Colonial Charm Hexagon Afghan (1952): vintage crochet pattern

Materials

• Fine (#2) yarn. The 3-ply sock and sweater yarn of the period sat between fingering and sport weight; choose a yarn that matches the gauge.
• Colours: 9 oz Black, 7 oz Paddy Green, 5 oz Yellow, 7 oz assorted colours.
• Original hook: Clark's O.N.T. plastic crochet hook No. 4.
• Hook: Start with 3.5 mm (US E-4) and change size to match the gauge.

Abbreviations (US terms)

ch

chain

sl st

slip stitch

sc

single crochet

dc

double crochet

yo

yarn over

ps

puff stitch

dec

decrease

rnd

round

sp

space

rep

repeat

st

stitch

Notes before you start

• Source: "Colonial Charm" (C-118), Afghans (Afghan Book No. 289), The Spool Cotton Company, 1952. Public domain in the USA.
• As printed — materials: CHADWICK’S RED HEART SOCK AND SWEATER YARN, 3 Ply, Shrink-and-Stretch Resist Finish, Art. E.255: 9 skeins (1 oz. “Tangle-Proof” Pull-Out Skeins) of No. 12 Black, 7 skeins of No. 686 Paddy Green: 5 skeins of No. 230 Yellow and 7 skeins of assorted colors.; Clark’s O.N.T. Plastic Crochet Hook No. 4.. Gauge: Each motif measures 4 inches from point to point..
• Modernisation note: Round and row labels ("1st rnd", "2nd row") are written as "Rnd 1", "Row 2"; "half dc" is written as "hdc"; "thread over" and "yarn over" as "yo"; "skip" as "sk"; "repeat" as "rep" where abbreviated.
• Modernisation note: "Break off" is written as "fasten off"; "attach" is written as "join".
• Modernisation note: "Ch 3" used as a noun ("sc in next ch 3") is written as "ch-3".
• Modernisation note: Check: edging rnd 1 says "in next sp make 2 dc, ch 2 and 2 dc" within the repeat but "2 dc, ch 3 and 2 dc in each corner loop" in the summary, and rnd 2 works "sc in each ch of ch-3"; ch 3 is probably intended. Left as printed.
• Modernisation note: The design code is printed as C-118 in the heading and as "C-188" on the back cover; C-118 is used here.
• Modernisation note: Yarn weight (#2) and the yardage range are our estimates for the 3-ply sock and sweater yarn of the period.
• Modernisation note: Metric conversions, the modern hook suggestion and the yardage estimate were added; they are not in the original.
• Modernisation note: Hook numbers from this period were not standardised to millimetres; the starting size given is a modern equivalent, and the gauge is what matters.

First motif

1. Starting at center with Black, ch 5. Join with sl st to form ring.
2. Rnd 1: 12 sc in ring. Join and fasten off.
3. Rnd 2: Join Yellow to first sc, ch 3, dc in same sc, 2 dc in each sc around. Join and fasten off.
4. Rnd 3: Join Black to same place as sl st, sc in same place, sc in back loop of each dc around. Join and fasten off.
5. Rnd 4: Join any color of assorted colors to first sc, sc in same place, *sl st in next sc, ch 3, (yo, insert hook in same sc, draw loop through) 3 times; yo and draw through all loops on hook (puff st made), ch 3, sl st in same sc, sc in next sc. Rep from * around. Join and fasten off.
6. Rnd 5: Join Black to ch-3 preceding any puff st, sc in same place, *ch 3, sc in next ch-3, ch 1, dc in next sc, ch 1, sc in next ch-3. Rep from * around. Join and fasten off.
7. Rnd 6: Join Paddy Green to any dc, sc in same place, *ch 3, sc in next ch-3 loop, ch 3, in next dc make dc, ch 3 and dc; ch 3, sc in next ch-3 loop, ch 3, sc in next dc. Rep from * around. Join and fasten off.