This curtain panel brings a quiet forest indoors. A light ivory filet mesh lets daylight through, and neat rows of forest-green Christmas trees run across the fabric in a tidy grid. Solid ivory bars between each tree band give the panel structure and keep it hanging straight.
The palette is just two colors: ivory for the mesh, bars and edging, and deep green for the trees. The look is Scandinavian and calm. It’s festive without being loud, so the panels work from late November right through winter.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. One finished panel measures 40.75 x 79.75 in (103.5 x 202.6 cm) after the border and blocking. The photo shows two identical panels hung as a pair, so just make the panel twice.
Construction is simple. Each panel is one piece worked flat in rows of filet blocks from the bottom edge up. You work the trees in green using small intarsia segments, and you carry the ivory yarn inside the green stitches. A two-round single crochet border finishes the edges, and the panel hangs from clip rings.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size (one panel): 40.75 x 79.75 in (103.5 x 202.6 cm)
- Skill level: Intermediate (filet crochet plus simple color changes)
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Worsted (#4) cotton or cotton blend
- Hook: 5.0 mm (US H-8)
- Number of pieces: 1 per panel (make 2 for a pair, as shown)
- Layout: 53 blocks wide x 105 rows tall; 5 trees across x 13 tree bands = 65 trees per panel
- Piece size: 39.75 x 78.75 in (101.0 x 200.0 cm) before border
- Size before border: 39.75 x 78.75 in (101.0 x 200.0 cm)
- Border depth: 0.5 in (1.3 cm) on every side
Materials
Choose a smooth mercerized or combed cotton in worsted weight, about 175 m per 100 g. Cotton drapes well, blocks crisply and shows the open mesh clearly. Avoid fuzzy yarns, because they blur the squares.
Per panel:
– Ivory (MC): 800 g, about 1,400 m
– Forest green (CC): 260 g, about 455 m
For the pair shown:
– Ivory (MC): 1,600 g, about 2,800 m
– Forest green (CC): 520 g, about 910 m
All quantities include a margin of about 10% for gauge swatches, tails and small differences in tension.
Tools:
– 5.0 mm (US H-8) crochet hook
– 6–10 small bobbins or butterflies for green
– Tapestry needle
– Locking stitch markers
– Tape measure
– Blocking mats or towels, rustproof pins, spray bottle
– 8–10 curtain clip rings per panel
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch: chain
- sk: skip
- sl st: slip stitch
- sc: single crochet
- dc: double crochet
- st(s): stitch(es)
- sp: space
- RS / WS: right side / wrong side
- MC / CC: main color (ivory) / contrast color (green)
Special stitches
- Open block (OB): ch 2, sk 2 sts (or the ch-2 sp), dc in next dc.
- Filled block (FB): dc in next 2 sts (or 2 dc in the ch-2 sp), dc in next dc. Worked in MC.
- Green block (GB): a filled block worked in CC. Each block is 3 sts.
- Color change: work the last dc before the new color until 2 loops remain, yo with the new color and pull through.
Every row starts with ch 3 (counts as the first dc), and every block ends with a dc. So a row of 53 blocks always has 1 + (53 x 3) = 160 sts.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 4 blocks and 4 rows = 3 in (7.6 cm) in filet mesh. One block = 0.75 in (1.9 cm) square.
Test one tree first. Before you start a full panel, crochet a one-tree swatch. It checks gauge, color changes and the tree shape in about 20 minutes.
Ch 42.
– Row 1 (RS): Dc in 4th ch from hook and each ch across. (40 sts = 13 FB)
– Row 2: Ch 3, turn, 13 OB.
– Row 3: Ch 3, turn, 6 OB, 1 GB, 6 OB.
– Row 4: Ch 3, turn, 3 OB, 7 GB, 3 OB.
– Row 5: Ch 3, turn, 4 OB, 5 GB, 4 OB.
