The Winter Feather Dove is a single lace ornament: a dove with spread wings, worked from a small lacy wheel at its center. Each wing has three solid gray feathers and the fanned tail has five. The head rises from the top of the wheel, with a small beak pointing left. A white outline and a corded edge run around the whole outline, so the bird keeps its shape on the tree.
The dove uses just two colors, white and a soft medium gray. The white gives the open lace and edging a frosty look, and the gray makes the feathers stand out. The style is classic thread lace with a modern, graphic finish.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished ornament is 5.5 in wide x 4.5 in tall (14.0 cm x 11.4 cm), not counting the hanging loop. The loop adds about 1.75 in (4.4 cm).
The construction is easy to follow. You crochet a white center wheel in the round, which ends in 18 chain loops. You then work gray feathers straight into 11 of those loops and a white head in short rows over 3 more. Two white rounds outline and edge the whole dove, and a covered chain loop at the top finishes it.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 5.5 in x 4.5 in (14.0 cm x 11.4 cm), plus a 1.75 in (4.4 cm) hanging loop
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Lace (0), size 3 mercerized cotton crochet thread
- Hook: 2.0 mm steel hook
- Number of pieces: 1, worked as one piece (feathers are joined as you go)
- Layout: center wheel, head at top, one wing on each side, tail fanned below
- Center wheel size: 2 in (5.1 cm) across after Round 3
- Size before border: 5 in x 4 in (12.7 cm x 10.2 cm)
- Border depth: 0.25 in (0.6 cm) on every edge (outline round plus corded round)
Materials
Choose a mercerized cotton thread. It gives crisp stitches, blocks well, and won’t fuzz on the tree. A smooth, tightly plied thread gives the feathers clear, even ridges of stitches.
- White (MC): 10 g, about 30 m (center wheel, head, outline, border, hanging loop)
- Gray (CC): 5 g, about 15 m (11 feathers)
These amounts include about 25% extra for your gauge swatch and weaving in ends.
Tools:
- 2.0 mm steel crochet hook
- Tapestry needle with a small eye
- 4 locking stitch markers
- Rust-proof pins and a foam blocking board
- Spray starch or fabric stiffener (optional)
- Small sharp scissors
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 together
- rsc – reverse single crochet (crab stitch)
- sp – space
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- MC / CC – main color (white) / contrast color (gray)
Special stitches:
- Reverse single crochet (rsc): Work from left to right (right to left if you crochet left-handed). Insert the hook into the next stitch to the right, yarn over, and pull up a loop. Yarn over again and pull through both loops. This makes a twisted, corded edge.
- Picot: Ch 3, then sl st in the 3rd ch from the hook.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 32 sc and 34 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm). Crochet a 3 in (7.6 cm) square of sc in white to check it. The ornament itself is your real test piece, so measure it at each checkpoint below.
- After Round 1: 1 in (2.5 cm) across
- After Round 3: 2 in (5.1 cm) across, measured loop tip to loop tip
- First 12-length feather: 1.5 in (3.8 cm) long and 0.5 in (1.3 cm) wide
- Head: 0.75 in (1.9 cm) tall above the wheel
- Before border: 5 in x 4 in (12.7 cm x 10.2 cm)
- Finished: 5.5 in x 4.5 in (14.0 cm x 11.4 cm)
If your wheel is too big, go down to a 1.75 mm hook. If it is too small, or the center cups, go up to a 2.25 mm hook. Don’t fix the size by changing chain counts, because the feather and border math depends on the counts given.
Center Wheel (MC, White)
Round 1: Ch 6 and sl st to the first ch to form a ring. Ch 3 (counts as dc), work 17 dc in the ring, then sl st to the top of the beginning ch-3. (18 dc)
Round 2: Ch 5 (counts as dc + ch 2). Dc in next dc, ch 2; repeat from * 16 more times. Sl st to the 3rd ch of the beginning ch-5. (18 dc, 18 ch-2 sps)
Round 3: Sl st into the first ch-2 sp. Ch 1, then work (sc, ch 3) in each ch-2 sp around. Sl st to the first sc and fasten off. (18 sc, 18 ch-3 loops)
Check: the wheel should measure 2 in (5.1 cm) across and lie flat.
