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Octagon Popcorn Block Bedspread (1941): vintage crochet pattern
A bedspread of 5-inch blocks worked in the round in back-loop double crochet, with an eight-sided pattern of popcorn groups separated by chain spaces and a pointed scalloped edge. The blocks are slip-stitched together. Originally published as "Octagon Popcorn" in Old and New Favorites: Crochet Designs (Book No. 173) by The Spool Cotton Company in 1941, it is.
By the crochetpatterns.io editorial team · Updated · Editorial policy · pattern testing in progress
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Skill level | Advanced |
| Yarn weight | Lace (#0) |
| Yardage | 14742–16380 yd (13480–14978 m) |
| Hook | 1.8 mm |
| Gauge | As printed: each block about 5 in (13 cm) square. |
| Finished size | Not printed; each block measures about 5 in (13 cm) square. Overall size depends on the number of blocks. |
| Time | about 4 hours |
Materials
- J. & P. Coats Bedspread Cotton (a firm mercerized cotton; the nearest common modern equivalent is size 10 crochet cotton)
- Yardage: Printed: about 65 yd (59 m) per 5-in motif. Example (ours): 14 × 18 motifs = about 70 × 90 in (178 × 229 cm) and 252 motifs × 65 yd = about 16,380 yd (14,978 m). Ball size is not printed — check your label.
- Original hook: Milward's steel crochet hook No. 6.
- Sewing needle and matching thread for joining the scallops.
- Make one motif first and check it against the printed motif size before buying all the thread.
- Hook: Start with 1.8 mm (US steel 6) and change size to match the gauge.
Yarn Kit & Substitution Options
This pattern calls for 16380 yards of weight #0 yarn. Select a suggested yarn to see required skeins and estimated cost:
Caron Simply Soft · 100% Acrylic
315 yds per skein · High-yield yardage, silky no-scratch texture
52 skeins required
approx. $$285.48 total
Abbreviations (US terms)
- chain
- slip stitch
- single crochet
- double crochet
- treble crochet
- popcorn
- back loop only
- skip
- stitch
- stitches
- loop
- round
- repeat
Notes before you start
- Source: "Octagon Popcorn" (213), 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 BEDSPREAD COTTON. See thread information on page 22.; Milward’s Steel Crochet Hook No. 6.. Gauge: Using the materials recommended, each block measures about 5″ square and requires about 65 yds. of thread..
- 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: "Catching the hook in back loop only throughout block" is written as "working in back loop only throughout block".
- Modernisation note: "3rd st of ch-6/ch-3" is written as "3rd ch of ch-6/ch-3". "Join in 3rd st of ch-3 of previous rnd" is kept as printed (it refers to the ch-3 that began the round).
- Modernisation note: Check: rnd 9 as printed works the scallop inside every repeat of the 8 groups, but the text then says only the outer edge of the spread needs the scalloped edge, and the photograph shows a scallop at each of the four corners. The original does not explain how to work rnd 9 without scallops; follow the photograph and test one block.
- Modernisation note: Check: rnd 6 does not print a join at the end of the round; rnds 5, 7 and 8 end with a chain and join.
- 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: 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: The original does not print how many motifs to make ("make necessary number"); the example bedspread size in the yardage is ours, for illustration only.
- Modernisation note: The block is printed in the section "Popcorn Bedspreads".
