Free preview · full pattern in the Retro Crochet Rugs
Oriental Rug (vintage Kentucky Rug Yarns): vintage crochet pattern
A two-colour single crochet rug worked from a chart, with an eight-row block repeated nine times so the two colours build a repeating carpet-style figure. Originally published as "Oriental Rug" in Kentucky Rug Yarns Vol. 5: Rugs by January & Wood Company, Maysville, Kentucky, it is now in the public domain.
By the crochetpatterns.io editorial team · Updated · Editorial policy · pattern testing in progress
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Skill level | Intermediate |
| Yarn weight | Super bulky (#6) |
| Yardage | 1071–1190 yd (979–1088 m) |
| Hook | 6 mm |
| Gauge | Printed: 2 sc and 2 rows = 1 in (8 sc and 8 rows = 4 in / 10 cm), worked with two strands held together. |
| Finished size | Approximately 27 × 36 in (69 × 91 cm) |
| Time | about 3 hours |
Materials
- Bulky (#5) rug yarn, worked with two strands held together throughout. Two strands of bulky rug yarn behave like a super bulky (#6) yarn.
- Yardage: the book's Kentucky Soft Spun Rug Yarn came in 70 yd skeins (printed in the original); 17 skeins = about 1190 yd (1088 m). Because the yarn is used double, the strand length used is half of this. Check the label of your substitute yarn.
- Colours: 8 skeins of the first colour, 9 skeins of the second. The original does not name them.
- Original hook: size J.
- Hook: Start with 6 mm (US J-10) and change size to match the gauge.
Yarn Kit & Substitution Options
This pattern calls for 1190 yards of weight #6 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
4 skeins required
approx. $$21.96 total
Abbreviations (US terms)
- chain
- single crochet
- stitch
- stitches
- repeat
Notes before you start
- Source: "Oriental Rug", Kentucky Rug Yarns Vol. 5: Rugs, January & Wood Company, Maysville, Kentucky. Public domain in the USA.
- As printed — materials: 8 skeins 1st. color rug yarn; 9 skeins 2nd. color rug yarn; size J crochet hook. Gauge: 2 sts. to inch, 2 rows to inch.
- 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: The original reads "1 sc. in 2nd ch. from hook and each st. across ch"; "st" there means a chain, so it is written as "in each ch across".
- Modernisation note: The stitch count (53 sc) and the total of 72 pattern rows are our arithmetic from the printed ch 54 and the printed "9 patterns in all"; neither total is printed.
- Modernisation note: Those totals agree with the printed size and gauge: 53 sts and 72 rows at 2 per inch give about 27 × 36 in.
- Modernisation note: Rows 3 and 4 name the same colour for both halves of the repeat in the original. It is left as printed and marked Check rather than corrected, because the chart is a picture in the book and cannot be checked from the text.
- Modernisation note: The colour chart is printed as a picture in the original and is not reproduced here.
- Modernisation note: "Cut yarn" and "break off" are written as "fasten off"; "attach" is written as "join".
- Modernisation note: Metric conversions 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.
Row progress: 0 of 8 done (0%)
Rug
0 of 8 done- Foundation: With the first colour and two strands held together, ch 54, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, ch 1, turn. (53 sc)Mark row complete
- Throughout, carry the colour not in use along the row and work the next stitches over it, so it is in place when it is needed again.Mark row complete
- Rows 1–2: With the first colour, sc in first 3 sts; join the second colour and sc in next 7 sts; *with the first colour sc in next 3 sts, with the second colour sc in next 7 sts; rep from * across, ch 1 to turn each row.Mark row complete
- Rows 3–4: *Sc in first 3 sts, then sc in next 2 sts; rep from * across, ch 1 to turn each row. Check: the original names the second colour for both halves of this repeat, which would make a solid band rather than a pattern; one of the two is likely a misprint for the first colour. Compare the chart in the source book before working these rows.Mark row complete
- Rows 5–6: With the second colour, sc in first 5 sts; *with the first colour sc in next 3 sts, with the second colour sc in next 7 sts; rep from * across, ch 1 to turn each row.Mark row complete
- Rows 7–8: Repeat rows 3 and 4. This completes one pattern block.Mark row complete
- Repeat the eight pattern rows 8 more times, making 9 blocks in all (72 rows).Mark row complete
- Next row: With the first colour, sc in each st across. Fasten off.Mark row complete
Working on:
Foundation: With the first colour and two strands held together, ch 54, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, ch 1, turn. (53 sc)
Continue this pattern
The rest of the Oriental Rug (vintage Kentucky Rug Yarns) pattern is in the Retro Crochet Rugs
Still to come in the full pattern:
- Border
- Finishing
Included with 25 patterns for $12 — $0.48 per pattern.
Errata
No corrections have been published for this pattern. Found a mistake? Tell us and we will log the fix here with a date.
Your notes on this pattern
Keep track of the yarn, hook and changes you used. Saved in this browser only — nobody else can see it.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Oriental Rug pattern from?
It was published as "Oriental Rug" in Kentucky Rug Yarns Vol. 5: Rugs by January & Wood Company, Maysville, Kentucky. 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 Oriental Rug?
super bulky (#6) yarn. Original: 17 skeins of 70 yd (printed) = about 1,190 yd (1,088 m), used double.
What hook should I use?
Start with 6 mm (US J-10) and change size to match the gauge. Gauge: Printed: 2 sc and 2 rows = 1 in (8 sc and 8 rows = 4 in / 10 cm), worked with two strands held together.
