Christy Lockard crocheted edges for dozens of hankies for her family and friends. For this handkerchief she used a variegated blue thread. Lockard (1894-1982) lived in Middletown, Dauphin County, PA, USA. Most of her crochet work was done between 1950 - 1970
Potholders made by my grandmother Maria Antonia Ludovici Martinez (1905-1991). Source of design unknown, crocheted of thick thread that feels like cotton, with tight twist, with the thread used for the rings being thinner with a sheen; the rings have a stiff support under them, white, probably a hard plastic. My grandmother used these, and I inherited them after her death--her dishes were the Franciscan Apple pattern, and she had a lot of reds and whites in her kitchen. The apples (with their stems and leaves) are crocheted separately and appliqued/stitched onto the two-layers of white backgrounds,the red edging crocheting the two layers of the white backgrounds together.
Apple-shaped potholders made by my grandmother Maria Antonia Ludovici Martinez (1905-1991); source of pattern unknown, perhaps improvised, in what feels like cotton. My grandmother used these, and I inherited them after her death -- her dishes were the Franciscan Apple pattern, and she had a lot of reds and whites in her kitchen. It looks like the fronts and backs were crocheted separately, then crocheted together, with the green leaves and hangers crocheted last.
A single baby shoe (there is no other one), probably made by my grandmother Maria Antonia Ludovici Martinez (1905-1991). Source of design unknown, crocheted of thread that has yellowed and browned unevenly, found in a box containing her unfinished projects. The little open toe at the front of the shoe makes it like a sandal, and the side opening and tie are very interesting details to me.
A blanket made by assembled "granny square" motifs, made by my grandmother Maria Antonia Ludovici Martinez (1905-1991). Source of design unknown, crocheted of unknown yarns that feel like an acrylic-wool blend. Some squares were added on later with a brighter green yarn.
A coverlet made of motifs known as Venetian Squares made by my grandmother. I don't know her pattern source, but the pattern is known to be published in: Venetian Crochet: Patterns For 1915 Motif, Collar and Lace Edging, Needlecraft Publishing Co., Published 1915, and Figure 36 in the same publisher’s Handbook of Crochet No. 2, available in PDF form from the Antique Pattern Library. It was also published earlier, in 1900, in Sophie Tatum LaCroix's Old and New Designs in Crochet Work as motif no. 201 on page 6, available in the Internet Archive, where it says, "This design originated in Bohemia." I don't know if my grandmother considered the coverlet finished--there is no added edging around the borders. I inherited this after her death in a box with other crochet projects of hers, and I don't know if it was ever used before I received it.
Potholder made by my grandmother Maria Antonia Ludovici Martinez (1905-1991). Source of design unknown, crocheted of thick thread that feels like cotton, with tight twist, with the thread used for the rings being thinner with a sheen; the rings have a stiff support under them, white, probably a hard plastic. My grandmother used it, and I inherited it after her death--her dishes were the Franciscan Apple pattern, and she had a lot of reds and whites in her kitchen. The crab is crocheted separately and appliqued/stitched onto the two-layers of white backgrounds, the red edging crocheting the two layers of the white backgrounds together. The black stitching of the crab's joints, carapace, and eyes is a black, embroidery floss weight thread, in a stitch resembling stem stitch.
Potholder made by my grandmother Maria Antonia Ludovici Martinez (1905-1991). Source of design unknown, crocheted of thick thread that feel like cotton, with tight twist, with the thread used for the ring being thinner with a sheen; the rings have a stiff support under them, white, probably a hard plastic. My grandmother used this, and I inherited it after her death--her dishes were the Franciscan Apple pattern, and she had a lot of reds and whites in her kitchen. The strawberries (with their stems and leaves) are crocheted separately and appliqued/stitched onto the two-layers of white backgrounds, the red edging crocheting the two layers of the white backgrounds together. The white "seeds" are white thread crocheted along with the red thread of the strawberries.
