Expert: Bea Harrell - 9/2/2008

Question
I have a bedspread pattern from Royal Society Book 36 from 1934 which specifies Royal Society Cordichet size #20 to produce a square of 11.5 inches (154 dc's).  No hook is specified.  My questions are -- is the moden No. 20 thread the same?  And which hook should I try to obtain 11.5 inches?  I have tried No. 20 thread with No. 11 hook (the smallest I have), and achieved about an 18" length.  Am I working to loosely?  Thanks for your help.

Answer
Hey, Theresa! Yes, the size 20 threads are still the same size. I'm not sure what you mean by getting a length of 18 inchs. Does that mean 18" square, or is the test piece not square? Mostly a size 9 hook was used, but it sounds like the size 11 is too big, so it may be that you need to tighten your work up. I don't use size 20 thread anymore, except for some vintage doilies.  I use size 10 bedspread cotton and a size 9 hook, and get near perfect results,so that's another option you might explore.
I hope this helps you move forward with your project.

Regards,  Bea