Two crocheted blankets with turquoise and pink stripes featuring teardrop stitch details on wooden work surface with yarn balls.

Rain Ribbon Teardrop Lace Panel Crochet Pattern

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The Rain Ribbon panel is a light, airy piece of strip lace. Three narrow strips sit side by side: soft teal, candy pink, then teal again. Each strip has a column of open teardrops with rounded bottoms and crisp points, framed by slanted, feathered side columns.

Each strip is worked bottom to top in rows. A solid band of single crochet anchors each end. The teardrops come from a simple 4-row repeat: a chain space, a crowded single-crochet curve, a tall row of crossed double trebles, and a gathering row that pinches the top into a point.

The finished panel measures 6.4 in x 10.4 in (16.3 cm x 26.4 cm) after the border and blocking. You make three strips, join them with slip-stitch seams, and add one round of single crochet in teal. This pattern uses US crochet terms throughout.

The panel works on its own as a window accent, a bookmark-style wall hanging, or a test piece before a larger project. The pattern below covers this single three-strip panel.

Finished Size and Construction

  • Finished size: 6.4 in x 10.4 in (16.3 cm x 26.4 cm)
  • Skill level: Easy-intermediate
  • Terminology: US
  • Yarn weight: DK (light, 3), cotton or cotton blend
  • Hook: 4.0 mm (US G-6)
  • Number of pieces: 3 strips
  • Layout: 3 strips side by side (teal, pink, teal)
  • Strip size: 2 in x 10 in (5.1 cm x 25.4 cm)
  • Size before border: 6 in x 10 in (15.2 cm x 25.4 cm)
  • Border depth: 0.2 in (0.5 cm) on every side

Materials

Choose a smooth, mercerized or combed DK cotton. Cotton holds the teardrop openings crisply and blocks well. Fuzzy yarns blur the crossed stitches.

  • Teal: 40 g, about 96 m (105 yd), for 2 strips and the border
  • Pink: 20 g, about 48 m (52 yd), for 1 strip and the seams

These quantities include a margin of about 20 percent for your gauge swatch and tails.

Tools:

  • 4.0 mm (US G-6) crochet hook
  • Tapestry needle
  • Scissors
  • Stitch markers (2-3)
  • Rust-proof pins and a blocking mat
  • Spray bottle
  • Ruler or tape measure

Abbreviations (US Terms)

  • ch: chain
  • sc: single crochet
  • dtr: double treble crochet (yo 3 times, insert hook, pull up a loop, [yo, pull through 2 loops] 4 times)
  • sl st: slip stitch
  • sp: space
  • st(s): stitch(es)
  • RS / WS: right side / wrong side
  • tch: turning chain

Special stitch: crossed dtr pair (Xdtr). Skip the next st and work 1 dtr in the following st. Then work 1 dtr in the skipped st, crossing in front of the dtr you just made. This counts as 2 sts. The crossed pairs make the slanted, feathered lines along each side of the teardrops.

Gauge and Checkpoints

Gauge: 18 sc x 20 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm) in sc. One dtr row is 0.8 in (2.0 cm) tall, the same as 4 sc rows.

Make one complete strip and check it before starting the others. The whole measurement chain depends on that first strip.

Checkpoints for one strip:

  • After Row 1: width is 2 in (5.1 cm) across 9 sc.
  • After Row 4: height is 0.8 in (2.0 cm).
  • After Row 8 (first teardrop): height is 2.2 in (5.6 cm).
  • After Row 16 (third teardrop): height is 3.6 in (9.1 cm).
  • After Row 28 (sixth teardrop): height is 9.2 in (23.4 cm).
  • After Row 32: height is 10 in (25.4 cm).

If your strip is too big by more than 0.1 in (0.3 cm) in width, go down to a 3.75 mm hook. If it is too small, go up to a 4.5 mm hook.

If only the height is off, check the dtr rows first. Tall stitches pulled tight or left loose change the length quickly. Aim for dtr rows that are 0.8 in (2.0 cm) tall.

Turquoise and pink crocheted lace trim with delicate openwork patterns arranged on dark wood.

Strip Pattern (Make 3)

Work all strips the same way. The tch does not count as a st on sc rows. On Row C, ch 5 counts as the first dtr.

Bottom Band

Ch 10.

