The Winter Lace Tree is a small, freestanding Christmas tree made of three stacked lace cones. Each tier has an airy diamond lattice and ends in a row of rounded fans with a crisp outline. The tree is topped with a light tan star.
The palette is soft and neutral: cream cotton for the tree and tan for the star, plus a little cream at the star’s center. The tree suits a mantel, shelf, or holiday table, and it looks the same from every side.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished tree is about 8.25 in (21.0 cm) tall including the star, and the bottom tier measures about 5.25 in (13.3 cm) across at the base.
You’ll work each tier top-down in joined rounds. Each tier starts with a solid band (or a closed tip for the top tier), continues with a chain-loop lattice, and finishes with a two-round scalloped border. Then you’ll stiffen the tiers, stack them, sew them together, and add the star.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: about 8.25 in (21.0 cm) tall; base about 5.25 in (13.3 cm) across
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US terms
- Yarn weight: #2 fine (sport) mercerized cotton
- Hook: 3.25 mm (US D/3)
- Number of pieces: 5 (3 tiers, 2 star halves)
- Layout: tiers stacked vertically, star centered on top
- Tier heights: bottom 4.75 in (12.1 cm), middle 4.25 in (10.8 cm), top 3.5 in (8.9 cm)
- Size before border: bottom 4 in (10.2 cm), middle 3.5 in (8.9 cm), top 2.75 in (7.0 cm) tall
- Border depth: 0.75 in (1.9 cm) on every tier
Materials
Use a smooth mercerized cotton. Its stitch definition shows off the lattice, and it holds its shape well after stiffening. Acrylic will work, but it relaxes more and needs more stiffener.
- Cream: 50 g (about 165 m)
- Light tan: 8 g (about 26 m)
These quantities include a safety margin of about 15 percent.
Tools:
– 3.25 mm (US D/3) crochet hook
– Tapestry needle
– Stitch marker
– Fabric stiffener or heavy spray starch
– Three paper or plastic cone forms, or rolled cardstock cones
– Plastic wrap and rustproof pins
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- tr – treble crochet
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- sp – space
- MR – magic ring
- rnd(s) – round(s)
Special stitch – Fan: 9 dc worked into one chain loop. The stitches share a single base and spread into a half circle, forming the radiating scallop.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 22 sc and 24 sc rnds = 4 in (10.2 cm). Each lattice round adds about 0.5 in (1.3 cm), and one fan is about 1.4 in (3.6 cm) wide.
Make the top tier first. It’s the smallest, so it’s the quickest way to test your tension.
Checkpoints:
– Top tier after Rnd 7: the tip measures about 1.75 in (4.4 cm) across and 1.25 in (3.2 cm) tall.
– Bottom band after Rnd 3: the ring measures about 2.75 in (7.0 cm) across and 0.5 in (1.3 cm) tall.
– Middle band after Rnd 3: the ring measures about 2.25 in (5.7 cm) across.
– After the last lattice round: the measurements match “size before border” above.
– After the border: the hem diameters are 5.25 in (13.3 cm), 4.5 in (11.4 cm), and 3.5 in (8.9 cm).
If your work is too big, go down to a 3.0 mm hook. If it’s too small, go up to a 3.5 mm hook. If the lattice gauge is off but your sc gauge is right, shorten or lengthen every chain loop by one chain. Always keep the loop counts the same.
Tier Pattern
All tiers are worked in the round with the right side facing; don’t turn. Join each round with a sl st to the first sc.
How to start a lattice round: sl st in each of the first 3 ch of the previous round’s first loop. This places you at the center of the loop. Then ch 1 and sc in that same loop.
Bottom Tier (12 fans)
With cream, ch 48 and join with a sl st to form a ring, taking care not to twist the chain.
