This little angel is made of almost nothing: a round head, two tiny round hands, a few draped chains for wings, and a fan of chain strands that end in a neat single-crochet hem. On a tree, light shows through every open space, so the angel looks like delicate red filigree.
The sample is worked in one color, a deep cranberry red, which stands out well against green branches and gold lights. Because the design is so open, one solid, saturated color works best. Variegated yarn blurs the lines.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished angel is 4.5 in (11.4 cm) tall from the top of the head to the bottom of the hem and 4.5 in (11.4 cm) wide across the hands. The hanging loop adds about 1.3 in (3.3 cm).
Construction is simple and logical. First you make the head with its hanging loop, then two hands and the first row of the hem. Next, you chain the five skirt strands in one continuous zigzag between head and hem. Then you chain three swags on each side to attach the hands. Last, you add two border rows to the hem and block the piece flat.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 4.5 in (11.4 cm) tall x 4.5 in (11.4 cm) wide, not counting the loop
- Height with loop: about 5.8 in (14.7 cm)
- Skill level: Easy to intermediate (basic stitches, but careful chain counting and placement)
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK / light worsted (#3), cotton or cotton blend
- Hook: 3.25 mm (US D/3)
- Number of pieces: 1 ornament, made from 4 small parts (head, 2 hands, hem) connected by chains
- Layout: single figure; head centered at the top, one hand on each side, skirt fanning down to the hem
- Head size: 1 in (2.5 cm) across
- Hand size: 0.75 in (1.9 cm) across
- Hem size before border: 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide x about 0.17 in (0.4 cm) deep (1 row)
- Border depth: 2 more rows, bringing the hem to 0.5 in (1.3 cm) deep
Materials
Yarn advice: Choose a smooth, tightly twisted cotton in DK weight. Cotton holds its shape, takes starch well, and shows the chains crisply. Avoid fuzzy or very soft acrylic, because the skirt strands can sag.
- Cranberry red, DK cotton: 10 g, about 25 m (27 yd) per ornament
These amounts include a margin of roughly 40 percent for gauge testing and weaving in ends. One 50 g ball makes at least 5 angels.
Tools:
- 3.25 mm (US D/3) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- 4 locking stitch markers
- Scissors
- Blocking mat or foam board and rust-proof pins
- Spray bottle; optional fabric stiffener or spray starch
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch: chain
- sl st: slip stitch
- sc: single crochet
- hdc: half double crochet
- dc: double crochet
- st(s): stitch(es)
- MR: magic ring
- RS: right side
Special technique, magic ring (MR): Wrap the yarn around two fingers to form a loop, insert the hook, pull up a loop, and ch 1 to secure it (this ch 1 does not count as a st). Work the first round into the ring, then pull the tail to close the center.
Free loops of the foundation chain: After you work into the top of a chain, one strand is left on the underside of each chain. That strand is its free loop. You will work the hem border into these.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 6 sc and 6 rows = 1 in (2.5 cm). Chains: 6 ch = 1 in (2.5 cm) when lightly stretched.
Gauge matters here because the chain lengths are calculated to fit the hem width. Make the head first and use it as your test piece.
Checkpoints:
- Head: 1 in (2.5 cm) across after Round 2.
- Hand: 0.75 in (1.9 cm) across after Round 2.
- Hem Row 1: 21 sc measuring 3.5 in (8.9 cm).
- Chain test: a chain of 18 ch should measure 3 in (7.6 cm) when lightly stretched.
If your pieces are too big, go down to a 3.0 mm hook. If they are too small, go up to a 3.5 mm hook (US E/4). Check the head again before moving on. If only your chains are off, keep the same hook and change your chain tension instead of the chain counts.
Head with Hanging Loop
Round 1: MR, ch 3 (counts as dc), 11 dc in ring, sl st to top of beginning ch-3. Pull ring closed. (12 dc)
Round 2: Ch 1, sc in same st, 2 sc in next st, sc in next st, 2 sc in next st; repeat from * 4 more times, sl st to first sc. (18 sc)*
Checkpoint: the head lies flat and measures 1 in (2.5 cm) across.
