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Round D'Oyley or Mat with Six-Point Star (1847): vintage crochet pattern
A round Victorian mat (d'oyley) in eight-thread fleecy: a six-point star in three shades of scarlet on a ground of three shades of blue, increased in the blue, and finished with three black rounds. Originally published as "A Round D’Oyley or Mat" in My Crochet Sampler (Miss Lambert) by D. M. Peyser in 1847, it is now in.
By the crochetpatterns.io editorial team · Updated · Editorial policy · pattern testing in progress
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Skill level | Intermediate |
| Yarn weight | Bulky (#5) |
| Yardage | Not printed. (as printed; yardage not given) |
| Hook | 6 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
- Chunky-weight (CYC #5) soft wool, approximating eight-thread fleecy, in black, 3 shades of scarlet and 3 shades of blue
- Tapestry needle for weaving in (“running”) the ends
- Hook: Start with 6 mm (US J-10) and adjust to suit your yarn; no hook size or gauge is printed (original: steel or ivory needle).
Yarn Kit & Substitution Options
This pattern calls for 350 yards of weight #5 yarn. Select a suggested yarn to see required skeins and estimated cost:
Premier Basics Chunky · 100% Acrylic
218 yds per skein · Fast make, dense pill-resistant body
2 skeins required
approx. $$9.98 total
Abbreviations (US terms)
- chain
- single crochet
- stitch
- stitches
- increase
- row
- repeat
- alternate
Notes before you start
- Source: "A Round D’Oyley or Mat", My Crochet Sampler (Miss Lambert), D. M. Peyser, 1847. Public domain in the USA.
- As printed — materials: black eight-thread fleecy; three shades of scarlet; a blue ground of three shades. 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: The book implies that ordinary plain crochet picks up only one loop of the stitch below (the seam stitch is made “under both loops instead of one”, and “double stitch crochet” takes “both meshes”), but it never says which loop. Instructions say sc. Check: for the period texture, try working through one loop as the book implies.
- 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: “Fleecy” was a soft, lofty Victorian wool sold by thread (ply) count. Modern weights given are approximations only: four-thread fleecy ≈ DK (CYC #3), six-thread fleecy ≈ worsted (CYC #4), eight-thread fleecy ≈ chunky (CYC #5).
- 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: “D’Oyley” written as d'oyley (a small mat).
- Modernisation note: Check: the number and placement of the increases in the blue is not printed; place them so the scarlet counts can be worked.
- Modernisation note: Check: Row 1 is worked in black (the chain colour) presumably, as the book gives no colour.
- Modernisation note: “Weave in ends” added.
Row progress: 0 of 3 done (0%)
Stitches
0 of 3 done- Stitch (book's definition): “Plain double crochet,—where two loops are kept on the needle, and the wool drawn through both before the stitch is finished” = single crochet (sc). The book adds that “unless any other stitch be mentioned, the plain, or double crochet stitch, is always to be employed”, so every stitch in these directions is sc unless another stitch is named. A “plain row” is a row of sc in one colour.Mark row complete
- Increase and decrease (book's definitions): to increase is “to make two stitches in the same loop” (= 2 sc in the same st); to decrease is “to take two stitches together, or to miss one stitch” (= sc2tog, or sk 1 st).Mark row complete
- In every row, make the increases in the blue, and also in the plain rows of black. The darkest scarlet sits on the lightest blue.Mark row complete
Working on:
Stitch (book's definition): “Plain double crochet,—where two loops are kept on the needle, and the wool drawn through both before the stitch is finished” = single crochet (sc). The book adds that “unless any other stitch be mentioned, the plain, or double crochet stitch, is always to be employed”, so every stitch in these directions is sc unless another stitch is named. A “plain row” is a row of sc in one colour.
Continue this pattern
The rest of the Round D'Oyley or Mat with Six-Point Star (1847) pattern is in the Heirloom Doilies & Tablecloths
Still to come in the full pattern:
- Mat
- Finishing
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Errata
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Frequently asked questions
Where is the A Round D’Oyley or Mat pattern from?
It was published as "A Round D’Oyley or Mat" 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 Round D’Oyley or Mat?
bulky (#5) yarn. Not printed.
What hook should I use?
Start with 6 mm (US J-10) and adjust to suit your yarn; no hook size or gauge is printed (original: steel or ivory needle). Gauge: Not printed. Work to the size of the article; the book sizes by counted stitches or measurement.
