From About Crochet: Dutch Windmill For Filet Crochet or Cross Stitch

At left is the chart which I made (see what the 1926 chart looked like, below). The 1926 pattern book had a chart only, with no instructions whatsoever. To make it easier for crocheters who are just starting with filet crochet, I've given the starting chain and a few other instructions below, along with approximate finished sizes when made with various weights of yarn and sizes of thread. White square on the chart = an open mesh made by: chain 2, skip next chain-2 (if open mesh is below) or skip next 2 dc (if solid mesh is below), dc in next stitch. Black square on the chart = a solid mesh made by: 2 dc in chain-2 space (if open mesh is below) or 1 dc in each of next 2 dc (if solid mesh is below), dc in next dc.

The chart is 40 stitches wide and 48 rows high. To make a crocheted background to cross-stitch the design on, starting chain is 40 chains for afghan stitch or 41 chains for single crochet. Make 48 rows.

Working the Chart in Filet Crochet For a 4 dc mesh, starting chain is 121, plus chain 3, (which will count as first dc of first row), plus chain 2 more (which is the ch-2 of the first open mesh). Total starting chain = 126. Chart is worked starting at the bottom right; work first row right to left. Second row is worked left to right. Continue alternating row directions in this same manner, following chart.

Image of finished filet copyright by Sandi Marshall, licensed to About.com, Inc. Do not redistribute.

There were no instructions in the 1926 pattern book. I've written instructions for the first few rows to help you get started:
Row 1: Begin by working a double crochet in the 9th chain from the hook (first open mesh made). (chain 2, skip next 2 chains, dc in next chain) 39 times. (40 open mesh)
Row 2: Chain 5, skip chain-2, dc in next dc; (2 dc in chain-2 space, dc in next dc) 38 times; chain 2, skip chain-2, dc in next. (1 open mesh, then 38 solid mesh, then 1 open mesh)

With the first two rows crocheted, the pattern is established, so you can now continue, following the chart to see if each square is a solid mesh or an open mesh.

Once you know the basics of filet crochet, written instructions are not needed for each new chart.

Basics in How to Do Filet Crochet, here:
http://crochet.about.com/library/weekly/aa050298.htm

Approximate finished sizes in filet crochet
(once through the chart, worked in 4 dc mesh):
With size 10 thread (219 yards) and a size US 7 steel hook, finished size is about 9.2 inches x 12 inches.
With size 20 thread (205 yards) and a size US 9 steel hook, finished size is about 8.8 inches x 11.5 inches.
With size 30 thread (192 yards) and a size US 11 steel hook, finished size is about 8.4 inches x 11 inches.
With fingering/baby weight yarn (480 yards) and a size US F hook, finished size is about 28 inches x 34.6 inches.
With sport weight yarn (557 yards) and a size US G hook, finished size is about 32 inches x 39.4 inches.
With worsted weight yarn (634 yards) and a size US I hook, finished size is about 36 inches x 44.2 inches.

This is a scan of the chart as it was printed in the 1926 pattern book:

So that you would have a better quality chart to work from, I did the work of recharting it, using a chart-making software program, by counting squares and clicking within each square that should be filled in. Blue chart was originally printed in Variety Book No. 2, published in 1926 (now copyright-expired). The Dutch Windmill blue chart was a portion of another larger chart in that book.

This is the printing page. If others would like to have the chart, please give them the URL for the main page of this pattern:
URL of main page for this pattern is http://crochet.about.com/library/blwindmill1.htm

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