The Mint Meadow Window Hanging puts soft mint flowers and deep violet leaf sprigs in a checkerboard across five beaded strands. Natural wooden beads separate the motifs, and full tassels finish each strand, mint on the outer and center strands and violet on the two in between.
The style is light and botanical. Each flower has an open center and a ring of eyelets, so daylight shows through the motifs, while the solid leaves give them weight. All instructions use US crochet terms.
The finished hanging is 21½ in (54.6 cm) wide. The short strands hang 25 in (63.5 cm) and the long strands hang 29¾ in (75.6 cm), measured from the top of the dowel to the tassel tips.
Construction is modular. You make 10 flowers and 12 sprigs separately, link them with short bead connectors, add a hanging loop to the top of each strand and a tassel to the bottom, then slide the loops onto a dowel.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 21½ in (54.6 cm) wide; strands 25 in (63.5 cm) and 29¾ in (75.6 cm) long
- Skill level: Easy–intermediate
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: DK (3) cotton
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
- Number of pieces: 22 motifs (10 flowers, 12 sprigs) and 5 tassels
- Layout: 5 strands; strands 1, 3 and 5 have 4 motifs, strands 2 and 4 have 5
- Piece size: flower 3½ in (8.9 cm) point to point; sprig 3½ in (8.9 cm) long × 2¾ in (7.0 cm) wide
- Size before border: 21 in (53.3 cm) and 25¾ in (65.4 cm) per strand, without tassels
- Border depth: 4 in (10.2 cm) tassel finish (no crocheted border)
Materials
Use a smooth, mercerized DK cotton. It shows stitch definition well, blocks crisply and won’t stretch much while hanging.
- Color A, mint green: 70 g / 175 m (flowers, connectors, hanging loops, 3 tassels)
- Color B, deep violet: 70 g / 175 m (sprigs, 2 tassels)
Yarn quantities include a margin of about 25% for gauge differences and tassel trimming.
Tools
– 3.5 mm (E-4) crochet hook
– 27 natural wooden beads, 12 mm, with holes wide enough to thread DK yarn
– Wooden dowel, 24 in (61.0 cm) long and ¾ in (1.9 cm) across
– Tapestry needle and a beading needle or dental-floss threader
– Stiff card 4½ in (11.4 cm) tall, for winding tassels
– Scissors, rustproof pins, blocking mat, spray bottle
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- tr – treble crochet
- sp – space
- st(s) – stitch(es)
Special stitch – Leaf: Ch 8. Working into the back bumps, sl st in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each of the next 6 ch, ending at the stem (7 sl st; this pass becomes the vein). Turn the work. Working into the free loops of the same 7 ch, from the stem toward the tip, work sc, hdc, 3 dc, hdc, sc (7 sts). Work (sc, ch 2, sc) around the turning ch. Then, working into the tops of the 7 sl sts from the tip back toward the stem, work sc, hdc, 3 dc, hdc, sc (7 sts). Sl st in the stem ch where the leaf began. Each leaf has 16 sts plus a ch-2 tip and measures 1¼ in (3.2 cm) long.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Swatch gauge: 20 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm).
Make one flower and one sprig before anything else and measure them at each stage:
- Flower, after Round 1: 1½ in (3.8 cm) across
- Flower, after Round 2: 2 in (5.1 cm) across
- Flower, after Round 3: 3¼ in (8.3 cm) point to point
- Flower, after Round 4: 3½ in (8.9 cm) point to point
- One leaf: 1¼ in (3.2 cm) long
- Finished sprig: 3½ in (8.9 cm) × 2¾ in (7.0 cm)
If your flower is more than ¼ in (0.6 cm) too big, go down a hook size. If it’s that much too small, go up a hook size. Flowers and sprigs must come out the same length, or the checkerboard rows won’t line up across the strands.
