This curtain is a column of little lace Christmas trees that spills down from a simple mesh header. Each tree is made from four tiers of upward-pointing fans with open V-shaped gaps in between, and a solid square trunk sits underneath. When it hangs in a doorway or window, light shows through every gap.
There are two greens. Soft sage green and deep forest green alternate down each strand, and every trunk and connecting chain is worked in forest green. Neighboring strands start with opposite colors and hang at different heights, so the trees fall into a staggered, checkerboard pattern.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished curtain is 36 in (91.4 cm) wide and 53 in (134.6 cm) long at its longest strand. Each tree measures 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide and 4 in (10.2 cm) tall.
You’ll make 144 small tree motifs in turned rows, starting at the tip. You then link them into 18 strands with short forest-green chains, crochet a sage mesh header, and hang the strands from the header’s bottom edge at evenly spaced stitches.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 36 in (91.4 cm) wide × 53 in (134.6 cm) long
- Skill level: Easy–Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Worsted (#4)
- Hook: 5.0 mm (H-8)
- Number of pieces: 144 tree motifs + 1 header band
- Layout: 18 strands × 8 trees
- Piece size: 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide × 4 in (10.2 cm) tall
- Size before header: odd-numbered strands 48 in (121.9 cm) long, even-numbered strands 51 in (129.5 cm) long
- Header (border) depth: 2 in (5.1 cm)
Materials
Pick a smooth worsted yarn so the fan stitches and V-gaps stay crisp. Cotton or a cotton blend hangs straight and holds its shape. Acrylic is lighter, so it puts less strain on the curtain rod.
- Sage Green (S): 400 g / 800 m — 72 tree bodies plus the header
- Forest Green (F): 500 g / 1000 m — 72 tree bodies, 144 trunks, and all the chains
These amounts are for yarn that runs about 200 m per 100 g. They include a margin of about 15% for gauge differences and weaving in ends.
Tools:
– 5.0 mm (H-8) crochet hook
– Tapestry needle
– Stitch markers
– Scissors
– Rust-proof pins and a blocking mat
– Measuring tape
– A tension rod or curtain rod, 36 in (91.4 cm) or wider
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sk – skip
- sp – space
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- RS – right side
Special stitch: Fan – 7 dc worked into the same stitch. When the fan is at the beginning of a row, the turning ch-3 counts as the first dc, so you work ch 3 and then 6 dc.
Gauge and Checkpoints
- Single crochet: 16 sc and 20 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm)
- Mesh: 8 mesh spaces = 4 in (10.2 cm), with each double-crochet row 0.5 in (1.3 cm) tall
- Chain: 4 ch = 1 in (2.5 cm), lightly relaxed
Make one complete tree, including its trunk, before you start the batch. Check it against these sizes as you go:
- After Row 1: 1 in (2.5 cm) wide, 0.75 in (1.9 cm) tall
- After Row 2: 1.75 in (4.4 cm) wide, 1.5 in (3.8 cm) tall
- After Row 3: 2.6 in (6.6 cm) wide, 2.25 in (5.7 cm) tall
- After Row 4: 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide, 3 in (7.6 cm) tall
- With trunk: 4 in (10.2 cm) tall overall
If your test tree is wider than 3.75 in (9.5 cm), go down to a 4.5 mm hook. If it’s narrower than 3.25 in (8.3 cm), go up to a 5.5 mm hook. Small errors multiply here: being 0.25 in (0.6 cm) off per tree adds up to 2 in (5.1 cm) along a strand of 8 trees.
Tree Motif
Make 72 tree bodies in Sage Green and 72 in Forest Green. Every tree gets a Forest Green trunk.
Row 1: Make a magic ring. Ch 3 (counts as dc), then work 6 dc in the ring. Pull the ring nearly closed but leave a small hole at the tip, since the hanging chain passes through it later. Turn. (1 fan = 7 dc)
Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as dc), 6 dc in the first st (fan made). Ch 2, sk the next 2 dc, sc in the 4th dc of the fan, ch 2, sk the next 2 dc, then work a fan in the top of the turning ch. Turn.
(2 fans, 1 sc, 2 ch-2 sps)
Row 3: Ch 3, 6 dc in the first st. Ch 2, sk 2 dc, sc in the next dc (the center of the fan), ch 2. Fan in the next sc. Ch 2, sk the ch-2 sp and the next 3 dc, sc in the next dc (center), ch 2, sk 2 dc. Fan in the top of the turning ch. Turn.
