This doorway curtain is made of fan-shaped ginkgo leaves and small round beads, all strung on nine cream cords that hang from a wooden dowel. Each leaf has fine raised ribs running out from the stem and a softly scalloped top edge with a small notch at the center, just like a real ginkgo leaf.
The palette is warm and calm: butter yellow, sage green, and cream leaves, with cream beads and cords. Seven large yellow leaves are scattered across the curtain, and the small leaves fill in around them. Light comes through it, it sways when you walk past, and it suits a Scandinavian or cottage-style room.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished curtain is about 32 in (81.3 cm) wide and hangs 68 in (172.7 cm) from the dowel to the bottom bead. A small leaf is 3.75 in (9.5 cm) wide and 3.5 in (8.9 cm) long including its stem. A large leaf is 5.75 in (14.6 cm) wide and 5.5 in (14.0 cm) long.
Each leaf is worked flat in rows, starting at the stem point. One edging round then adds the scallops, the side edges and the stem. Each cord is a slip-stitch chain. The beads are crocheted directly around the cords, and the leaves are sewn on between them.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: about 32 in (81.3 cm) wide x 68 in (172.7 cm) drop
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: DK (#3) cotton
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
- Number of pieces: 72 leaves, 81 beads and 9 cords
- Layout: 9 cords with 8 leaves each, a bead above every leaf and one bead at the bottom
- Piece sizes:
- Small leaf: 3.75 x 3.5 in (9.5 x 8.9 cm)
- Large leaf: 5.75 x 5.5 in (14.6 x 14.0 cm)
- Bead: 1 in (2.5 cm)
- Leaf size before edging:
- Small leaf: 3.5 x 1.9 in (8.9 x 4.8 cm)
- Large leaf: 5.5 x 3.1 in (14.0 x 7.9 cm)
- Edging depth: about 3/8 in (1.0 cm) at the scallop peaks
Materials
Use a smooth mercerized or combed DK cotton of about 115 m per 50 g. Cotton keeps the ribs crisp and stretches very little as the curtain hangs. Avoid fuzzy yarns, because they blur the ribs.
- Butter yellow: 85 g / 196 m (7 large leaves and 19 small leaves)
- Sage green: 70 g / 161 m (28 small leaves)
- Cream: 190 g / 437 m (18 small leaves, 81 beads and 9 cords)
These amounts include a margin of about 15-20% for swatching and tails.
Tools:
- 3.5 mm (E-4) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- A small handful of polyester fiberfill
- Wooden dowel, 36 in (91.4 cm) long and 3/4 in (1.9 cm) in diameter
- 2 cup hooks or curtain brackets
- Stitch markers, measuring tape and scissors
- Blocking mat and rust-proof pins
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch: chain
- sl st: slip stitch
- sc: single crochet
- hdc: half double crochet
- dc: double crochet
- FPdc / BPdc: front post / back post double crochet
- inc: 2 sc in the same stitch
- dec: sc2tog
- MR: magic ring
- st(s): stitch(es)
- RS / WS: right side / wrong side
Rib stitch: On RS rows, work the rib stitch as a FPdc. On WS rows, work it as a BPdc. Both push the post toward the RS, so the stacked rib stitches form a raised ridge on the front. Each leaf has 6 ribs, one at the start of each of its 6 sections.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 18 dc and 10 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm). One dc row is about 0.4 in (1.0 cm) tall.
Make one small leaf first and check it at each stage:
- After Row 1: a half-circle about 0.3 in (0.8 cm) tall
- After Row 5: 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide x 1.9 in (4.8 cm) tall
- After edging: 3.75 in (9.5 cm) wide, with a body 2.25 in (5.7 cm) tall and a stem 1.25 in (3.2 cm) long
- Large leaf after Row 8: 5.5 in (14.0 cm) wide x 3.1 in (7.9 cm) tall
If the leaf is the wrong size:
- Too big: go down 0.25 mm in hook size.
- Too small: go up 0.25 mm.
- Cups instead of lying flat: your dc rows are too short, so loosen your yarn-overs.
- Ruffles: your dc rows are too tall, so tighten them.
Leaf Pattern
The leaf is worked in rows, starting at the stem point. Row 1 is a RS row. The beginning ch-2 does not count as a stitch.
Row 1 (RS): Ch 2, 6 hdc in 2nd ch from hook. Turn. (6 hdc)
Row 2 (WS): Ch 2, 2 dc in each st across. Turn. (12 dc)
Row 3 (RS): Ch 2, FPdc in next st, 2 dc in next st; repeat from * 6 times. Turn. (18 sts: 6 sections of 3)
Row 4 (WS): Ch 2, dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, BPdc in next st; repeat from * 6 times. Turn. (24 sts: 6 sections of 4)
Row 5 (RS): Ch 2, FPdc in next st, dc in next 2 sts, 2 dc in next st; repeat from * 6 times. (30 sts: 6 sections of 5)
Small leaf: Fasten off. You have 30 sts across the top.