Flower (Make 10 in Color A)
Round 1: Ch 8 and sl st into the first ch to form a ring. Ch 3 (counts as dc), then work 23 dc into the ring. Sl st to the top of the ch-3. (24 dc)
Round 2 (conversion round): Ch 1, then sc in the same st. Ch 5, skip 3 dc. Sc in the next dc, ch 5, skip 3 dc. Repeat from * 4 more times, then sl st to the first sc. (6 sc + 6 ch-5 arches)
The arches pass over the skipped stitches, which leaves an eyelet under each one. Each eyelet sits at the base of a petal.
Round 3 (petals): In the next ch-5 arch, work (sc, hdc, 2 dc, tr, ch 2, tr, 2 dc, hdc, sc). Sl st in the next sc of Round 2. Repeat from * 5 more times. The last sl st lands in the joining sc. (6 petals; 10 sts + 1 ch-2 tip each = 60 sts + 6 ch-2 tips)
Round 4 (trim round): Sc in the next 5 sts, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the ch-2 tip, sc in the next 5 sts, sl st in the sl st between petals. Repeat from * 5 more times. (10 sts worked 1-per-stitch + 2 extra sc at the tip = 12 sc per petal; 72 sc + 6 ch-2 tips in total)
Fasten off and weave in the ends. The outline round smooths each petal edge and sharpens its point.
Leaf Sprig (Make 12 in Color B)
Stem: Ch 13.
Top leaf: Work 1 Leaf off the last stem ch. It ends with a sl st back into that ch (ch 13).
Working down the stem:
1. Sl st in the next 3 stem ch, ending in ch 10.
2. Pair 1: Work 1 Leaf and sl st into ch 10. Work a second Leaf and sl st into ch 10 again.
3. Sl st in the next 3 stem ch, ending in ch 7. Work Pair 2 in ch 7 the same way.
4. Sl st in the next 3 stem ch, ending in ch 4. Work Pair 3 in ch 4 the same way.
5. Sl st in the last 3 stem ch, ending in ch 1. (7 leaves; 12 sl st along the stem)
Fasten off. The bare stem below Pair 3 is ½ in (1.3 cm) long. Fold one leaf of each pair to the left and the other to the right, with every leaf pointing upward.
Make All Pieces
Make these quantities:
- Color A: 10 flowers, 3 tassels
- Color B: 12 sprigs, 2 tassels
Layout grid (F = flower, S = sprig, read top to bottom):
Strand 1 Strand 2 Strand 3 Strand 4 Strand 5
Row 1 F S F S F
Row 2 S F S F S
Row 3 F S F S F
Row 4 S F S F S
Row 5 – S – S –
Tassel A B A B A
Check the totals: strands 1, 3 and 5 hold 2 flowers and 2 sprigs each, and strands 2 and 4 hold 2 flowers and 3 sprigs each. That makes 10 flowers and 12 sprigs.
Joining
Each strand is joined with bead connectors made in Color A. Before starting, thread 5 beads (short strands) or 6 beads (long strands) onto the yarn.
Attachment points:
– Flower: the ch-2 tip of the top petal and the ch-2 tip of the bottom petal, which point straight up and down.
– Sprig: the ch-2 tip of the top leaf, and ch 1 at the base of the stem.
Connector between motifs: Join with a sl st in the bottom point of the upper motif. Ch 2, slide a bead up against the hook, then ch 1 around the bead to lock it in place. Ch 2, sl st in the top point of the lower motif, and fasten off. Each connector measures 1¼ in (3.2 cm) from point to point.
Join from the top motif downward so each strand stays flat and untwisted. Keep the chains firm but not tight: a loose connector lets the motif tip forward, and a tight one puckers the tip.
Hanging loop: Join with a sl st in the top point of the first motif. Ch 2, add a bead, ch 1 to lock it, then ch 22. Sl st in the first ch after the bead, which makes a loop to slide onto the dowel. From the top of the dowel to the motif point, the hanger measures 2 in (5.1 cm).
Size checkpoint: Measure each strand from the top of the hanging loop to the end of its bottom connector.