Row 1 (RS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (9 sc)

Rows 2-4: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (9 sc)

Checkpoint: the band is 2 in x 0.8 in (5.1 cm x 2.0 cm).

Teardrop Repeat (Rows A-D)

Each teardrop is made from these 4 rows. In this repeat, the 3 sts at each edge are the side columns and the center sts form the opening.

Row A (RS, opening base): Ch 1, sc in first 3 sts, ch 3, skip next 3 sts, sc in last 3 sts, turn. (6 sc, 1 ch-3 sp)

Row B (WS, rounded bottom): Ch 1, sc in first 3 sc, 4 sc in ch-3 sp, sc in last 3 sc, turn. (10 sc)

Four sc crowded into a 3-ch space makes a small curved ridge. This is the rounded bottom of the teardrop.

Row C (RS, tall opening): Ch 5 (counts as dtr). Skip the first st, then work 1 Xdtr over the next 2 sts (sts 2 and 3). Ch 7, skip next 4 sc. Work 1 Xdtr over the next 2 sts (sts 8 and 9), then 1 dtr in the last st (st 10). Turn. (6 dtr including tch, 1 ch-7 sp)

The 4 skipped sc are the bottom of the opening. The crossed dtr pairs give the feathered sides.

Row D (WS, pointed top): Ch 1, sc in first 3 dtr, 3 sc in ch-7 sp, sc in last 2 dtr and in top of tch-5, turn. (9 sc)

Working 7 chains into only 3 sc gathers the top of the opening into a point. The teardrop is now complete.

Rows 5-8: Work Rows A-D once. (Teardrop 1; strip height 2.2 in / 5.6 cm)

Rows 9-28: Work Rows A-D 5 more times. (Teardrops 2-6; strip height 9.2 in / 23.4 cm)

You now have 6 teardrops stacked in a column. Each Row A sits right on the previous Row D, so the point of one teardrop runs straight into the rounded bottom of the next.

Top Band

Rows 29-32: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (9 sc)

Fasten off and leave a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail.

Checkpoint: the strip is 2 in x 10 in (5.1 cm x 25.4 cm). Each teardrop opening is about 0.9 in (2.3 cm) wide at the base and 1.2 in (3.0 cm) long.

Strip row summary: 26 sc rows (Rows 1-4, Rows A, B and D six times, and Rows 29-32) plus 6 dtr rows (Row C six times) = 32 rows.

Make All Pieces

  • Teal: 2 strips
  • Pink: 1 strip

Weave in the bottom tails now. Leave the top tails for adjusting during blocking.

Layout (RS facing, bottom bands at the bottom):

+-------+-------+-------+
| TEAL  | PINK  | TEAL  |
|  S1   |  S2   |  S3   |
| 6 drops | 6 drops | 6 drops |
+-------+-------+-------+
  2 in    2 in    2 in
 (5.1cm) (5.1cm) (5.1cm)

Make sure every strip has its RS facing up and its bottom band at the bottom. That keeps the crossed stitches slanting the same way in all three strips.

Joining

Method: Slip-stitch seam through the row ends, worked on the WS with pink.

Row-end count: Each long edge of a strip has 32 row ends.

  • Work 1 sl st in each sc row end (26 row ends).
  • Work 4 sl st in each dtr row end (6 row ends x 4 = 24).
  • Total: 26 + 24 = 50 sl st per seam.

Four sl sts per dtr row end matches the dtr height, which equals 4 sc rows. This keeps the seam from puckering beside the tall rows.

Steps:

  1. Place S1 and S2 RS together, with bottom bands aligned and the edges matched row for row.
  2. Join pink at the bottom corner. Insert the hook through both row ends and work the sl sts as counted above.
  3. Check that each dtr row on S1 lines up with the dtr row on S2. The teardrops should sit side by side at the same height.
  4. Fasten off. Repeat to join S3 to the other side of S2.

Tension: Keep the sl sts as loose as your normal sc. A tight seam shortens the panel and makes the edges ripple.

Size checkpoint: The joined panel measures 6 in x 10 in (15.2 cm x 25.4 cm).

Border

Border gauge: One round of sc at the same gauge as the strips. It adds 0.2 in (0.5 cm) on every side.