Number the loops. Lay the wheel right side up. Choose any loop as Loop 1, at top center. Counting clockwise, the rest are Loops 2 to 18. Place markers on Loops 1, 4, 10, and 16.
- Head: Loops 18, 1, 2
- Gap loops (left open for lace): Loops 3, 7, 13, 17
- Right wing: Loops 4 (upper), 5 (middle), 6 (lower)
- Tail: Loops 8, 9, 10 (center), 11, 12
- Left wing: Loops 14 (lower), 15 (middle), 16 (upper)
This layout makes the dove symmetrical. Loop 1 is at the top and Loop 10 at the bottom, with 8 loops on each side between them.
Feathers (CC, Gray)
Each feather is a teardrop leaf worked on both sides of a chain. The chain grows outward from its loop, so the base sits at the wheel and the rounded tip points out. Each feather’s length is given as L, the number of sts on each side.
Feather formula (length L):
- Join CC with a sl st in the loop. Ch L + 1.
- Side 1 (tip to base): Sc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, dc in next L – 4 ch, hdc in next ch, sc in last ch (the ch next to the loop). (L sts)
- Sl st in the same loop to anchor the base.
- Side 2 (base to tip): Turn the work and crochet into the free loops of the foundation chain. Sc in first ch, hdc in next ch, dc in next L – 4 ch, hdc in next ch, sc in next ch. (L sts)
- Sl st in the skipped tip ch. Fasten off, leaving 4 in (10.2 cm) tails.
Each feather has 2L sts in total, plus the tip sl st.
| Length | Chain | Dc per side | Total sts |
|---|---|---|---|
| L = 12 | ch 13 | 8 | 24 |
| L = 11 | ch 12 | 7 | 22 |
| L = 10 | ch 11 | 6 | 20 |
| L = 9 | ch 10 | 5 | 18 |
Right wing: Loop 4, L = 12. Loop 5, L = 11. Loop 6, L = 10. (66 sts)
Left wing: Loop 16, L = 12. Loop 15, L = 11. Loop 14, L = 10. (66 sts)
Tail: Loop 8, L = 9. Loop 9, L = 10. Loop 10, L = 11. Loop 11, L = 10. Loop 12, L = 9. (98 sts)
Total for all 11 feathers: 230 sts.
The wing feathers get shorter from top to bottom, so each wing sweeps upward. The center tail feather is the longest, which gives the tail its fan shape.
Don’t weave in the tails yet. Lay them along the feather edges, where the white outline round will cover them.
Check: an L = 12 feather should be 1.5 in (3.8 cm) long, and an L = 10 feather about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) long.
Head (MC, White)
The head is worked in turned rows over Loops 18, 1, and 2. Work Row 1 with the right side facing you.
Row 1: Join MC in Loop 18. Ch 1, then work 3 sc in Loop 18, 3 sc in Loop 1, and 3 sc in Loop 2. (9 sc)
Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Sc2tog, sc in next 5 sts, sc2tog. (7 sc)
Row 3: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st. (7 sc)
Row 4: Ch 1, turn. Sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog. (5 sc)
Row 5: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st. (5 sc)
Row 6: Ch 1, turn. 2 sc in first st, sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in last st. (7 sc)
Row 7: Ch 1, turn. Sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog. (5 sc)
Row 8: Ch 1, turn. Sc2tog, sc in next st, sc2tog. (3 sc)
Fasten off. Rows 2 to 5 narrow into a neck, and Rows 6 to 8 round out the head. Check: the head should stand 0.75 in (1.9 cm) above the wheel.
Measure the whole dove now. It should be 5 in x 4 in (12.7 cm x 10.2 cm).
Border
The border is two white rounds: a sc outline round that frames every feather, then a corded rsc round. Together they add 0.25 in (0.6 cm) on every edge. The border uses the same gauge as the rest of the dove: 32 sts = 4 in (10.2 cm) along the edge.
Outline Round (MC)
Join MC in the first st of Head Row 8, with the right side facing. Work clockwise around the dove.
- Head top: Ch 1, sc in each of the 3 sts. (3 sc)
- Head right side: 1 sc in each row-end down to Row 1. (8 sc)
- Every junction: where two different loops meet, sc in the Round 3 sc between them. There are 16 junctions, from Loops 2/3 to Loops 17/18. (16 sc total)
- Gap loops 3, 7, 13, 17: 3 sc in each loop. (12 sc total)
- Each feather: Sc in each st up one side, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the tip sl st, then sc in each st down the other side. Each feather gets 2L + 2 sc and 1 ch-2 tip sp. Work over the gray tails as you go.