Rnd 1: Ch 1, sc in each ch around, join. (48 sc)
Rnds 2–3: Ch 1, sc in each st around, join. (48 sc)
Rnd 4 (set-up): Ch 1, sc in next st, ch 5, skip next st; repeat from * around, join. (24 sc, 24 ch-5 loops)
Rnds 5–7: Start a lattice round. Ch 5, sc in next loop; repeat from * around, ending with ch 5, join. (24 ch-5 loops)
Rnds 8–10: Work as Rnds 5–7, but with ch 6 instead of ch 5. (24 ch-6 loops)
The tier should now be about 4 in (10.2 cm) tall. Continue to the border below.
Middle Tier (10 fans)
With cream, ch 40 and join to form a ring.
Rnds 1–3: Work as for the bottom tier. (40 sc)
Rnd 4 (set-up): Work as for the bottom tier. (20 sc, 20 ch-5 loops)
Rnds 5–6: Work ch-5 lattice rounds. (20 ch-5 loops)
Rnds 7–9: Work ch-6 lattice rounds. (20 ch-6 loops)
The tier should now be about 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tall. Continue to the border.
Top Tier (8 fans)
The top tier begins with a closed solid tip.
Rnd 1: With cream, work 8 sc into a MR and join. (8 sc)
Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in next st, 2 sc in next st; repeat from * around, join. (12 sc)
Rnd 3: Ch 1, sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st; repeat from * around, join. (16 sc)
Rnd 4: Ch 1, sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st; repeat from * around, join. (20 sc)
Rnd 5: Ch 1, sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in next st; repeat from * around, join. (24 sc)
Rnd 6: Ch 1, sc in next 5 sts, 2 sc in next st; repeat from * around, join. (28 sc)
Rnd 7: Ch 1, sc in next 6 sts, 2 sc in next st; repeat from * around, join. (32 sc)
Rnd 8 (set-up): Ch 1, sc in next st, ch 5, skip next st; repeat from * around, join. (16 sc, 16 ch-5 loops)
Rnds 9–10: Work ch-6 lattice rounds. (16 ch-6 loops)
The tier should now be about 2.75 in (7.0 cm) tall. Continue to the border.
Star (make 2)
Rnd 1: With cream, work 10 sc into a MR and join. Fasten off cream. (10 sc)
Rnd 2: Join tan. Ch 1, work 2 sc in each st around, join. (20 sc)
Rnd 3: Ch 1, sc in next st, hdc in next st, (dc, tr, ch 2, tr, dc) in next st, hdc in next st; repeat from * 4 more times, join. (35 sts, 5 ch-2 sps; 5 points)
Rnd 4: Ch 1, sc in each st around, working (sc, ch 1, sc) in each ch-2 sp. Join. (45 sc, 5 ch-1 tips)
Fasten off one star half. On the second half, leave a 12 in (30.5 cm) tail. Each star measures about 1.75 in (4.4 cm) from tip to tip.
Make All Pieces
- Cream: 1 bottom tier, 1 middle tier, 1 top tier, and the Rnd 1 centers of both star halves
- Tan: Rnds 2–4 of both star halves
Layout (side view):
[ STAR ]
[ TOP TIER ] 8 fans
[ MIDDLE TIER ] 10 fans
[ BOTTOM TIER ] 12 fans
Joining
Stiffen first. Block and stiffen every tier on a cone form (see Final Blocking) and let them dry completely before joining. A soft tier won’t hold the stack.
Middle onto bottom: Slide the middle tier over the bottom tier so the bottom tier’s band sits inside the middle tier at the set-up round (Rnd 4). The bottom band has 48 sts and the middle Rnd 4 has 20 ch-5 loops. Thread cream and whipstitch through the top loops of the band and around each loop in turn, taking 2, 3, 2, 3, 2 band stitches per loop. Repeat that 5-loop sequence 4 times. That’s 12 sts per sequence × 4 = 48 band sts over 5 × 4 = 20 loops, so the seam closes evenly.
Top onto middle: Slide the top tier over the middle tier’s band so the band sits at the top tier’s Rnd 8. The middle band has 40 sts and Rnd 8 has 16 loops. Alternate 2 and 3 band stitches per loop, 8 times: 8 × 5 = 40 sts over 16 loops.
Tension: Pull each whipstitch just snug. If it’s too tight, the lattice puckers; if it’s too loose, the tiers tilt. Check from eye level that each tier sits straight before you knot the yarn.