Hanging loop: Ch 16, sl st in the same st as the last joining sl st. Fasten off, leaving a 4 in (10.2 cm) tail.
The loop chain is 2.67 in (6.8 cm) long, so when folded it stands about 1.3 in (3.3 cm) above the head.
Numbering the head: Hold the head with the RS facing you and the loop at the top. The st under the loop is st 1. Count clockwise from st 1 to st 18. Each st sits 20 degrees from the next, so:
- st 10 is at the bottom center
- sts 8 and 12 are lower right and lower left
- sts 5, 6, 7 are on the right side
- sts 13, 14, 15 are on the left side (mirrors of 7, 6, 5)
Place markers in sts 5 and 15 so you don’t lose your orientation.
Hands (Make 2)
Round 1: MR, ch 2 (does not count as a st), 10 hdc in ring, sl st to first hdc. Pull ring closed. (10 hdc)
Round 2: Ch 1, sc in next st, 2 sc in next st; repeat from * 4 more times, sl st to first sc. (15 sc)*
Fasten off and weave in both ends. Checkpoint: each hand is 0.75 in (1.9 cm) across.
Marking the hands: Lay each hand beside the head, level with the head’s center. On each hand, place a marker in the st that faces the head; this is st a. Moving downward (toward the hem), the next two sts are st b and st c.
Hem Row 1
Foundation: Ch 22.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (21 sc) Fasten off.
Checkpoint: 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide.
Numbering the hem: Lay the hem below the head with Row 1 on top and the foundation chain at the bottom. Number the top sts st 1 to st 21, starting from the angel’s right (your right as you look at the RS). The skirt strands attach at sts 1, 6, 11, 16, and 21.
Skirt Strands
You work all five strands as one continuous zigzag, so there are only two ends. Keep each chain taut but not stretched. When the angel lies flat, the strands should be straight lines.
- Join yarn with a sl st in hem st 1.
- Strand 1 (outer right): Ch 20, sl st in head st 8. Sl st in head st 9.
- Strand 2: Ch 19, sl st in hem st 6. Sl st in each of hem sts 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. (5 sl sts)
- Strand 3 (center): Ch 18, sl st in head st 10. Sl st in head st 11.
- Strand 4: Ch 19, sl st in hem st 16. Sl st in each of hem sts 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. (5 sl sts)
- Strand 5 (outer left): Ch 20, sl st in head st 12.
Fasten off. Skirt total: 96 ch and 12 sl sts.
Why these lengths: The vertical gap from the bottom of the head to the top of the hem is 3 in (7.6 cm). That is 18 ch for the straight center strand. Strands 2 and 4 lean outward by about 0.7 in (1.8 cm), so they need 19 ch, or 3.17 in (8.1 cm). The outer strands lean outward by about 1.4 in (3.6 cm), so they need 20 ch, or 3.33 in (8.5 cm).
Checkpoint: the top of the head to the bottom of Hem Row 1 measures about 4.17 in (10.6 cm).
Wings and Arms (Draped Swags)
Each side has three swags. The upper swag is the shortest and the lower swag is the longest, so they hang in nested curves.
Left side:
- Join yarn with a sl st in head st 13.
- Lower swag: Ch 16, sl st in left hand st c. Sl st in hand st b.
- Middle swag: Ch 13, sl st in head st 14. Sl st in head st 15.
- Upper swag: Ch 10, sl st in left hand st a.
Fasten off.
Right side: Work the same steps as a mirror image:
- Join with a sl st in head st 7.
- Ch 16, sl st in right hand st c, sl st in st b.
- Ch 13, sl st in head st 6, sl st in head st 5.
- Ch 10, sl st in right hand st a. Fasten off.
Swag lengths: 10 ch = 1.67 in (4.2 cm), 13 ch = 2.17 in (5.5 cm), 16 ch = 2.67 in (6.8 cm). The straight distance from the head edge to the hand edge is about 1 in (2.5 cm), so every swag has slack to droop into an arc.