The pattern for this single-crochet top, with an apple motif, came from a Woman's Day or Family Circle magazine published in the mid-1970s. I was in high school at the time, and loved the bold design. It was the first time I had crocheted two colors in one row, but I just followed the instructions, and all was well. Since the top was short-sleeved, naturally I thought of it as a summer garment. However, the yarn was worsted-weight acrylic, which isn't the best fiber to wear during a sweltering hot Texas summer. On the other hand, it would have been good inside, because many businesses and classrooms were over-airconditioned. In May 2017, my daughter Eva tried on the crocheted top with the apple. With her permission, I include the photo I took of her then. The top measures 33" around the body at the underarm; from hem to shoulder, it is 18.5". I don't know who designed this cute top.
An 8.5" square makes the bottom of a slipper with two corners sewn together on top; two 4.5" squares are crocheted onto the large square to make the top of the slipper and one 4.5" square is attached at the back to make the heel. A 3" pom pom is attached to the top. The yarn is a worsted weight and likely acrylic from the period.
Standard wooden hanger covered in unknown pink crochet thread.
Unknown thread, unknown crochet hook, pink flowers, green ribbon.
Pattern is Pansy Doily #5911 by American Thread Company; Ravelry pattern page at https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pansy-doily-5911 lists many sources for this pattern, published many times, under other different names as well, e.g., Pretty Pansies and Viola Pansy Doily.
Design adapted from one in the book Ouvrages de Dames edited by Jules Trigoulet, available on the Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/MAB.31962000791123Images ; a chart that I made is also available at http://www.imagists.org/knitting/crochetpillowcover.pdf . Crocheted out of size 10 DMC Cebelia cotton with a 1.4mm steel crochet hook, I then sewed the crocheted piece onto one side of peach linen.
These two doilies made in a pinwheel design were likely made by my great-grandmother, Alvina Billig, and I'm guessing they date from the 1930s - 1940s. The smaller one is mainly tan with a white border and measures 6.5 inchess across. The larger doily is white, made with a thicker crochet thread, and measures 8.25" across.
Unknown thread, unknown crochet hook, unknown pattern; a gift from the maker.
The snowflakes were crocheted using white Aunt Lydia's brand #10 cotton crochet thread using a #8 or #7 steel hook. Once completed, I blocked and starched the flakes so they would hold their shape as ornaments on the Christmas tree.
Growing up in Mississippi, snow was a rarity. After that, I continued to live in the southerly climates of Florida & Texas. A "White Christmas" has never really been a possibility (except during the couple of years I spent living in Germany). Around 2014 or so, I decided to kick my crochet skills up a notch by learning to use the tiny steel hooks & cotton thread. Doilies didn't really appeal to me, but snowflakes! ❄ I could have a White Christmas -- without the cold...or the need to shovel!
For a time, I was addicted to making these. Each one was a small, compact & quickly finished project. Because no two snowflakes are alike, I felt free to make variations & create totally new designs. I made so many snowflakes that I started giving them away. Eventually, all my snowflakes had new homes, and my passion for making them melted away just like the snow...but I still have the memories.
]]>Some of the designs pictured here are probably by Deborah Atkinson (Ravelry); I learned a lot from studying & making her snowflake patterns. Others in the picture are of my own design. I entered these pictures in CraftStylish's "Dare to Make it: Holiday, 2014" contest -- and won the top prize!
The snowflakes were crocheted using white Aunt Lydia's brand #10 cotton crochet thread using a #8 or #7 steel hook. Once completed, I blocked and starched the flakes so they would hold their shape as ornaments on the Christmas tree.
Growing up in Mississippi, snow was a rarity. After that, I continued to live in the southerly climates of Florida & Texas. A "White Christmas" has never really been a possibility (except during the couple of years I spent living in Germany). Around 2014 or so, I decided to kick my crochet skills up a notch by learning to use the tiny steel hooks & cotton thread. Doilies didn't really appeal to me, but snowflakes! ❄ I could have a White Christmas -- without the cold...or the need to shovel!
For a time, I was addicted to making these. Each one was a small, compact & quickly finished project. Because no two snowflakes are alike, I felt free to make variations & create totally new designs. I made so many snowflakes that I started giving them away. Eventually, all my snowflakes had new homes, and my passion for making them melted away just like the snow...but I still have the memories.