This curtain has light aqua dragonflies and small round crochet beads hanging on long chain strands. Ten strands hang from a lacy top band with tab loops, so the panel slides straight onto a curtain rod. In a sunny window, light passes through the open wings and the strands move in a breeze.
The whole curtain is one color, a soft seafoam aqua cotton. Each dragonfly has two round eyes, a ball-shaped thorax, a six-segment beaded abdomen, and four long oval wings. Each wing is an open ladder inside a solid rim. This pattern uses US crochet terms throughout.
The finished curtain measures 46.2 in (117.3 cm) wide and 55 in (139.7 cm) long from the top of the band to the end beads, plus the tab loops. Each dragonfly is 7.5 in (19.1 cm) across the wings and 5 in (12.7 cm) long.
Order of work: make the dragonflies and beads, crochet the band, add the border (scallops and tabs), then chain the strands from the scallop edge. Last, sew the dragonflies and beads onto the strands at marked chains.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 46.2 in (117.3 cm) x 55 in (139.7 cm), plus tab loops
- Skill level: Intermediate (easy stitches, many pieces)
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: DK (#3) cotton
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E/4)
- Number of pieces: 1 top band, 10 strands, 35 dragonflies, 115 beads
- Layout: 10 strands, 4.8 in (12.2 cm) apart, with dragonflies staggered between neighboring strands
- Dragonfly size: 7.5 in (19.1 cm) x 5 in (12.7 cm)
- Band size before border: 45.8 in (116.3 cm) x 1.5 in (3.8 cm)
- Border depth: the scallops add 0.5 in (1.3 cm) below the band, and each side edge adds about 0.2 in (0.5 cm)
Materials
Use a smooth mercerized or combed DK cotton. Cotton holds the open wings crisply and stretches less than acrylic under the weight of the strands.
- Seafoam aqua DK cotton: 750 g (approx. 1,650 m), for example 15 balls of 50 g / 110 m
- Dragonflies: about 510 g (1,120 m)
- Beads: about 120 g (265 m)
- Band, border, and strands: about 120 g (265 m)
These quantities include a margin of about 15–20% to cover gauge differences and any rows you have to rip out.
Tools:
– 3.5 mm (E/4) hook
– Tapestry needle
– At least 20 stitch markers
– Fiberfill or yarn scraps for stuffing
– Measuring tape
– Blocking mat, rust-proof pins, and a spray bottle
– Optional: fabric stiffener for the wings
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch = chain
- sl st = slip stitch
- sc = single crochet
- dc = double crochet
- inc = 2 sc in the same stitch
- sc2tog = single crochet 2 together
- sk = skip
- sp = space
- st(s) = stitch(es)
- MR = magic ring
- RS = right side
Special stitch – Scallop: 5 dc worked in the same stitch.
Gauge and Checkpoints
- Gauge: 20 sc and 22 sc rows = 4 in (10.2 cm)
- Chain gauge: 5 ch = 1 in (2.5 cm)
Before you make the full set, test your gauge with one large wing and a 20-ch chain.
Checkpoints:
– Large wing after Row 1: 2.75 in x 0.5 in (7.0 cm x 1.3 cm)
– Finished large wing: 3.5 in x 1.25 in (8.9 cm x 3.2 cm)
– Finished small wing: 3 in x 1.25 in (7.6 cm x 3.2 cm)
– Thorax: 1.1 in (2.8 cm) across
– Bead: 0.75 in (1.9 cm) across
– Band after Row 5: 45.8 in x 1.5 in (116.3 cm x 3.8 cm)
If your pieces are too big, go down 0.25 mm in hook size. If they are too small, go up 0.25 mm. Keep every dragonfly the same size. Wings that are too wide will reach the next strand.
Dragonfly
Large Wing (make 2 per dragonfly)
Ch 20.
Row 1 (ladder): Dc in 8th ch from hook. The skipped chains count as the first bar and the first window. Then ch 2, sk 2 ch, dc in next ch 4 times. (5 windows, 6 bars)
The dc posts are the cross bars and the ch-2 spaces are the windows. Do not turn.
Rnd 2 (inner rim): Ch 1.
– 5 sc around the post of the last dc made.
– Along the free loops of the foundation chain: 2 sc over each 2-ch group and 1 sc at the base of each inner dc (14 sc).
– 5 sc around the first bar.
– Along the top edge: 2 sc in each ch-2 sp and 1 sc in each inner dc (14 sc).
Sl st to the first sc. (38 sts: 5 + 14 + 5 + 14)
Rnd 3 (outer rim): Ch 1.
– 2 sc in each of the 5 end sts (10 sc).
– 1 sc in each of the next 14 sts.
– 2 sc in each of the 5 end sts at the other end (10 sc).
– 1 sc in each of the last 14 sts.