- Short strands: 2 + (4 × 3½) + (3 × 1¼) + 1¼ = 2 + 14 + 3¾ + 1¼ = 21 in (53.3 cm)
- Long strands: 2 + (5 × 3½) + (4 × 1¼) + 1¼ = 2 + 17½ + 5 + 1¼ = 25¾ in (65.4 cm)
Border (Tassel Finish)
The strands hang free, so there are no shared edges and no crocheted border. Instead, the tassels finish the bottom edge. Their gauge and placement are measured just as carefully as a border would be.
Bottom connector: Join with a sl st in the bottom point of the last motif. Ch 2, add a bead, ch 1 to lock it, then ch 2. Fasten off, leaving an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail.
Tassel gauge: Wrap 30 times around a 4½ in (11.4 cm) card for every tassel.
- Slide a 10 in (25.4 cm) length of yarn under the wraps at the top of the card and tie it tightly.
- Cut the wraps along the bottom edge of the card.
- Wrap an 18 in (45.7 cm) length of yarn 8 times around the tassel, ¾ in (1.9 cm) below the top, to form the head. Knot it and bury the ends inside the tassel.
- Trim the ends to a finished length of 4 in (10.2 cm).
- Thread the connector tail through the top tie, knot it securely and bury it inside the tassel head.
Why the math works: Every strand gets the same 4 in (10.2 cm) tassel. The difference in tassel height therefore comes only from the one extra motif and connector on the long strands: 3½ + 1¼ = 4¾ in. Check it: 25 + 4¾ = 29¾ in (75.6 cm). Mint tassels hang at the same level on strands 1, 3 and 5, and violet tassels hang 4¾ in lower on strands 2 and 4. That repeats the checkerboard at the bottom edge.
Width: Space the five loops 4½ in (11.4 cm) apart, center to center, on the dowel. Four gaps of 4½ in give 18 in, and a flower width of 3½ in on top of that gives 21½ in (54.6 cm). This leaves 1¼ in (3.2 cm) of dowel showing at each end.
Final Blocking
- Lightly mist each motif until it’s damp but not soaked.
- Pin each flower to 3½ in (8.9 cm) point to point, with a pin in each ch-2 tip. Open each eyelet with your fingertip.
- Pin each sprig to 3½ in × 2¾ in (8.9 cm × 7.0 cm). Angle the side leaves upward at about 45 degrees and keep the stem straight.
- Let everything dry completely before unpinning.
- Steam the tassels from about 2 in (5.1 cm) away, comb the strands straight and trim the ends level.
- Hang the finished piece and let it settle for a day. Then re-check the tassel heights.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- 10 flowers, each 3½ in (8.9 cm) across, with 6 open eyelets
- 12 sprigs, each with 7 leaves and a visible vein on every leaf
- 27 beads, all locked in place with a ch 1
- Short strands 25 in (63.5 cm) and long strands 29¾ in (75.6 cm)
- Strands spaced 4½ in (11.4 cm) apart, with the checkerboard order correct
- All ends woven in and no strand twisted
Troubleshooting
- Flower cups: Your Round 3 is too tight. Use a hook one size larger for the petals only.
- Flower ruffles: Your Round 4 is too loose. Keep the outline stitches snug.
- Eyelets closed up: You skipped fewer than 3 dc in Round 2. Recount 4 dc per arch section.
- Leaves curl: The vein sl sts are too tight. Work them loosely, then block.
- Strand twists: Some connectors were joined from the back. Undo them and rejoin everything from the front.
- Tassels uneven: Trim them with the strands hanging, not lying flat.
Care
Hand wash in cool water, press out the moisture in a towel and lay flat to reshape. To dust, use a hair dryer on its cool setting.
Final Notes
Every measurement depends on the one before it. Your 20 sc gauge gives a 3½ in (8.9 cm) flower and a sprig of the same length. Adding 1¼ in (3.2 cm) connectors and the 2 in (5.1 cm) hanger gives strands of 21 in (53.3 cm) and 25¾ in (65.4 cm). The 4 in (10.2 cm) tassels bring them to 25 in (63.5 cm) and 29¾ in (75.6 cm). Spacing the strands at 4½ in (11.4 cm) gives the 21½ in (54.6 cm) width. Measure at each step and the checkerboard will line up.
Happy crocheting!