Ladies' Russian Filet Sweater (1920): vintage crochet pattern

Materials

• Fine (CYC #2) wool yarn — the original was Lion Brand Shetland Floss, 10 skeins
• Crochet hook (original: No. 2 or No. 3)
• Tapestry needle
• Hook: Start with 3.5 mm (US E-4) — approximate; change size so the ruffle measures 8 in (20 cm) and the back 18 in (46 cm) as printed (no stitch gauge is printed)

Abbreviations (US terms)

ch

chain

sc

single crochet

dc

double crochet

sk

skip

st

stitch

sts

stitches

sp

space

rep

repeat

row

row

inc

increase

dec

decrease

Notes before you start

• Source: "Ladies' Russian Filet Sweater" (Diagram No. 107), Lion Yarn Book: Describing Latest Creations in Worsted Work, The Lion Yarn Co., 1920. Public domain in the USA.
• As printed — materials: 10 Skeins LION BRAND Shetland Floss; 1 Crochet Hook, No. 2 or No. 3.. 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: "Picot edge" is not explained in this design. The book's only picot directions (with the Ladies' Filet and Knitted Sweater) are: ch 8, sl st back in 6th ch, ch 2, sl st in next space; rep. They may be used here.
• Modernisation note: Finishing step added; the book does not mention the seams.
• Modernisation note: Check: "Repeat this row for 7 times" may mean 7 rows of dc in all or 7 more. Left as printed.
• Modernisation note: Check: the method of decreasing to 38 meshes for the yoke is not given.
• Modernisation note: Check: the front ruffle is worked downward from the belt, so "follow directions same as back ruffle" means working Diagram No. 107 reversed, ending at the lower edge. Left as printed.
• Modernisation note: Metric conversions added.