Sl st to the first sc. (48 sts: 38 worked 1 per stitch + 10 extra)
The extra stitches at the ends round the wing into an oval and make the solid two-round rim. Fasten off and leave a 10 in (25.4 cm) tail.
Small Wing (make 2 per dragonfly)
Ch 17.
Row 1: Dc in 8th ch from hook, ch 2, sk 2 ch, dc in next ch 3 times. (4 windows, 5 bars)
Rnd 2: Work as for the large wing: 5 sc around the end post, 11 sc along the foundation, 5 sc around the first bar, and 11 sc along the top. (32 sts)
Rnd 3: 2 sc in each of the 5 end sts, 1 sc in each of the next 11, 2 sc in each of the other 5 end sts, and 1 sc in each of the last 11. (42 sts: 32 worked 1 per stitch + 10 extra)
Fasten off and leave a 10 in (25.4 cm) tail.
Body (make 1 per dragonfly)
Work in continuous rounds from the head down. Mark the first stitch of each round.
Head
– Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR. (6)
– Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12)
– Rnd 3: Sc around. (12)
– Rnd 4: Sc2tog 6 times. (6) Stuff the head lightly.
Thorax
– Rnd 5: Inc in each st around. (12)
– Rnd 6: (Sc, inc) 6 times. (18)
– Rnds 7–8: Sc around. (18)
– Rnd 9: (Sc, sc2tog) 6 times. (12)
– Rnd 10: Sc2tog 6 times. (6) Stuff the thorax firmly.
Abdomen (6 segments)
– Rnd A: (Sc, inc) 3 times. (9)
– Rnd B: Sc around. (9)
– Rnd C: (Sc, sc2tog) 3 times. (6)
Work Rnds A–C six times in all (Rnds 11–28), stuffing each segment lightly before you close it. The 9-6 rhythm of the stitch counts makes the beaded segments. To finish, weave the tail through the front loops of the last 6 sts and pull it closed. The body should measure 5 in (12.7 cm).
Eyes (make 2 per dragonfly)
- Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR. (6)
- Rnd 2: Sc around. (6)
Fasten off, stuff each eye with its tail, and sew one to each side of the top of the head.
Assembly
Sew the large wings to the sides of the thorax at Rnds 6–7, stitching through 3 sts at the narrow end of each wing. Sew the small wings just below them at Rnds 8–9. Angle the upper wings slightly up and the lower wings slightly down. Checkpoint: 7.5 in (19.1 cm) from wing tip to wing tip.
Beads (make 115)
- Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR. (6)
- Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12)
- Rnd 3: Sc around. (12)
- Rnd 4: Sc2tog 6 times. (6)
Stuff with scraps and close as for the body, leaving an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail. Each bead measures 0.75 in (1.9 cm).
Top Band
Ch 230.
- Row 1 (RS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (229 sc)
- Row 2 (mesh): Ch 4 (counts as dc + ch 1), sk next st, dc in next st, ch 1, sk next st, dc in next st across. (115 dc including the turning ch, 114 ch-1 sps)
- Row 3: Ch 1, sc in each dc and each ch-1 sp across. Work the last sc in the 3rd ch of the turning ch. (229 sc: 115 + 114)
- Row 4: Repeat Row 2. (115 dc, 114 ch-1 sps)
- Row 5: Repeat Row 3. (229 sc)
Do not fasten off. Checkpoint: 45.8 in x 1.5 in (116.3 cm x 3.8 cm).
Make All Pieces
- Dragonflies: 35 (70 large wings, 70 small wings, 35 bodies, 70 eyes)
- Beads: 115
- Strands: 10. Strands 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 follow layout A. Strands 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 follow layout B.
The grid counts chain positions from the band down. D = dragonfly, with the thorax centered on that chain. o = bead.
Strand A (x5) Strand B (x5)
ch 20 o (head) ch 15 o
ch 30 D ch 35 o
ch 55 o (tail) ch 55 o (head)
ch 72 o ch 65 D
ch 90 o (head) ch 90 o (tail)
ch 100 D ch 107 o
ch 125 o (tail) ch 125 o (head)
ch 142 o ch 135 D
ch 160 o (head) ch 160 o (tail)
ch 170 D ch 177 o
ch 195 o (tail) ch 195 o (head)
ch 212 o ch 205 D
ch 230 o (head) ch 230 o (tail)
ch 240 D ch 247 o
ch 265 o (tail/end) ch 265 o (end)
4 D + 11 o 3 D + 12 o
Totals: (5 x 4) + (5 x 3) = 35 dragonflies, and (5 x 11) + (5 x 12) = 115 beads.
Each head bead sits 10 ch (2 in / 5.1 cm) above a thorax. Each tail bead sits 25 ch (5 in / 12.7 cm) below it, which leaves the bare gap under the abdomen. Layouts A and B are offset by 35 ch (7 in / 17.8 cm), so the dragonflies on neighboring strands sit at different heights.