Starting counts:

  • Top edge: 3 strips x 9 sts = 27 sts. The seams are in the row ends and add no sts to the top or bottom edge.
  • Bottom edge: The foundation chains of 3 strips x 9 = 27 sts.
  • Each long side: 50 row-end positions. The row ends of Row 1 and Row 32 are covered by the corner groups, which leaves 48 positions between the corners.

Round 1 (RS): Join teal in the first st of the top edge (the top-right corner st).

  1. Work 3 sc in this corner st.
  2. Sc in each of the next 25 sts. Work 3 sc in the last st (corner).
  3. Down the long side, work 1 sc in each sc row end and 4 sc in each dtr row end, skipping the Row 32 and Row 1 row ends. That gives 48 sc.
  4. Work 3 sc in the first foundation ch (corner), then sc in each of the next 25 chs. Work 3 sc in the last ch (corner).
  5. Work 48 sc up the second long side in the same way.
  6. Sl st to the first sc and fasten off.

Round total: 150 sc worked one per existing st or row-end position (27 + 27 + 48 + 48), plus 8 extra sc at the corners (2 extra at each of 4 corners) = 158 sc.

Per side, including the corner groups: 31 sc on the top and bottom edges (3 + 25 + 3) and 54 sc on each long side (3 + 48 + 3).

Why the math works: The top and bottom edges keep their 27 sts, so the width stays at 6 in (15.2 cm) plus the border. The 48 side sts plus the 2 corner rows match the 10 in (25.4 cm) height at 5 sc per inch. Three sc in each corner gives the extra length needed to turn the corner without cupping.

Size after border: 6.4 in x 10.4 in (16.3 cm x 26.4 cm)

Final Blocking

  1. Weave in all remaining tails along the sc bands or the seams. Never weave tails into the dtr posts, because they show through the openings.
  2. Lay the panel RS up on a blocking mat.
  3. Pin the 4 corners to a 6.4 in x 10.4 in (16.3 cm x 26.4 cm) rectangle.
  4. Pin the long edges straight, adding a pin at each of the 6 teardrop levels.
  5. Spray until the panel is evenly damp but not dripping.
  6. Use your fingertips to open each teardrop. Round the bottom curve and draw the top up into a clean point.
  7. Smooth the crossed dtr pairs so they slant evenly.
  8. Let the panel dry completely before you unpin it.

Final Quality-Control Checklist

  • [ ] All 3 strips have 32 rows and 6 teardrops.
  • [ ] Each strip is 2 in (5.1 cm) wide and 10 in (25.4 cm) tall before the border.
  • [ ] Every Row B has 10 sc and every Row D has 9 sc.
  • [ ] The teardrops line up across all three strips.
  • [ ] Each seam has 50 sl sts and lies flat.
  • [ ] The border has 158 sc with 3 sc in each corner.
  • [ ] The blocked panel is 6.4 in x 10.4 in (16.3 cm x 26.4 cm).
  • [ ] All tails are hidden in solid sections.

Troubleshooting

The teardrops look round, not pointed. Your ch-7 in Row C is too loose, or you worked more than 3 sc into it in Row D. Chain more firmly and keep to exactly 3 sc.

The bottom curve is flat. Make sure you work exactly 4 sc into the ch-3 sp in Row B, and that the ch-3 is not loose.

The strip leans to one side. Check that both Xdtr pairs cross in front. Mixing front and back crosses twists the strip.

The panel ripples along the seams. The seam is too loose or has extra sl sts. Count 4 per dtr row end, not more.

The panel is too short after joining. The seam sl sts are too tight. Rework the seam with a larger hook.

The border corners cup. Make sure each corner has 3 sc. Do not add extra sc along the sides.

Care

Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, roll it in a towel to remove water, and dry flat. Reshape the teardrops while the panel is damp.

Crocheted wall hanging with teal-pink-teal lace panels hanging on a wooden rod in a sun-lit room with potted plants nearby.

Final Notes

The measurement chain is short and reliable. Nine sc make a 2 in (5.1 cm) strip. Thirty-two rows, including 6 dtr rows, make 10 in (25.4 cm). Three strips joined with 50 sl sts per seam make 6 in x 10 in (15.2 cm x 25.4 cm). One border round of 158 sc brings the panel to 6.4 in x 10.4 in (16.3 cm x 26.4 cm).

Check your first strip against the checkpoints and the rest of the panel follows from it. Happy crocheting!

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