– Row 6: Ch 3, turn, 5 OB, 3 GB, 5 OB.
– Row 7: Ch 3, turn, 6 OB, 1 GB, 6 OB.
– Row 8: Ch 3, turn, 13 OB.
– Row 9: Ch 3, turn, 13 FB.
Swatch checkpoint: 9.75 x 6.75 in (24.8 x 17.1 cm), lightly steamed. Each row holds 40 sts.
If the swatch is too big, go down to a 4.5 mm hook. If it’s too small, go up to a 5.5 mm hook. Small errors add up quickly: being off by just 1/16 in (0.2 cm) per block changes the panel width by about 3.3 in (8.4 cm).
Panel checkpoints:
– After Row 1: 39.75 in (101.0 cm) wide, slightly relaxed.
– After Row 9 (first tree band): 6.75 in (17.1 cm) tall.
– After every band of 8 rows: add 6 in (15.2 cm).
– After Row 105: 78.75 in (200.0 cm) tall.
Panel
Work with MC unless stated otherwise. Keep the MC strand running inside the green dc of every tree section, so it’s ready on the far side. Each tree row segment uses its own short length of CC:
- Join CC at the start of the segment and work the green blocks.
- Cut CC, leaving a 4 in (10.2 cm) tail.
- Lay the tails along the top of the row and work the next green row over them where you can.
Foundation: With MC, ch 162.
Row 1 (RS): Dc in 4th ch from hook (the skipped ch count as the first dc) and in each ch across. Turn. (160 sts = 53 FB)
Row 2: Ch 3, 53 OB. Turn. (160 sts)
Row 3 (trunks): Ch 3, 6 OB, [1 GB, 9 OB] 4 times, 1 GB, 6 OB. Turn. (160 sts: 5 GB, 48 OB)
Row 4 (wide tier): Ch 3, 3 OB, [7 GB, 3 OB] 5 times. Turn. (160 sts: 35 GB, 18 OB)
Row 5 (middle tier): Ch 3, 4 OB, [5 GB, 5 OB] 4 times, 5 GB, 4 OB. Turn. (160 sts: 25 GB, 28 OB)
Row 6 (upper tier): Ch 3, 5 OB, [3 GB, 7 OB] 4 times, 3 GB, 5 OB. Turn. (160 sts: 15 GB, 38 OB)
Row 7 (tips): Ch 3, 6 OB, [1 GB, 9 OB] 4 times, 1 GB, 6 OB. Turn. (160 sts: 5 GB, 48 OB)
Row 8: Ch 3, 53 OB. Turn. (160 sts)
Row 9 (solid bar): Ch 3, 53 FB. Turn. (160 sts)
Rows 2–9 form one tree band of 8 rows, 6 in (15.2 cm) tall. Each tree is 7 blocks wide at its widest tier and sits centered over its 1-block trunk. Each tree occupies a 10-block repeat (7 tree blocks + 3 open blocks), and there are 3 extra open blocks at the starting edge. This keeps the trees in straight columns.
Rows 10–105: Repeat Rows 2–9 twelve more times. (13 tree bands total, 65 trees)
Don’t fasten off. Row 105 is a solid bar row and forms the top edge, which holds the clip rings. Continue straight into the border.
Checkpoint: 39.75 x 78.75 in (101.0 x 200.0 cm), with 160 sts in the last row and 105 rows.
Border
Border gauge: 4 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm).
The border math comes straight from the mesh. One block is 3 sts across 0.75 in (1.9 cm), which is 4 sts per inch. One dc row is also 0.75 in (1.9 cm) tall, so 3 sc per row end gives the same 4 sts per inch along the sides. The top, bottom and sides all have the same density, so the panel stays square and the edges stay flat.
Round 1: With RS facing and MC still attached, ch 1 and don’t turn.