Star: Hold the two star halves wrong sides together with all points matched. Using the tail, whipstitch through the back loops of Rnd 4, one stitch to one stitch (45 pairs), working twice through each ch-1 tip. Center the valley between the two lower points over the top tier’s tip, with the star overlapping about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) on the front and back. Sew through the star and Rnds 1–3 of the tip.
Size checkpoint: The stacked tree without the star measures about 7 in (17.8 cm) tall. With the star, it measures about 8.25 in (21.0 cm).
Border
Each tier gets the same two-round scalloped border. Work it after the last lattice round. Every repeat uses 2 loops and makes 1 fan.
Border gauge: One fan is about 1.4 in (3.6 cm) wide, and the border is 0.75 in (1.9 cm) deep.
Border Rnd 1 (fans): Sl st to the center of the first loop and ch 1. Sc in next loop, Fan in next loop; repeat from * around, join to the first sc. Each repeat has 1 sc + 9 dc = 10 sts.
– Bottom: 12 fans (120 sts)
– Middle: 10 fans (100 sts)
– Top: 8 fans (80 sts)
Border Rnd 2 (trim): Sl st in next sc, sc in next 4 dc, 3 sc in next dc, sc in next 4 dc; repeat from * around, join. Each repeat has 10 sts worked 1-per-stitch + 2 extra at the center of the fan = 12 sts.
– Bottom: 144 sts
– Middle: 120 sts
– Top: 96 sts
Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Why the math works: Each tier always has an even number of loops: 24, 20, and 16. Every 2 loops make 1 fan, so you get exactly 12, 10, and 8 fans with no partial repeat. The sc between fans sits in its own loop, so the valley lines up with the lattice diamonds above it. The 3 sc at the center of each fan rounds the scallop without making it ruffle.
Final Blocking
- Wet all five pieces, then roll them in a towel to remove excess water.
- Wrap each cone form in plastic wrap.
- Slide each tier onto a form. Pull the lattice down evenly until the diamonds are uniform.
- Pin the valley between each pair of fans so the scallops hang evenly. Check the hem diameters: 5.25 in (13.3 cm), 4.5 in (11.4 cm), and 3.5 in (8.9 cm).
- Brush on fabric stiffener, or spray it with heavy starch, until saturated. Pat off any extra so the loops stay open.
- Pin the star halves flat, opening each point fully, and stiffen them lightly.
- Let everything dry completely, at least 24 hours, before removing the pieces and joining them.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Tier fan counts are 12, 10, and 8, and every fan has 9 dc.
- Loop counts are 24, 20, and 16, and no loops are twisted or skipped.
- Each trim has a 3-sc point at the center of every fan.
- The tiers are concentric and level, and the scallops don’t flip up.
- The joining seams are hidden inside the upper tiers.
- The star is centered, upright, and has five sharp points.
- All ends are woven in and trimmed.
Troubleshooting
- The lattice cone is too wide or floppy: Your chains are loose. Shorten every loop by one chain, or go down a hook size.
- The fans cup or ruffle: Work the Fan with 8 dc instead of 9. Then work the trim as sc in next 3 dc, 3 sc in next dc, sc in next 4 dc.
- The loop count is off: Count the loops in the set-up round. It must be half the band count.
- The tiers lean: Re-stiffen the tiers on their forms, then redo the joining seam with even tension.
- The star points are blunt: Pinch each ch-1 tip while damp and pin it to a sharp point.
Care
Dust gently with a soft brush. If the tree needs cleaning, hand wash it in cool water, then re-stiffen it on the cone forms and let it dry completely.
Final Notes
The measurement chain is short: hit 22 sc per 4 in (10.2 cm), keep the 24, 20, and 16 loop counts, and complete 12, 10, and 8 fans. Your tiers will then measure 4.75 in (12.1 cm), 4.25 in (10.8 cm), and 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tall, and the stacked tree will stand about 8.25 in (21.0 cm) tall. Stiffen well, stack carefully, and crown the tree with its star.
Happy crocheting!