Large leaf: Turn and continue with Rows 6-8.
Row 6 (WS): Ch 2, dc in next 3 sts, 2 dc in next st, BPdc in next st; repeat from * 6 times. Turn. (36 sts: 6 sections of 6)
Row 7 (RS): Ch 2, FPdc in next st, dc in next 4 sts, 2 dc in next st; repeat from * 6 times. Turn. (42 sts: 6 sections of 7)
Row 8 (WS): Ch 2, dc in next 5 sts, 2 dc in next st, BPdc in next st; repeat from * 6 times. (48 sts: 6 sections of 8)
Fasten off. You have 48 sts across the top.
Why the ribs line up: On WS rows you meet the stitches in reverse order, so the rib stitch comes last in the WS repeat. This keeps every rib stitch directly above the rib below it. Each row adds 6 sts (1 per section), so the fan widens evenly and lies flat.
Make All Pieces
Work the edging (see Border: Leaf Edging) on every leaf before you attach it to a cord.
- Large leaves, butter yellow: 7
- Small leaves, butter yellow: 19
- Small leaves, sage green: 28
- Small leaves, cream: 18
- Cords, cream: 9
- Beads, cream: 81 (crocheted onto the cords during joining)
Cord (make 9): Ch 381. Sl st in the back bump of the 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (380 sl sts) Fasten off.
At a cord gauge of 5 sts = 1 in (2.5 cm), each cord measures 76 in (193.0 cm).
Layout grid: L = large yellow, Y = small yellow, G = sage, C = cream. Columns are cords 1-9 from left to right, and rows are leaf positions 1-8 from top to bottom.
Pos 1: G C Y G L G Y C G
Pos 2: C G L Y G C G Y C
Pos 3: Y G C G Y G L G Y
Pos 4: G L G C G Y C G C
Pos 5: C Y G Y C G Y L G
Pos 6: Y G C G L C G Y G
Pos 7: G C Y G Y G C G L
Pos 8: Y G C Y C Y G C Y
Totals: 7 L, 19 Y, 28 G and 18 C = 72 leaves (9 cords x 8).
Joining: Beads and Leaves on Cords
Mark the cord: Measure 8 in (20.3 cm) down from the top of the cord and place a marker. This is the dowel line, and the 8 in above it becomes the hanging loop and knot. Mark the top of each bead this far below the dowel line:
- Bead 1: 3 in (7.6 cm)
- Bead 2: 11 in (27.9 cm)
- Bead 3: 19 in (48.3 cm)
- Bead 4: 27 in (68.6 cm)
- Bead 5: 35 in (88.9 cm)
- Bead 6: 43 in (109.2 cm)
- Bead 7: 51 in (129.5 cm)
- Bead 8: 59 in (149.9 cm)
- Bead 9: 67 in (170.2 cm)
The bead tops are 8 in (20.3 cm) apart. Bead 9 covers the last 1 in (2.5 cm) of the cord, so the cord ends 68 in (172.7 cm) below the dowel line.
Bead (worked around the cord):
- Rnd 1: With cream, make a MR around the cord at the marker, so the cord passes through the center of the ring. Ch 1, 6 sc in the ring, then pull the ring snug around the cord. Work the rest of the bead in a spiral. (6)
- Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12)
- Rnd 3: Sc in next st, inc; repeat 6 times. (18)
- Rnds 4-6: Sc in each st around. (18)
- Rnd 7: Sc in next st, dec; repeat 6 times. (12) Stuff the bead firmly around the cord.
- Rnd 8: Dec 6 times. (6)
Fasten off. Weave the tail through the front loops of the last 6 sts and pull it tight around the cord. Then stitch through the cord once to lock the bead in place. Each bead should be 1 in (2.5 cm) across.
Leaves:
- Below each of beads 1-8, place a leaf with its stem pointing down and its top edge 0.75 in (1.9 cm) below the bottom of the bead.
- Line the leaf up so the cord runs down its front center, from the notch to the stem tip, like a vein.
- Using matching yarn, tack the cord to the leaf in 3 places: at the notch, at the base of the fan and at the stem tip. Each tack is 2 small stitches through the cord and the leaf’s center stitches.
Tension: Tack firmly, but keep the cord relaxed against the leaf. If the cord is drawn tight, the fan buckles.
Spacing: Below a small leaf there is a 2.75 in (7.0 cm) gap before the next bead. Below a large leaf the gap is 0.75 in (1.9 cm).
Hanging: Space the cords 3.5 in (8.9 cm) apart, centered on the dowel. The cords span 28 in (71.1 cm), which leaves 4 in (10.2 cm) of dowel free at each end. Fold the top 8 in (20.3 cm) of each cord over the dowel, tie an overhand knot just below the dowel and sew the tail into the cord.
