Free preview · full pattern in the Vintage Afghans & Bedspreads
Pinwheel Popcorn Bedspread (1941): vintage crochet pattern
A bedspread of six-sided motifs, 6 inches across, in which rows of popcorn stitches spiral out from the center like a pinwheel against a double crochet mesh. The motifs are sewn together and fringed all around. Originally published as "Pinwheel Popcorn" in Old and New Favorites: Crochet Designs (Book No. 173) by The Spool Cotton Company in 1941.
By the crochetpatterns.io editorial team · Updated · Editorial policy · pattern testing in progress
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Skill level | Intermediate |
| Yarn weight | Lace (#0) |
| Yardage | 63–70 yd (58–64 m) |
| Hook | 1.5 mm |
| Gauge | As printed: each motif 6 in (15 cm) across, from side to side. |
| Finished size | Not printed; each motif measures 6 in (15 cm) across, from side to side. Overall size depends on the number of motifs. |
| Time | about 3 hours |
Materials
- J. & P. Coats Bedspread Cotton (a firm mercerized cotton; the nearest common modern equivalent is size 10 crochet cotton)
- Yardage: about 70 yd (64 m) per motif, as printed, plus about 3 or 4 balls for fringe. The number of motifs is not printed. Check your label for ball size.
- Original hook: Milward's steel crochet hook No. 8 or 9.
- Tapestry needle for sewing motifs together.
- Make one motif first and check it against the printed motif size before buying all the thread.
- Hook: Start with 1.5 mm (US steel 8) and change size to match the gauge.
Yarn Kit & Substitution Options
This pattern calls for 70 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
1 skeins required
approx. $$5.49 total
Abbreviations (US terms)
- chain
- slip stitch
- double crochet
- treble crochet
- popcorn
- skip
- space
- chain space
- stitch
- loop
- round
- repeat
Notes before you start
- Source: "Pinwheel Popcorn" (682), 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. 8 or 9.. Gauge: Using the materials recommended, each motif measures 6″ across, from side to side, and requires about 70 yds. of thread. Allow about 3 or 4 balls for bedspread fringe..
- 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: "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: "3rd st of ch-3 first made" is written as "3rd ch of first ch-3"; "1st pc st made" as "first pc".
- Modernisation note: Check: the fringe length and number of strands are not printed.
- 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 motif is printed in the section "Popcorn Bedspreads".
Row progress: 0 of 10 done (0%)
Motif
0 of 10 done- Starting at center, ch 12, join with sl st.Mark row complete
- Rnd 1: Ch 3, 23 dc in ring. Join to 3rd ch of ch-3.Mark row complete
- Rnd 2: Ch 3, 4 dc in same place as sl st; drop st from hook, insert hook back in 3rd ch of first ch-3 and draw loop through the one on hook (a pc). * Ch 5, sk 2 dc, dc in next dc, ch 3, 5 dc in next dc; drop st from hook, insert hook back in last ch made and draw loop through the one on hook (a pc). Repeat from * around, ending with ch 2, sl st at tip of first pc.Mark row complete
- Rnd 3: Sl st in ch-5 sp, ch 3 and complete a pc; * ch 2, a pc, ch 5, dc in next sp, ch 2, a pc. Repeat from * around, ending with ch 2, sl st at tip of first pc.Mark row complete
- Rnd 4: Sl st in next sp (between pc), ch 3 and complete a pc; * ch 2, in next ch-5 sp make 2 pc with ch-2 between; ch 5, dc in next sp, ch 2, pc in sp between 2 pc. Repeat from * around, ending as before.Mark row complete
- Rnds 5 and 6: Same as rnd 4, making pc between pc of previous rnd and 2 pc in ch-5 sp, always making ch-2 between pc (4 pc in each group on rnd 5; 5 pc in each group on rnd 6).Mark row complete
- Rnd 7: Sl st in next sp (between first 2 pc), ch 3 and complete a pc; * (ch 2, pc between next 2 pc) 3 times; ch 3, dc at tip of next pc, ch 3, dc in ch-5 sp, ch 3, dc in next sp, ch 2, pc between next 2 pc. Repeat from * around. Join.Mark row complete
- Rnd 8: * 3 pc between pc of previous rnd, with ch-2 between; ch 3, dc at tip of next pc; (ch 3, dc in next sp) 4 times; ch 2 and repeat from * around. Join.Mark row complete
- Rnd 9: * 2 pc between pc of previous rnd, with ch-2 between; ch 3, dc at tip of next pc; (ch 3, dc in next sp) 6 times, ch 2. Repeat from * around. Join.Mark row complete
- Rnd 10: Sl st in sp (between pc), ch 3 and complete a pc; * (ch 3, dc in next sp) 3 times; ch 3, sk next dc and sp; in next dc make 3 tr, ch 3, 3 tr; ch 3, sk next sp and dc; dc in next sp; (ch 3, dc in next sp) twice, ch 2, pc between pc of previous rnd. Repeat from * around. Join and fasten off.Mark row complete
Working on:
Starting at center, ch 12, join with sl st.
Continue this pattern
The rest of the Pinwheel Popcorn Bedspread (1941) pattern is in the Vintage Afghans & Bedspreads
Still to come in the full pattern:
- Finishing
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Errata
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Frequently asked questions
Where is the Pinwheel Popcorn pattern from?
It was published as "Pinwheel 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 Pinwheel Popcorn?
J. & P. Coats Bedspread Cotton (a firm mercerized cotton; the nearest common modern equivalent is size 10 crochet cotton). Printed: about 70 yd per motif, plus about 3 or 4 balls for fringe. Total depends on how many motifs you make (not printed).
What hook should I use?
Start with 1.5 mm (US steel 8) and change size to match the gauge. Gauge: As printed: each motif 6 in (15 cm) across, from side to side.