Row progress: 0 of 11 done (0%)
Block
0 of 11 done- To begin, ch 8, join with sl st to form ring.Mark row complete
- Rnd 1: Ch 6, 7 dc in ring with ch 3 between each dc. Ch 3, join in 3rd ch of ch-6.Mark row complete
- Rnd 2: Ch 3, 4 dc over each ch-3 and 1 dc in every dc; join in 3rd ch of ch-3.Mark row complete
- Rnd 3: Ch 3, 1 dc in same st from which ch-3 was started. 1 dc in each of next 3 dc (working in back loop only throughout block), * ch 2, sk 1 dc, 2 dc in next dc, 1 dc in each of next 3 dc. Repeat from * until there are 8 groups of dc. Ch 2 and join with sl st in 3rd ch of ch-3 of previous rnd.Mark row complete
- Rnd 4: Ch 3, 1 dc in same st from which ch-3 was started, * 1 dc in next dc, 1 pc as follows: ch 1, 5 dc in next dc, drop st from hook, insert hook back in ch-1, pick up dropped loop and draw it through st on hook. 1 dc in next dc, 2 dc in next dc. Ch 3, sk ch-2 of preceding rnd, 2 dc in next dc. Repeat from * until 8 groups are made; then ch 3 and join in 3rd ch of ch-3 of previous rnd.Mark row complete
- Rnd 5: Ch 3, 1 dc in same st from which ch-3 was started, * dc in next 5 dc, 2 dc in next dc, ch 3, sk ch-3, 2 dc in next dc. Repeat from * until 8 groups are completed. Then ch 3 and join in 3rd ch of ch-3 of previous rnd.Mark row complete
- Rnd 6: Ch 3, 1 dc in same st from which ch-3 was started, * 1 dc in next dc, 1 pc in next dc, 1 dc in each of next 3 dc, 1 pc, 1 dc in next dc, 2 dc in next dc. Ch 4, sk ch-3, 2 dc in next dc and repeat from *. Continue for the 8 groups.Mark row complete
- Rnd 7: Ch 3, 1 dc in same st from which ch-3 was started, * dc in next 9 dc, 2 dc in next dc, ch 4, sk ch-4, 2 dc in next dc. Repeat from *, completing the 8 groups. Ch 4 and join.Mark row complete
- Rnd 8: Ch 3, 1 dc in same st from which ch-3 was started, * 1 dc in next dc, 1 pc in next dc, dc in next 3 dc, 1 pc in next dc, 1 dc in each of next 3 dc, 1 pc in next dc, 1 dc in next dc, 2 dc in next dc. Ch 5, sk ch-4; 2 dc in next dc. Repeat from * and complete 8 groups. Ch 5, and join.Mark row complete
- Rnd 9: Ch 3, 1 dc in same st from which ch-3 was started. * 1 dc in each of next 13 dc, 2 dc in next dc. Ch 5, sk ch-5, 2 dc in next dc, dc in next 11 dc, ch 4 and turn. 1 tr in 4th dc from hook, ch 9, 1 tr in same st, ch 4, sk 4 dc, 1 sl st in next dc, ch 1, turn. 4 sc over ch-4, ch 1, 5 sc over ch-9, ch 4, 5 sc over same ch-loop, ch 1, 4 sc over next ch-4, 1 sl st in the 2 loops of the last dc, dc in next 2 dc, 2 dc in next dc. Ch 5, sk ch-5, 2 dc in next dc. Repeat from * and complete 8 groups.Mark row complete
- Entire outer edge of spread should be finished with the scalloped edge. These can be made as the outer block is crocheted.Mark row complete
Working on:
To begin, ch 8, join with sl st to form ring.
Continue this pattern
The rest of the Octagon Popcorn Block Bedspread (1941) pattern is in the Vintage Afghans & Bedspreads
Still to come in the full pattern:
- Finishing
Included with 73 patterns for $19 — $0.26 per pattern.
Errata
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Frequently asked questions
Where is the Octagon Popcorn pattern from?
It was published as "Octagon Popcorn" in Old and New Favorites: Crochet Designs (Book No. 173) by The Spool Cotton Company in 1941. The publication is in the public domain in the United States; this version is transcribed and modernised by crochetpatterns.io.
What yarn or thread do I need for the Octagon Popcorn?
J. & P. Coats Bedspread Cotton (a firm mercerized cotton; the nearest common modern equivalent is size 10 crochet cotton). Printed: about 65 yd (59 m) per 5-in motif. Example (ours): 14 × 18 motifs = about 70 × 90 in (178 × 229 cm) and 252 motifs × 65 yd = about 16,380 yd (14,978 m). Ball size is not printed — check your label.
What hook should I use?
Start with 1.8 mm (US steel 6) and change size to match the gauge. Gauge: As printed: each block about 5 in (13 cm) square.