- Head left side: 1 sc in each row-end up from Row 1 to Row 8. In the Row 7 row-end, add the beak: sc, ch 3, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, sc in the same row-end. (9 sc + beak)
Sl st to the first sc. (300 sc, 11 ch-2 tip sps, 1 beak)
Count by region:
- Head: 3 + 8 + 9 = 20 sc
- Each wing: (24 + 2) + (22 + 2) + (20 + 2) = 72 sc
- Tail: 98 + (5 x 2) = 108 sc
- Gap loops: 12 sc
- Junctions: 16 sc
20 + 72 + 72 + 108 + 12 + 16 = 300 sc
Corded Round (MC)
Do not turn. Ch 1. Work rsc in each sc around, and work (rsc, picot, rsc) in each ch-2 tip sp. At the beak, sl st into the beak tip ch, then continue. Sl st to the first rsc. (322 rsc, 11 picots, 1 beak sl st)
Why the math works: The corded round works 1 rsc into each of the 300 outline sc. The only extras are 2 rsc and 1 picot at each of the 11 feather tips, so 300 + (11 x 2) = 322. Extra stitches go only where the edge turns sharply, so the straight feather sides don’t ruffle and the gaps between feathers don’t pucker.
Hanging Loop (MC)
Join MC in the center rsc at the top of the head. Ch 30 and sl st in the same st. Ch 1, then work 36 sc over the chain loop. Sl st to the first sc and fasten off. The loop is 1.75 in (4.4 cm) tall.
Final Blocking
- Weave in every remaining end through stitches of its own color.
- Soak the dove in cool water for 5 minutes. Roll it in a towel and press out the water without twisting.
- Lay it right side up on the blocking board.
- Pin the wheel center first, so that Loop 1 points straight up and Loop 10 points straight down.
- Pin each feather tip at its picot, spreading the wings to 5.5 in (14.0 cm) tip to tip.
- Pin the tail tip and the top of the head 4.5 in (11.4 cm) apart.
- Open the 4 gap loops into neat ovals, with a pin in each.
- For a stiffer ornament, spray lightly with starch. Let it dry completely before unpinning.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- The center wheel lies flat, with 18 even loops.
- There are 11 gray feathers: 3 per wing and 5 in the tail.
- Wing feathers get shorter from top to bottom, and the center tail feather is the longest.
- The head has a narrow neck, a round crown, and a beak pointing left.
- The outline round has 300 sc, and the corded round has 322 rsc and 11 picots.
- The ornament measures 5.5 in x 4.5 in (14.0 cm x 11.4 cm).
- The hanging loop is 1.75 in (4.4 cm) tall and centered on the head.
- No gray tails show on the front.
Troubleshooting
Center ruffles: your ch-2 spaces are too loose. Work Round 2 more snugly or go down a hook size.
Center cups: the ring is too tight. Make sure all 18 dc of Round 1 are spread evenly around the ring.
Feathers curl: Side 2 was worked too tightly. Pin the feathers flat when blocking, and loosen your tension on the free loops next time.
Feathers overlap: your stitches are too tall. Work the dc a little tighter, or go down to a 1.75 mm hook.
Edge puckers between feathers: a junction sc was skipped. Check that every junction has exactly 1 sc.
Picots look flat: pull each sl st snug, then pinch each picot into a point while blocking.
Gray shows through the white: work the outline sc a little tighter over the tails, or trim the tails shorter before covering them.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, then reshape and dry flat. Between seasons, store it flat in tissue paper so the feathers keep their shape.
Final Notes
The measurements build on each other and are quick to check. Gauge is 32 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm). The center wheel is 2 in (5.1 cm) across, and the longest wing feather is 1.5 in (3.8 cm). Before the border, the dove is 5 in x 4 in (12.7 cm x 10.2 cm). The 0.25 in (0.6 cm) border brings it to 5.5 in x 4.5 in (14.0 cm x 11.4 cm), with a 1.75 in (4.4 cm) loop on top. If each checkpoint matches, the finished dove will too.
Happy crocheting!