(3 fans, 2 sc, 4 ch-2 sps)
Row 4: Ch 3, 6 dc in the first st. Ch 2, sc in the center dc of the next fan, ch 2, fan in the next sc. Repeat from * to * once more. Ch 2, sc in the center dc of the last fan, ch 2, fan in the top of the turning ch. Fasten off.
(4 fans = 28 dc, 3 sc, 6 ch-2 sps)
Each new row places a fan at both outer ends and one over every sc. That’s why the fan count goes up by exactly one per row (1, 2, 3, 4). The fans at the ends flare past the tier above, which creates the pointed tier tips. Each “ch 2, sc, ch 2” link opens a V-gap between neighboring fans.
Trunk
With the RS facing, the bottom edge of Row 4 reads: fan, ch-2 sp, sc, ch-2 sp, fan, ch-2 sp, center sc, ch-2 sp, fan, ch-2 sp, sc, ch-2 sp, fan.
Row 1: Join Forest Green with a sl st in the ch-2 sp just before the center sc. Ch 1, work 2 sc in the same sp, sk the center sc, then work 2 sc in the next ch-2 sp. (4 sc)
Rows 2–5: Ch 1, turn, sc in each sc across. (4 sc)
Finish: Ch 1, turn, sl st in the next 2 sc. The yarn now sits at the center of the trunk’s bottom edge. Fasten off, leaving a 14 in (35.6 cm) tail on 126 of the trees and a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail on the 18 trees that will hang at the bottom of a strand.
The trunk measures 1 in (2.5 cm) wide (4 sc) and 1 in (2.5 cm) tall (5 rows). Forest Green trees get their trunk joined the same way.
Weave in all the body ends now, but leave the long trunk tails alone.
Make All Pieces
- Sage Green trees: 72 (63 with long tails, 9 with short tails)
- Forest Green trees: 72 (63 with long tails, 9 with short tails)
Strand layout (S = Sage, F = Forest; Tree 1 hangs directly below the header):
Strand: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Tree 1: S F S F S F S F S F S F S F S F S F
Tree 2: F S F S F S F S F S F S F S F S F S
Tree 3: S F S F S F S F S F S F S F S F S F
Tree 4: F S F S F S F S F S F S F S F S F S
Tree 5: S F S F S F S F S F S F S F S F S F
Tree 6: F S F S F S F S F S F S F S F S F S
Tree 7: S F S F S F S F S F S F S F S F S F
Tree 8: F S F S F S F S F S F S F S F S F S
Tree 8 on every strand is a short-tail tree. Every strand has 4 Sage and 4 Forest trees, so 18 × 4 = 72 of each color. Even-numbered strands hang 3 in (7.6 cm) lower than odd-numbered strands.
Joining
The trees hang one below the other on chains. Each link starts at the bottom of one tree’s trunk and ends at the tip of the tree below it.
- Lay out the 8 trees for one strand in order, with the RS facing up.
- Take a long-tail tree. Put your hook into the final sl st on its trunk and pull up a loop of the tail.
- Using the tail, ch 8. At the chain gauge of 4 ch = 1 in, that makes a 2 in (5.1 cm) link.
- Insert the hook from front to back through the ring hole at the tip of the next tree and sl st. Pull the end through to the back.
- Weave that end up through the back bumps of the link chain so no Forest Green shows on the Sage tree.
- Repeat until all 8 trees are joined. Each strand has 7 links.
Keep the link chains relaxed. A tight chain makes the trees tilt and twist. Chain at the same tension on every link, because 7 links that are each 0.25 in (0.6 cm) short take 1.75 in (4.4 cm) off the strand.
Size checkpoint: 8 trees × 4 in + 7 links × 2 in = 46 in (116.8 cm) per strand, measured from the first tip to the last trunk while the strand hangs freely.
Header Band (Border)
Border gauge: 16 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm); 8 mesh spaces = 4 in (10.2 cm).
The header is worked from the top edge down, in Sage Green.
Foundation: Ch 146.
Row 1 (top edge): Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across. Turn. (145 sc)
Row 2 (mesh): Ch 4 (counts as dc + ch 1), sk the next sc, dc in the next sc. Ch 1, sk the next sc, dc in the next sc. Repeat from * to * across. Turn.
