Open Fan Edging Free Pattern

Based on an antique design.
Directions reworked by Sandi Marshall

One Fan Section:

This pretty edging is worked sideways, one fan section at a time (rather than in long rows), which can be handy because you can decide upon the finished length as you go along. Made with either yarn or thread, it could be a beautiful addition to the hem of a sweater or a summer crop top (use cotton yarn for summer wear). It could also be useful as an afghan edging, when crocheted with yarn or to edge household items (such as guest towel, pillowcase, basket trim) when made with crochet thread.

Materials (Make With Yarn or Thread): Use thread size or yarn weight of your choice, with hook size to correspond

Materials Used In The Red Edging Example:
Sport weight yarn
US Size F crochet hook

Finished Size For One Open Fan Section:
3 1/4" high x 2 1/4" wide, when made with sport weight yarn

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
dtr = double treble
ea = each
sl st = slip stitch
sp = space
st = stitch
sts = stitches

How To Double Treble (dtr): Yarn over hook three times, insert hook in stitch to be worked, yarn over hook, pull up a loop, then: (yarn over hook, draw yarn through two loops on hook) four times.

How To Slip Stitch (sl st): = Insert hook in stitch, thread or yarn over hook, pull thread or yarn through the stitch and through the loop on the hook, at the same time. A slip stitch does not add any height and is used to join a chain or stitch to another place in the crochet piece. In this pattern, it is also used to move from one place to another in the pattern, without adding any height.

To Start: Chain 7. Join, with a sl st in first ch, to form a ring. Chain 12.
Row 1: (dtr in ring, ch 1) 6 times altogether, dtr in ring, ch 9, sl st in ring, turn.
Row 2: sl st in next 3 ch, (ch 4, sl st in same ch as sl st just made, sl st in next ch) twice, ch 4, sl st in same ch as sl st just made, sl st in next 4 ch. (sl st in dtr, sl st in ch-1 sp) 3 times, ch 5, skip center dtr, sl st in ch-1 sp, (sl st in dtr, sl st in ch-1 sp) twice, sl st in dtr, ch 8. Turn.
Next Open Fan Section: Begin next open fan in the chain-5 loop in the center of the open fan just worked, repeating rows 1 and 2.
Repeats: Repeat above directions (beginning again at Row 1) until you have reached the length desired.
End off. Weave in ends.

The Antique Directions: For comparison, here's what the antique directions said exactly as written and in its entirety:
This edging covers space quickly. Ch 7, form ring. Ch 12, 1 tr tr (thread over 3 times) with 1 ch bet in ring, ch 9, 1 slst in ring, turn.
2nd row - 3 sl st-ch 4-2 sl st-ch 4-2 sl st-ch 4-9 sl st, over the 9 chs. 6 sl st over the next 6 sts, ch 5, sk center tr tr, 7 sl st over the next 7 sts, ch 8, turn then again the 7 tr tr, in the loop of 5 chs. - - End of Antique directions.

In the antique directions, the edging was not given any name. I named it "Open Fan Edging". The antique directions said nothing about materials to be used or finished size.

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Copyright: These reworked Open Lace Edging directions copyright 2003 by Sandi Marshall, licensed to About.com, Inc. Free for your own personal use only. Do not redistribute.

Open Fan Edging pattern is based on an antique pattern from the early 1900's (the original pattern instructions are now old enough to be in the public domain). Originally published in the book Edges and Corners, Book Number F by Emma Farnes, published by the company E. C. Spuehler. There is no copyright date in the book but it is definitely early 1900's. The original price printed on the book cover is 10 cents or 12 cents by mail. It has the look and format of crochet books published before 1920. I have an original of this book, which at the time that I purchased it, was ripped in spots and falling apart at the seams but the pattern directions are still readable. Pattern instructions reworked, rewritten by Sandi Marshall. Rewritten instructions on this page are copyright 2003 by Sandi Marshall, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Just FYI - Per copyright laws, a person can't legally claim any copyright of their own for rewriting instructions to another designer's pattern that is currently under copyright protection, since variations of that copyrighted pattern are also protected for the copyright holder. You can read for yourself how copyright law protects variations of a copyrighted work, at the U.S. Government Copyright Office web site - http://www.loc.gov/copyright.
If a pattern (copyright in the USA before the year 1923) has fallen into the public domain, then new copyright can be applied to variations of (also called derivitive works of) that public domain pattern. Key words in that sentence are: public domain. It does not apply to patterns currently under copyright protection.

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Pattern Repeats In Parenthesis Explained