Dot Dot Dash Rug (vintage American Thread): vintage crochet pattern

Materials

• Aunt Lydia's Heavy Rug Yarn (Coats & Clark) is still sold. It is a bulky (#5)-class rug yarn; substitute any bulky rug yarn that matches the gauge.
• Yardage: the original lists 13 skeins but does not print the skein size. Other American Thread books of the period list this yarn in 70 yd skeins, which would be about 910 yd (832 m) — check the current label before buying.
• Large rug: 5 skeins black, 4 skeins dark green, 4 skeins white. Small rug: 3 skeins black, 2 skeins dark green, 2 skeins white.
• Original hook: aluminum crochet hook size H.
• A piece of cardboard 7 in (18 cm) wide for fringe.
• Hook: Start with 5 mm (US H-8) and change size to match the gauge.

Abbreviations (US terms)

ch

chain

sc

single crochet

sk

skip

st

stitch

sts

stitches

ch-sp

chain space

rep

repeat

Notes before you start

• Source: "Dot Dot Dash", Crocheted Rugs (Star Rug Book No. 106), The American Thread Company. Public domain in the USA.
• As printed — materials: AMERICAN THREAD COMPANY "AUNT LYDIA'S" HEAVY RUG YARN, Article 235; LARGE RUG—23 x 48 inches without fringe.; 5 skeins Black.; 4 skeins each Dk. Green and White.; SMALL RUG—17 x 27 inches without fringe.; 3 skeins Black.; 2 skeins each Dk. Green and White.; Aluminum crochet hook size H.. Gauge: Not given.
• Modernisation note: The original is written in US terms; abbreviations were updated to modern style (s c → sc, d c → dc, s d c → hdc).
• Modernisation note: Check: the materials give the large rug as 23 × 48 in, but the instructions say to work until it measures 40 in. The original does not explain the difference.
• Modernisation note: "Skip 1 st of ch" is written as "sk 1 ch".
• Modernisation note: Row 1 was written as one paragraph in the original; the colour changes are unchanged.
• Modernisation note: "Cut yarn" and "break off" are written as "fasten off"; "attach" is written as "join".
• Modernisation note: "Weave in ends and trim the fringe evenly" was added as a finishing step; it is not in the original.
• Modernisation note: Metric conversions and the suggested gauge were added; they are not in the original.
• Modernisation note: Hook letters from this period were not standardised to millimetres; the starting size given is a modern equivalent, and the gauge is what matters.

Large rug

1. Row 1: With black, ch 92, sc in 2nd ch from hook, *ch 1, sk 1 ch, sc in next ch; rep from * across to the last 2 ch, ch 1, sk 1 ch, insert hook in last ch and pull up a loop, drop black, pull green through both loops on hook, ch 1, turn.
2. Row 2: Sc in ch-1 sp, *ch 1, sc in next ch-1 sp; rep from * across, ch 1, insert hook in last st and pull up a loop, drop green, pull white through both loops on hook, ch 1, turn.
3. Row 3: Sc in ch-1 sp, *ch 1, sc in next ch-1 sp; rep from * across, ch 1, insert hook in last st and pull up a loop, drop white, pull black through both loops on hook, ch 1, turn.
4. Row 4: Sc in ch-1 sp, *ch 1, sc in next ch-1 sp; rep from * across, ch 1, insert hook in last st and pull up a loop, drop black, pull green through both loops on hook, ch 1, turn.
5. Repeat rows 2, 3 and 4 until the rug measures 40 in (102 cm), ending with a black row. Fasten off.