Checkpoint: with the swags gently curved, the width across the outer edges of the hands is 4.5 in (11.4 cm).
Border (Hem Rows 2–3)
The border extends the hem downward from the foundation chain. This keeps the strand joins on the top edge crisp and gives the skirt a solid, weighted bottom.
Border gauge: same as the body, 6 sc and 6 rows = 1 in (2.5 cm).
Row 2: Turn the hem upside down with the RS facing you. Join yarn in the free loop of the first foundation ch at the right end. Ch 1, sc in the same free loop and in each free loop across. (21 sc) Turn.
Row 3: Ch 1, sc in each st across. (21 sc) Fasten off.
Counts per side: bottom edge 21 sts; top edge 21 sts (Row 1); short sides 3 rows each.
Why the math works: The foundation of 22 ch leaves 21 usable free loops after the turning ch, which exactly matches Row 1. The strands sit at sts 1, 6, 11, 16, and 21, which makes 4 equal gaps of 5 sts (4 x 5 + 1 = 21). Each gap is 0.83 in (2.1 cm). Three rows at 6 rows per inch give a hem depth of 0.5 in (1.3 cm). Together: head 1 in + strands 3 in + hem 0.5 in = 4.5 in (11.4 cm).
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends along the back of the head, hands, or hem, never along a strand.
- Spray the angel until it is evenly damp, or dip it in diluted fabric stiffener and squeeze out the excess.
- Lay it RS up on the blocking mat. Pin the hem flat and straight to 3.5 x 0.5 in (8.9 x 1.3 cm).
- Pin the head 3 in (7.6 cm) above the top of the hem, centered.
- Pull each skirt strand straight and pin it at its midpoint.
- Pin each hand so its center is about 1.9 in (4.8 cm) from the head’s center, slightly above the level of the head’s center.
- Shape the swags into smooth, nested curves and pin the lowest point of each.
- Pin the hanging loop into a slim upright oval.
- Let the piece dry completely, for at least 12 hours, before unpinning.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Head is 1 in (2.5 cm) and hands are 0.75 in (1.9 cm); all three lie flat.
- Five skirt strands with 20, 19, 18, 19, and 20 ch.
- Strands meet the hem at sts 1, 6, 11, 16, and 21.
- Three swags per side with 10, 13, and 16 ch.
- The two sides are mirror images.
- Hem has 3 rows of 21 sc and measures 3.5 x 0.5 in (8.9 x 1.3 cm).
- Total height is 4.5 in (11.4 cm) plus the loop.
- All ends are hidden in solid areas.
Troubleshooting
Skirt strands sag or wave: Your chains are looser than gauge. Chain the strands again with tighter tension, or remove 1 ch from each strand.
Skirt pulls the hem into a curve: Your chains are too tight. Add 1 ch to each outer strand, or block firmly with stiffener.
Head or hands cup: Round 2 is too tight. Work Round 2 only with a hook half a size larger.
Head or hands ruffle: Round 2 is too loose. Work Round 2 with a smaller hook.
Swags look uneven: Check that each side attaches to the matching head sts in mirror order (7, 6, 5 on the right and 13, 14, 15 on the left).
Hem twists: Make sure Row 2 is worked into the free loops, not around the whole chain.
Care
If needed, hand wash gently in cool water, press out the water in a towel, and block flat again. Store the angel flat or hanging, away from heavy items that could crush the swags.
Final Notes
The whole angel depends on one chain of measurements. Six stitches per inch gives a 1 in (2.5 cm) head and a 3.5 in (8.9 cm) hem. An 18-chain center strand spans the 3 in (7.6 cm) skirt, and a 0.5 in (1.3 cm) border brings the height to 4.5 in (11.4 cm). Swags of 10, 13, and 16 chains carry the hands out to a width of 4.5 in (11.4 cm). Check each stage against these numbers and the angel will come out balanced and crisp.
Happy crocheting!