Joining
The strands hang from the scallop edge, so finish the Border section before you start this one.
Strands: With RS facing and the scallop edge at the bottom, join yarn with a sl st in the 2nd sc of the scallop edge. Ch 265 and fasten off, leaving an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail. Repeat in every 4th sc after that: sc numbers 2, 6, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, 30, 34, and 38. These sit on band sts 7, 31, 55 and so on, every 24 sts, which spaces the strands 4.8 in (12.2 cm) apart. The layout is symmetrical, so it doesn’t matter which end you count from.
Tension: Chain loosely and evenly. A tight chain twists and a loose one sags. Checkpoint: each relaxed strand measures 53 in (134.6 cm).
Attaching: Mark the positions from the grid on each strand. For each dragonfly, lay the strand behind the body and sew through it at the head, the thorax, and the last segment. For each bead, center it over its chain and pass the tail through the bead’s center and the chain twice.
Size checkpoint: Hang the curtain. The top of the band to the end beads should measure 55 in (139.7 cm).
Border
Border gauge: 1 scallop repeat = 6 sts = 1.2 in (3.0 cm).
Side and bottom edges:
1. Ch 1 and work 7 sc down the short side: 1 sc in each sc row end and 2 sc in each dc row end (1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 1 = 7).
2. Ch 1 at the corner. This chain is not counted.
3. Working in the free loops of the foundation chain, sc in the first loop, sk 2, scallop in next, sk 2, sc in next 38 times. (229 sts: 38 scallops of 5 dc = 190, plus 39 sc)
4. Ch 1 and work 7 sc up the other short side. Fasten off.
Why the math works: 1 + (38 x 6) = 229, which uses every foundation stitch. The strands are 24 sts apart, which is exactly 4 repeats, so every strand hangs from an sc between two scallops. Every strand position is also an odd-numbered stitch, so each strand lines up with a dc column in the mesh rows.
Tabs (make 10): With RS facing, work along the top of Row 5. Join yarn in st 5.
– Row 1: Ch 1, sc in the same st and the next 4 sts. (5)
– Rows 2–16: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (5)
Fasten off and leave a 12 in (30.5 cm) tail. Skip 19 sts and join for the next tab. The tabs sit on sts 5–9, 29–33, 53–57, and so on through 221–225, so each one is centered over a strand. Top-edge count: 4 + (10 x 5) + (9 x 19) + 4 = 229.
Each tab measures 2.9 in (7.4 cm). Fold it to the back and sew the last row to the back of Row 3. The loops fit a rod up to 0.75 in (1.9 cm) across.
Final Blocking
- Pin the band flat to 46.2 in x 2 in (117.3 cm x 5.1 cm), opening each scallop with a pin.
- Pin each wing to its finished size, pulling the windows square.
- Mist everything with water until damp. Don’t soak the stuffed bodies.
- If you want stiffer wings, brush them with diluted fabric stiffener.
- Let everything dry completely.
- Hang the curtain for 24 hours so the strands settle, then measure again.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- [ ] All 35 dragonflies measure 7.5 in (19.1 cm) across, within 0.25 in (0.6 cm)
- [ ] Each wing has 48 (large) or 42 (small) rim sts, and the windows are open
- [ ] Each abdomen shows 6 clear segments
- [ ] There are 10 strands, each 53 in (134.6 cm) long
- [ ] Layouts A and B alternate across the curtain
- [ ] Every bead and dragonfly is sewn at its marked chain
- [ ] All 10 tabs are secure and centered above the strands
- [ ] All ends are woven in at least 1 in (2.5 cm)
Troubleshooting
- Wings curl: Rnd 3 is too tight. Work Rnd 3 with a hook one size larger, or use stiffener when blocking.
- Windows close up: Your ch-2 spaces are too tight. Work them more loosely.
- The abdomen looks like a tube: Check the Rnd C decreases and stuff less.
- Strands stretch: Re-measure after 24 hours and move the end bead up if needed.
- Wings touch the neighboring strand: Work the wings with a hook 0.25 mm smaller.
- The band ripples: Work Rows 2 and 4 with a hook one size smaller.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, roll in a towel to remove water, and dry flat, re-pinning the wings if needed. Between washes, remove dust with a hair dryer on the cool setting.
Final Notes
Every measurement in this curtain comes from one gauge: 20 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm) and 5 ch = 1 in (2.5 cm).
– That gauge gives a 3.5 in (8.9 cm) large wing and a 7.5 in (19.1 cm) dragonfly.
– The 229-st band measures 45.8 in (116.3 cm) before the border and 46.2 in (117.3 cm) after it.
– The 24-st spacing puts the strands 4.8 in (12.2 cm) apart.
– The 265-ch strands plus the 2 in (5.1 cm) band give a total length of 55 in (139.7 cm).
Check each measurement as you go, and the finished curtain will hang evenly.
Happy crocheting!