Free preview · full pattern in the Vintage Crochet Stoles & Shawls
Light Shawl in Claret and Blue (1847): vintage crochet pattern
A Victorian light shawl in German wool worked in close rows of double crochet, with charted stripes in claret on blue alternating with black on deep gold colour, framed by chequered rows. Originally published as "A Light Shawl" in My Crochet Sampler (Miss Lambert) by D. M. Peyser in 1847, 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 fine (#1) |
| Yardage | Not printed. (as printed; yardage not given) |
| Hook | 3.25 mm |
| Gauge | Not printed. Work to the size of the article; the book sizes by counted stitches or measurement. |
| Finished size | Not printed. |
| Time | about 4 hours |
Materials
- Fingering-weight (CYC #1) wool, similar to German (Berlin) wool, in claret, blue, deep gold colour and black
- Tapestry needle for weaving in (“running”) the ends
- Hook: Start with 3.25 mm (US D-3) and adjust to suit your yarn; no hook size or gauge is printed.
Yarn Kit & Substitution Options
This pattern calls for 350 yards of weight #1 yarn. Select a suggested yarn to see required skeins and estimated cost:
Knit Picks Stroll Sock · 75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon
231 yds per skein · Durable stitch definition, machine washable
2 skeins required
approx. $$13.98 total
Abbreviations (US terms)
- chain
- double crochet
- stitch
- stitches
- row
- repeat
- alternate
Notes before you start
- Source: "A Light Shawl", My Crochet Sampler (Miss Lambert), D. M. Peyser, 1847. Public domain in the USA.
- As printed — materials: German wool; claret; blue; deep gold colour; black. Gauge: Not given.
- Modernisation note: Victorian stitch names converted to modern US terms strictly by the book's own definitions (pp. 15–21, 57), not by modern UK equivalents: “plain double crochet”, “plain crochet”, “plain stitch” and “plain stitch double crochet” = sc; “plain single crochet” = sl st; “chain” = ch; “open crochet” = dc with ch 1 over a skipped st; the “double stitches” / “long stitches” of open crochet = dc; “double open crochet” = pairs of dc with an open space; “treble open crochet” = groups of 3 dc alternating with open spaces; “plain stitch open crochet” = ch-5 loops joined by sc to the centre of the loops below; “dividing”, “seam” or “raised” stitch = 2 sc in one st under both loops, stacked; “treble increased stitch” = 3 sc in one st; “double stitch crochet” = sc under both loops; “raised” or “ribbed” crochet and “plain stitch elastic crochet” = sc in back loop only, turning each row; “to increase” = 2 sc in one st; “to decrease” = sc2tog or sk 1; “to make a stitch” = ch 1 at each end of the row; “fasten off” = draw the yarn through the last st; “fasten on” = lay the new end along the work and crochet over both; “run the ends” = weave in ends. Note that the book's “double crochet” is a modern sc, and its “treble” never means a modern tr.
- Modernisation note: Period wording modernised: “needle” / “crochet needle” written as “hook”; “commence” as “begin”; “unite the ends” / “join both ends together” as “join into a ring” (the book does not name the joining stitch); “a chain and first row” as “ch, then Row 1”; “cheques” as “checks”. The book says “row” even when working round and round; “row” is kept as printed.
- Modernisation note: Printed paragraphs split into one step per row or instruction; no colours, counts or rows added, removed or reordered. Colour-sequence rows are written as “Row 4 (sc): 1 light green, 1 black, 5 red brown …”, meaning that many sc in each colour, in order.
- Modernisation note: “German wool” (the fine worsted-spun Berlin wool) and single “zephyr” are approximated as fingering-weight (CYC #1) wool; “double German wool” and “Zephyr, or double German wool” as sport-weight (CYC #2) wool.
- Modernisation note: No hook (needle) size and no gauge is printed — the book names only “steel” or “ivory” needles. The modern starting hook is an approximate suggestion only.
- Modernisation note: No yardage is printed and none is estimated.
- Modernisation note: Colour swatches are approximate modern readings of the period colour names; they are not in the book. “Gold colour” is a golden-yellow yarn, whereas “gold” on its own in the silk designs means metallic gold thread or cord. “Ponceau” is poppy red, “drab” a dull greyish brown, “stone colour” a pale greyish beige, “claret” a deep wine red. By the book's own definitions (p. 24), “chiné” yarn is dyed in two or more colours at intervals along one thread, and “ombré” yarn shades gradually from light to dark in one colour.
- Modernisation note: Rows 4–14 numbered by us to fit the printed “Fifteenth row”.
- Modernisation note: Check: the book gives colours but no stitch-by-stitch directions for this chart; the design cannot be followed without the original engraving.
- Modernisation note: “Weave in ends” added.
Row progress: 0 of 3 done (0%)
Stitch
0 of 3 done- Stitch (book's definition, “Open crochet”): begin with “one plain stitch”; yo, insert hook in the first loop of the chain and draw the yarn through (3 loops on hook), yo and draw through 2 loops, yo and draw through the last 2 loops (= dc); “through this one, make one plain stitch” (= ch 1), then work the next dc in the third loop of the chain (sk 1). Open crochet = sc, *dc, ch 1, sk 1; rep from * — a dc-and-ch-1 mesh (engraving No. 2).Mark row complete
- This shawl is worked “in open crochet stitch, but without leaving a stitch between each, as in the ordinary method” — that is, dc in every st, with no ch 1 and no skipped st between.Mark row complete
- Reading the engraving (book, p. 21): “The engravings of the patterns are placed in the book as they are intended to be worked; that is, by commencing at the lower part, on the right hand side.” Read each chart from the bottom row upward, starting at the right-hand edge; one square = 1 sc.Mark row complete
Working on:
Stitch (book's definition, “Open crochet”): begin with “one plain stitch”; yo, insert hook in the first loop of the chain and draw the yarn through (3 loops on hook), yo and draw through 2 loops, yo and draw through the last 2 loops (= dc); “through this one, make one plain stitch” (= ch 1), then work the next dc in the third loop of the chain (sk 1). Open crochet = sc, *dc, ch 1, sk 1; rep from * — a dc-and-ch-1 mesh (engraving No. 2).
Continue this pattern
The rest of the Light Shawl in Claret and Blue (1847) pattern is in the Vintage Crochet Stoles & Shawls
Still to come in the full pattern:
- Stripe
- Finishing
Included with 31 patterns for $12 — $0.39 per pattern.
Errata
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Frequently asked questions
Where is the A Light Shawl pattern from?
It was published as "A Light Shawl" in My Crochet Sampler (Miss Lambert) by D. M. Peyser in 1847. 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 A Light Shawl?
super fine (#1) yarn. Not printed.
What hook should I use?
Start with 3.25 mm (US D-3) and adjust to suit your yarn; no hook size or gauge is printed. Gauge: Not printed. Work to the size of the article; the book sizes by counted stitches or measurement.
