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Needing help with a vintage crochet pattern

One of my treasured possessions is a vintage crochet book. Unfortunately, many of the patterns call for yarn/thread that is no longer being made, at least not by what the book calls them.

A project I would really like to work on calls for "crochet cord" but no size is indicated (it's a set of potholders). The photo of the finished project doesn't help much in determining what a suitable substitute might be. My first impulse is to go with a standard size 10 cotton thread or Perl cotton. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Reply to
Phrensied
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Crochet cord is very probably either "Knit-Cro-Sheen" (bedspread cotton, size 10) or "Speed-Cro-Sheen" (size 5). I have lots of potholder patterns in these two threads.

Why don't you list the other threads called for? Some of us might know what to substitute.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

Reply to
Olwyn Mary

Crochet cord is the only thing called for in this particular pattern and (unfortunately) no gauge listed. Hook size is 6 steel. Other patterns in this book specify a thread size or name brand such as Knit-Cro-Sheen, which is where my confusion comes from on this one.

I suppose, if worst comes to worst, I can work up some of the pattern in some size 10 cotton remnants to get at least a ballpark idea of the gauge I'll be needing. I was just hoping for a shortcut by asking around before making this into more work than I need to. :D

Reply to
Phrensied

Reply to
bungadora

Reply to
bungadora

A size 6 hook gives me a nice result on size 20 cotton for making lace edging for pillowcases etc.

Can you try a short piece with bedspread cotton and then with size 20 and see which looks better? (the knitters on the rcty board know my mantra is "Make a swatch, make a swatch, makeaswatch"......)

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

Reply to
Olwyn Mary

Thanks for all the help, it's really appreciated.

Bungadora: That might help, since cotton for bedspreads is usually size

  1. It at least hints that my initial thoughts that this is the size needed might be on target.

I've got some scrap size 10 cotton laying around somewhere that I'll try in a swatch and see what happens. The potholders are a novelty teacup shape, so there's quite a bit of difference from the bottom compared to the top, but a fair sized swatch should at least give me a ballpark idea of how it will work up and any adjustments that might be needed.

Of course, I'm completely kicking myself for getting rid of my stash a couple years ago when we moved across the country, the selection I could use for swatches would be so much better if I still had it. I should have been thinking instead: Who needs clothes when you have yarn, right??

Reply to
Phrensied

You should check if the book was printed in Usa or UK , since there is a difference in the terminology , between the those two, mirjam

Reply to
Mirjam Bruck-Cohen

When I was a child in UK, nearly 70 years ago, I learned to knit dishcloths, (swabs), using "dishcloth cotton". This was a thick, soft cotton which would have been ideal for potholders. The nearest thing I have seen recently is no.5 crochet cotton. I would go for the thickest cotton thread available - after all, what is the purpose of potholders?

A size 6 hook, UK, would be about 5mm, judging by the size 7 I still have, so would be used for thick cotton.

Joyce > > snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:

Reply to
Joyce

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