Magnolia Popcorn Motif Bedspread (1941): vintage crochet pattern

Materials

• Knit-Cro-Sheen mercerized cotton (about a size 10 crochet cotton today)
• Yardage: about 50 yd (46 m) per large motif and about 7½ yd (7 m) per fill-in motif, as printed, plus 1 extra ball for the edging. The number of motifs is not printed. Check your label for ball size.
• Original hook: Milward's steel crochet hook No. 7.
• Tapestry needle; rustproof pins for blocking.
• Make one motif first and check it against the printed motif size before buying all the thread.
• Hook: Start with 1.65 mm (US steel 7) and change size to match the gauge.

Abbreviations (US terms)

ch

chain

sl st

slip stitch

sc

single crochet

hdc

half double crochet

dc

double crochet

tr

treble crochet

pc

popcorn

cl

cluster

sk

skip

st

stitch

sts

stitches

sp

space

ch-sp

chain space

yo

yarn over

lp

loop

rnd

round

rep

repeat

Notes before you start

• Source: "Magnolia" (6020), Old and New Favorites: Crochet Designs (Book No. 173), The Spool Cotton Company, 1941. Public domain in the USA.
• As printed — materials: J. & P. COATS KNIT-CRO-SHEEN.; See thread information on page 22.; Milward’s Steel Crochet Hook No. 7.. Gauge: Using the materials recommended, each motif measures about 6″ in diameter before joining, and requires about 50 yds. of thread. Fill-in requires about 7½ yds. Allow an extra ball for edging..
• Modernisation note: The original is written in US terms; abbreviations and wording were updated to modern style ("half dc" → hdc, "pc st"/"popcorn st" → pc, "skip" → sk, "p" → picot, "bl" → block).
• Modernisation note: In rnd 3 the popcorn definition ("to make pc st, ch 1, make 5 tr in sp…") is placed in parentheses; the stitches are unchanged. These popcorns are made with treble, as printed.
• Modernisation note: "Thread over" is written as "yo".
• Modernisation note: "3rd st of ch-3" and similar are written as "3rd ch of ch-3"; "center st of next ch-3" is written as "center ch".
• Modernisation note: Round labels rewritten in modern form ("1st rnd:" → "Rnd 1:"); run-on paragraphs split into one round or step per line. No stitches were added, removed or reordered.
• Modernisation note: "Break off" is written as "fasten off"; "attach" is written as "join".
• Modernisation note: The original prints no finishing beyond the edging; no finishing steps were added.
• Modernisation note: Milward's steel hook numbers were not standardised to millimetres; the starting size given is a modern US steel hook of the same number, and the motif size is what matters.
• Modernisation note: Metric conversions, the yardage example and the modern thread/yarn suggestions were added; they are not in the original.
• Modernisation note: Page numbers and "see page …" cross-references were removed or pointed to the matching section on this page.
• Modernisation note: The original lists: recommended use — Bedspreads. It is printed under the heading "Popcorn Variation" of Queen Anne's Lace.

First motif

1. Starting at center, ch 6, join with sl st.
2. Rnd 1: Ch 4 (counts as tr), 15 tr in ring. Join with sl st to 4th ch of ch-4.
3. Rnd 2: Ch 7, * tr in next tr, ch 3. Repeat from * around; join to 4th ch of ch-7.
4. Rnd 3: Ch 4, * in next sp make a pc (to make pc, ch 1, make 5 tr in sp, drop loop from hook, insert hook in ch-1 preceding 5 tr and draw dropped loop through). Then make a tr and pc in same sp. Make tr in next tr, ch 3, tr in next tr. Repeat from * around. Join last ch-3 to 4th ch of ch-4.
5. Rnd 4: Ch 4, pc in same place as sl st, * tr in next pc, pc in next tr, tr in next pc; in next tr make a pc and a tr. Ch 4, in next tr make a tr and a pc. Repeat from * around; join last ch-4 to 4th ch of first ch-4.
6. Rnd 5: Sl st in tip of next pc, ch 4; * (pc in next tr, tr in next pc) twice; ch 4, sk next tr, 5 tr in next ch-4 sp, ch 4, sk next tr, tr in next pc. Repeat from * around; join.
7. Rnd 6: Sl st in tip of next pc, ch 4, tr in next tr and in tip of next pc, holding back the last loop of each tr on hook; yo and draw through all loops on hook (a cluster). * Ch 5, sk next tr and sp, make 2 tr in next tr, tr in next 3 tr, 2 tr in next tr; ch 5, sk next sp and 1 tr; make tr in next 3 sts, holding back the last loop of each tr on hook; yo and draw through all loops on hook (another cluster). Repeat from * around; join.
8. Rnd 7: * Ch 11, sk next sp and 1 tr; tr in next 5 tr, holding back the last loop of each tr on hook and complete a cluster as before. Ch 11, sc in tip of next cluster. Repeat from * around. Join and fasten off. This completes one motif.