1. Work 3 sc in each of the 105 row ends down the side (315 sc).
2. Along the bottom, work into the base of each of the 160 foundation sts: 3 sc in first, sc in next 158, 3 sc in last.
3. Work 3 sc in each of the 105 row ends up the second side (315 sc).
4. Along the top: 3 sc in first st, sc in next 158, 3 sc in last st.
5. Sl st to first sc.
Count for Round 1. The middle sc of each 3-sc group is the corner st.
– Top and bottom: 160 sc between corners (162 per side including both corners).
– Each long side: 1 + 315 + 1 = 317 sc between corners (319 per side including both corners).
– Total: 4 corners + (2 x 160) + (2 x 317) = 958 sc.
Round 2: Ch 1, sc in each st around, working 3 sc in each corner st. Sl st to first sc.
– Top and bottom: 162 sc between corners (164 per side including corners).
– Each long side: 319 sc between corners (321 per side including corners).
– Total: 4 + (2 x 162) + (2 x 319) = 966 sc (958 + 8).
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Each round of sc adds 0.25 in (0.6 cm), so the two rounds make a 0.5 in (1.3 cm) border. The finished panel is 39.75 + 1 = 40.75 in (103.5 cm) wide and 78.75 + 1 = 79.75 in (202.6 cm) long.
Final Blocking
- Weave in every remaining tail before blocking. Hide green tails inside green blocks and ivory tails along the solid bars.
- Soak the panel in cool water with a little wool wash for 15 minutes.
- Press out the water gently and roll the panel in towels. Don’t wring it.
- Lay it flat on mats, towels or a clean sheet on the floor. If you’re short of space, block a panel this long in two halves.
- Pin the corners to 40.75 x 79.75 in (103.5 x 202.6 cm).
- Pin along each edge every 4–6 in (10.2–15.2 cm), keeping the border straight.
- Nudge the mesh so every open block is square and every tree column runs straight.
- Let it dry completely, then unpin.
- Repeat for the second panel, pinning it to exactly the same size so the pair matches.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Each row holds 160 sts (53 blocks).
- There are 105 rows and 13 tree bands.
- Each band has 5 trees, all lined up in straight columns.
- Each tree reads 1 / 7 / 5 / 3 / 1 blocks from trunk to tip.
- The solid bars run straight across the panel without waving.
- No ivory strand shows through the green trees.
- Border Round 2 totals 966 sc, with 3-sc corners.
- The blocked panel measures 40.75 x 79.75 in (103.5 x 202.6 cm).
- Both panels in the pair match within 0.5 in (1.3 cm).
Troubleshooting
Mesh isn’t square (blocks are tall and narrow). Your dc is taller than your chains are long. Make the ch-2 slightly looser, or shorten your dc by pulling up the first loop less.
Trees drift sideways. Count blocks, not stitches. Put a marker at the start of each tree in Row 4 and check that the trunk and tip sit centered below and above it.
Ivory shows through green. Keep the carried MC strand snug along the top of the row below and hold it toward the back of the work.
Panel narrows partway up. Your tension has tightened. Measure every band. If the width drops by more than 0.5 in (1.3 cm), loosen your chains.
Border ruffles. There are too many sc on the sides. Work 2 sc in every third row end for a few inches.
Border cups. There are too few sc on the sides. Go back to 3 sc per row end.
Solid bars ripple. Check that you worked exactly 2 dc into each ch-2 space, not 3.
Care
Hand wash, or machine wash on a cool delicate cycle in a mesh bag. Reshape and dry flat, and press lightly with a warm iron through a cloth if needed.
Final Notes
The measurements follow a short, reliable chain. 1 block = 0.75 in (1.9 cm), so 53 blocks = 39.75 in (101.0 cm) and 105 rows = 78.75 in (200.0 cm). Two rounds of sc add 0.5 in (1.3 cm) on each side, giving a finished panel of 40.75 x 79.75 in (103.5 x 202.6 cm). Check your one-tree swatch and measure after each band, and both panels will hang evenly side by side.
Happy crocheting!