "fasten in next space" written as sl st.
• Modernisation note: "Along the bound-off edge" and the final bind-off are added for clarity.
• Modernisation note: Check: "work one row of 10 d. c. and 1M" is not explained (probably groups of 10 dc separated by meshes to spread the ribbing). Left as printed.
• Modernisation note: Check: starting from 9 meshes and 1 block, adding 1 mesh gives 10 meshes, but the book prints "there are 12M, 1B in row". Left as printed.
• Modernisation note: Check: "Sew up the purling only" is read as sewing the side seams along the knitted ribbing only, leaving the filet open at the sides.
• Modernisation note: Metric conversions added.