Featured Need Help w/ Colorful Crochet Bed Spread

hi everyone. i found this piece last week and finally was able to take some pictures at a place i have access to with room to lay it out and shoot it properly. I believe this is crochet(but i'm not sure). also, i think the yarns are cotton, but again, not sure. it measures 84" x 90" approximately. i think it's an eyedazzler. what i would like to find out is, it's approximate age? i'm assuming this is probably from the last 50 or 60 years, but i don't know for sure. also, i would really like some feedback as to how much time it would take to make one of those squares? there's a total of 210 squares that measure 6" x 6". i would love to come up with an approximate number of hours that went into making this. also, is there a specific name for this design? a specific name for the type of crochet work? really any information someone with knowledge in crochet has to offer will be greatly appreciated...thanks

 

Beautiful piece. I can only imagine the hours and hours.. Hopefully a knowledgeable member can give you ballpark estimate.

 

Boy, that was a lot of work. It's crochet but don't know the pattern names. And it does appear to be made of cotton. From the colors, I'd think 1960s but not all the thread appears to be from the same period. By an older hand, of course.

Debora

 

Sort of a crazy quilt with decorum. Impressive.

 

yes. another question that occurs to me is, is this sort of patterned, multi-color design unusual? i really don't know anything about crochet. the only reason i know it's crochet is when i found this in a thrift store a woman that saw it told me it was crochet. i was flabbergasted. this piece is pretty much mint and all i could think is there must be 500 or more hours of work here. i've always loved textiles as art, and this is one of the nicest pieces i think i've ever come across.

 

She was using up thread from other projects. You can tell that because the colored squares are placed randomly and not in a carefully thought out design. And she probably crocheted while she was listening to the radio in the evenings. Given it's mint, may well have been a contribution to a family member's hope chest. Valued too much to ever be used.

Debora

 

Yes, it is done with crochet, and from what I can see the maker used a type of "treble" stitch and "chain" stitch. Each square (called a "granny square") was made separately, and then joined together. It does look like cotton crochet thread was used (although I can't be positive), which is a finer material than the yarns used in "afghans", and requires a much finer crochet hook. Depending on the skill of the crocheter, a single square might take 1-3 hours to complete.



The variegated threads may be the best clues to dating, as these only became available post WWII. Earlier crochet threads were solid white or ecru, and some solid colors.

Colorful crocheted coverlets designed with granny squares were quite popular with the craft revival of the 1960s. But I believe the blankets made during this period (and continuing today) were more often made using heavier yarns in the afghan style, which is a quicker process. I think your coverlet was made by a very experienced crocheter familiar with the older styles of working with crochet thread, but with access to newer colors.

 

That's crochet thread for certain. I've seen the thread and the bitty hooks and never wanted to mess with it. My sister crochets; it's like having fidget toys but you make stuff. Even she isn't crazy enough to use the thread, which is saying something since she's related to me.

If you want to see some really mind-bending pieces, check out tatting. Instead of needles or a hook you use a teeny tiny shuttle. I've rescued a few pieces and framed them, but don't know how to make anything. Tatting thread makes crochet thread look chunky.

 

yes, it has always fascinated me how something like this comes to be donated to a thrift store. my guess is, the person who made this is long deceased. it was handed down, and likely the second owner is now deceased. eventually it becomes an excess item that no one knows what to do with. someone once told me everything that is "made" today either winds up in a museum/collection, a thrift store, or a landfill.

 

What a lovely blanket, those aren't your typical granny squares!
Those strongly-colored shaded or variegated threads/yarns didn't really gain traction for home use until the 1960s/70s.

 

The people who donated it weren't following current trends. That got snatched up SO FAST. I'm betting Jim saw it and thought he'd won the lottery.