(73 dc, 72 ch-1 sps)
Rows 3–4: Ch 4 (counts as dc + ch 1), dc in the next dc. Ch 1, dc in the next dc. Repeat from * to * across, working the last dc in the 3rd ch of the turning ch. Turn.
(73 dc, 72 ch-1 sps)
Row 5 (bottom edge): Ch 1, sc in each dc and in each ch-1 sp across. Fasten off.
(73 + 72 = 145 sc)
Each mesh space is 2 stitches wide, so 72 spaces use 144 stitches, plus 1 to close the last space, for 145. At 2 spaces per inch, 72 spaces measure 36 in (91.4 cm). The depth is two sc rows of 0.2 in (0.5 cm) plus three mesh rows of 0.5 in (1.3 cm), about 2 in (5.1 cm).
Attaching the strands: Count the stitches along Row 5 and place markers in st 5, 13, 21, 29, 37, 45, 53, 61, 69, 77, 85, 93, 101, 109, 117, 125, 133, and 141. That’s 18 markers spaced 8 sts apart. Here’s why that works:
- 8 sts = 2 in (5.1 cm), so the strands hang 2 in (5.1 cm) apart.
- 17 gaps × 8 sts = 136 sts. Add the first marked st and the strands span st 5 to st 141.
- That leaves 4 sts beyond each outer strand (sts 1–4 and 142–145), so the layout is centered.
- Every marked stitch is odd-numbered, so each strand sits directly under a mesh post.
To hang a strand, join Forest Green with a sl st in its marked st. Ch 8 for odd-numbered strands or ch 20 for even-numbered strands, which gives a 2 in (5.1 cm) or 5 in (12.7 cm) drop. Sl st through the tip ring of Tree 1, then weave the end up through the chain.
Final lengths:
– Odd-numbered strands: 2 in + 46 in = 48 in (121.9 cm), or 50 in (127.0 cm) with the header
– Even-numbered strands: 5 in + 46 in = 51 in (129.5 cm), or 53 in (134.6 cm) with the header
Final Blocking
- Mist each tree, or block it before joining. Pin out the 4 tiers so the base measures 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide.
- Put a pin in each flared end fan to sharpen the pointed tier tips.
- Pin the trunk square at 1 in × 1 in (2.5 cm × 2.5 cm).
- Pin the header flat at 36 in × 2 in (91.4 cm × 5.1 cm), with the mesh spaces open and square.
- Let everything dry completely.
- Hang the curtain for 24 hours so the chains settle. Then measure the strands again.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Every tree is 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide and 4 in (10.2 cm) tall.
- Row 4 of every tree has 4 fans, 3 sc, and 6 ch-2 sps.
- Every trunk is 4 sc wide and 5 rows tall.
- Each strand has 7 links of 8 ch.
- The header has 145 sc on each sc row and 72 spaces on each mesh row.
- There are 18 strands spaced 8 sts apart, starting at st 5.
- Colors alternate down every strand, and neighboring strands start with opposite colors.
- No Forest Green tails show on Sage trees.
Troubleshooting
- Trees curl: The fans are too tight. Go up a hook size for the body only, or steam-block.
- Tips aren’t pointed: Make sure each end fan goes into the very first and very last stitch of the row.
- Trunk is off-center: Count the bottom-edge sequence again. The trunk should come off the 2nd of the 3 sc.
- Strands are different lengths: One or more links have the wrong chain count. Count each link’s chains to find it.
- Trees twist or spin: Join every tree with its RS facing the same way.
- Header ripples: You’ve likely added or dropped stitches in Row 5. Recount to 145.
Care
Hand wash cold and lay flat to dry, keeping the strands untangled. Pin the trees back into shape if they curl.
Final Notes
The sizes all build on each other. A 3-in (7.6 cm) body plus a 1-in (2.5 cm) trunk makes each tree 4 in (10.2 cm) tall. Eight trees and seven 2-in (5.1 cm) links make a 46-in (116.8 cm) strand. Add the 2-in (5.1 cm) or 5-in (12.7 cm) drop and the 2-in (5.1 cm) header, and the curtain comes to 36 × 53 in (91.4 × 134.6 cm). Getting your test tree to the right size keeps every later measurement on target.
Happy crocheting!