Size checkpoint: Each cord should hang 68 in (172.7 cm). The outer leaves stick out about 2 in (5.1 cm) past the outer cords, which makes the curtain about 32 in (81.3 cm) wide.
Border: Leaf Edging
The curtain has no outer frame, so the border is the edging round worked on each leaf. All counts are for one leaf. The side counts do not include the top corner stitches, which belong to the top arc.
Border gauge: The scallops add about 3/8 in (1.0 cm) of height. The side sc add about 1/8 in (0.3 cm) to each side.
Edging round: With RS facing, join the leaf color with a sl st in the top right corner st, then ch 1. Work the top arc, the left side, the stem and the right side in order.
Top arc, small leaf (30 sts = 6 sections of 5):
- Work each section as: sc in next st (the rib), hdc in next st, 2 dc in next st, hdc in next st, sc in next st. Each scallop has 6 sts.
- To make the center notch, work the last sc of the 3rd scallop and the first sc of the 4th scallop as sl sts instead.
- Total: 6 scallops x 6 sts = 36 sts.
Top arc, large leaf (48 sts = 6 sections of 8):
- Work each section as: sc in next st (the rib), hdc in next st, dc in next st, 2 dc in each of next 2 sts, dc in next st, hdc in next st, sc in next st. Each scallop has 10 sts.
- Make the center notch the same way as on the small leaf.
- Total: 6 scallops x 10 sts = 60 sts.
Left side: Work 2 sc in the end of each dc row and 1 sc in the end of Row 1.
- Small leaf: 9 sc (4 dc rows x 2 + 1)
- Large leaf: 15 sc (7 dc rows x 2 + 1)
Stem:
- Small leaf: At the base point, ch 7. Sl st in the back bump of the 2nd ch from hook and in each ch back to the leaf. (6 sl sts, 1.25 in / 3.2 cm)
- Large leaf: Ch 10 and sl st back the same way. (9 sl sts, 2 in / 5.1 cm)
Right side: Work 9 sc on a small leaf or 15 sc on a large leaf, the same as the left side. Sl st to the first sc and fasten off.
Round totals (not counting the stem sl sts):
- Small leaf: 36 + 9 + 9 = 54
- Large leaf: 60 + 15 + 15 = 90
Why the math works:
- Each scallop covers exactly 1 section, so the scallops come out even.
- Every rib ends in the sc at the start of its scallop, so the ribs lead into the valleys between scallops.
- 3 scallops sit on each side of the notch, so the notch falls exactly in the center.
- 2 sc per dc row end matches the 0.4 in (1.0 cm) row height, so the sides stay flat.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends.
- Soak the leaves in cool water for 10 minutes, then press the water out in a towel without wringing.
- Pin each leaf RS up. Spread small leaves to 3.75 in (9.5 cm) wide and large leaves to 5.75 in (14.6 cm).
- Pin every scallop peak and the center notch, and pin the stem straight.
- Let the leaves dry completely, about 24 hours.
- Don’t wet the beads. If the cords twist, steam them lightly and let them hang.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- 72 leaves, with color counts matching the grid
- 6 straight ribs on every leaf, each ending in a scallop valley
- A visible center notch on every leaf
- Stems of 1.25 in (3.2 cm) on small leaves and 2 in (5.1 cm) on large leaves
- 9 firm beads per cord, each 1 in (2.5 cm), with tops 8 in (20.3 cm) apart
- All 9 cords hanging 68 in (172.7 cm), 3.5 in (8.9 cm) apart, with level knots
- No visible tails
Troubleshooting
- Ribs zigzag: You probably worked the rib first on a WS row. On WS rows, the rib comes last in the repeat.
- Fan cups: Your dc rows are short. Loosen your tension or go up a hook size.
- Flat scallops: Make sure each 2-dc group goes into a single st, and pin the peaks when blocking.
- Bead slides: Stitch through the cord at both Rnd 1 and Rnd 8.
- Uneven cord lengths: Retie the knot at the right length instead of stretching the cord.
- Leaf twists sideways: Add a fourth tack halfway up the fan.
Care
Shake the curtain gently to remove dust. When it needs washing, take it down, hand wash it in cool water with mild soap, and dry it flat with the leaves reshaped.
Final Notes
Each measurement depends on the one before it:
- Gauge: 18 dc and 10 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm).
- Small leaf: 3.5 x 1.9 in (8.9 x 4.8 cm) after Row 5, then 3.75 x 3.5 in (9.5 x 8.9 cm) with edging and stem.
- Large leaf: 5.75 x 5.5 in (14.6 x 14.0 cm).
- Beads: 1 in (2.5 cm) across, with tops 8 in (20.3 cm) apart.
- Cords: 68 in (172.7 cm) drop, spaced 3.5 in (8.9 cm) apart.
- Finished curtain: about 32 in (81.3 cm) wide.
If your first leaf matches its checkpoints, the rest of the curtain will come out to size.
Happy crocheting!