An Essuie-Plume.
Commence with a chain of about six stitches in plain green netting silk; crochet both ends together; work three plain rows of green, and then one row of alternate stitches of dark scarlet and green.
The scarlet silk will now form the ground, on which the star pattern of green is to be worked. Crochet a row with two stitches of green, and two of scarlet, alternately; in the next row, two of scarlet and three of green. Crochet, in a similar manner, one row after another, increasing on each row one stitch in the green pattern, every time that colour is repeated, until it counts seven stitches in each division; taking care to keep the two scarlet stitches of the ground exactly over each other.
The pattern is now to be decreased, by working four stitches of scarlet and five of green; in the next row,—seven of scarlet and three of green; and in the next,—ten of scarlet and one of green;—increasing one stitch in each division of the ground.
Work two plain rows of scarlet, increasing a sufficient number of stitches to keep the work flat, and finish with a kind of fringe, formed by two rows of open crochet in green.