The Golden Fir Lace Curtain Panel is a single airy panel of mustard-gold lace. Rows of small dc fans hang from the top edge and widen as they go down, so each one looks like a little fir tree. Open chain mesh with star-like junctions sits between the trees, and each tier is offset by half a repeat from the one above. The last fan row leaves a soft scalloped hem.
The panel uses one color, a warm honey-mustard, so the stitch texture does all the work. Hung in a sunny window, it lets light through the mesh and throws lacy shadows on the floor. It suits a cozy winter room or a warm cottage look.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished panel measures 41.25 in (104.8 cm) wide by 81.5 in (207.0 cm) long, scalloped hem included.
The panel is worked flat in one piece from the top down. You start with a foundation chain and a single crochet row, then work a 4-row lace repeat 32 times. A 2-row edging finishes the two long sides and the top. The bottom scallops are left unbordered.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 41.25 in x 81.5 in (104.8 cm x 207.0 cm)
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK (#3), cotton or cotton blend
- Hook: 4.0 mm (US G-6)
- Number of pieces: 1 (no motifs, no joining)
- Layout: 20 fan repeats wide x 32 lace repeats long
- Piece size before border: 40.25 in x 81 in (102.2 cm x 205.7 cm)
- Border depth: 0.5 in (1.3 cm) on the two long sides and the top
Materials
Yarn: Use a smooth, mercerized or matte DK cotton in mustard gold. Cotton gives crisp stitch definition and holds the fan shapes well. Avoid fuzzy yarns, because they blur the mesh. Wool stretches more when it hangs.
- Mustard gold: about 1,000 g, approximately 2,300 m (2,515 yd)
These quantities include a margin of about 10% for your gauge swatch and small tension differences. Buy all skeins from one dye lot.
Tools:
- 4.0 mm (US G-6) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch markers (4 or more)
- Measuring tape
- Rust-proof pins and a large blocking surface (foam mats or a bed covered with towels)
- Spray bottle
- 10 curtain clip rings for hanging
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sc – single crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sk – skip
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- rep – repeat
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
- rev sc – reverse single crochet (crab stitch)
Special stitches:
- Fan: 7 dc worked into the same stitch.
- Half fan: 4 dc worked into the same stitch (at row edges only). When it starts a row, ch 3 counts as the first dc, so you work ch 3 plus 3 dc.
- Reverse sc: Working from left to right (right-handers), insert the hook into the next stitch to the right, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, and pull through both loops.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 8 sts (one fan repeat) = 2 in (5.1 cm) wide, which is 4 sts per inch. Rows 3–6 (one lace repeat) = 2.5 in (6.4 cm) tall. Rows 1–2 together = 1 in (2.5 cm).
Test swatch: Ch 34. Work Rows 1–2, then Rows 3–6 twice. You’ll have 33 sts and 4 fans across. The swatch should measure 8.25 in (21.0 cm) wide by 6 in (15.2 cm) tall after a light steam. Measure across the top sc row, because it’s the most stable edge.
- Swatch too big: Go down one hook size, to 3.75 mm (US F-5).
- Swatch too small: Go up one hook size, to 4.5 mm (US 7).
- Width right but height wrong: Check the height of your dc. Pulling up a slightly taller loop, or pulling the dc yarn-overs a little tighter, usually fixes it without changing the hook.
Panel checkpoints (unblocked, measured flat):
- After Row 2: 40.25 in (102.2 cm) wide and 1 in (2.5 cm) long
- After 8 lace repeats (Row 34): 21 in (53.3 cm) long
- After 16 lace repeats (Row 66): 41 in (104.1 cm) long
- After 24 lace repeats (Row 98): 61 in (154.9 cm) long
- After 32 lace repeats (Row 130): 81 in (205.7 cm) long
Pattern: Lace Panel
The stitch multiple is 8 + 1 (foundation chain: multiple of 8 + 2). Every row holds 161 sts. Ch-spaces count as stitches here, so you can check your counts.
Foundation: Ch 162.
Row 1 (RS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn. (161 sc)
This row forms the straight top edge of the curtain.
Row 2 (fan row): Ch 1 (does not count as a st). Sc in first sc, sk 3 sc, fan in next sc, sk 3 sc, sc in next sc; rep from * across. Turn. (20 fans + 21 sc = 161 sts)*
The fans grow from a single stitch at the top and spread out toward the hem. That’s what gives each “tree” its point at the top and wide base at the bottom.
Row 3 (mesh row): Ch 6 (counts as dc + ch 3). Sc in 4th (center) dc of first fan, ch 3, dc in next sc. Ch 3, sc in center dc of next fan, ch 3, dc in next sc; rep from * across. Turn. (21 dc + 20 sc + 40 ch-3 spaces = 161 sts)*
Each dc sits between two fans with chains on both sides. These are the small star junctions you see between the trees.
Row 4 (offset fan row): Ch 3 (counts as dc), 3 dc in first dc (half fan made). Sc in next sc, fan in next dc; rep from * 18 more times. Sc in next sc, 4 dc in 3rd ch of beginning ch-6 (half fan made). Skip all ch-3 spaces. Turn. (19 fans + 2 half fans + 20 sc = 133 + 8 + 20 = 161 sts)*
These fans sit between the fans of Row 2, so the trees alternate like a brick pattern.
Row 5 (offset mesh row): Ch 1. Sc in first dc. Ch 3, dc in next sc, ch 3, sc in center dc of next fan; rep from * 18 more times. Ch 3, dc in next sc, ch 3, sc in top of turning ch-3. Turn. (21 sc + 20 dc + 40 ch-3 spaces = 161 sts)*
Row 6 (fan row): Ch 1. Sc in first sc, fan in next dc, sc in next sc; rep from * across. Turn. (20 fans + 21 sc = 161 sts)*
Row 6 fans line up with Row 2 fans.
Rows 7–130: Rep Rows 3–6 another 31 times, for 32 lace repeats total. End with a Row 6 fan row (Row 130, a WS row). Do not fasten off; go straight into the border.
The final fan row makes the scalloped hem. Each fan gives one rounded scallop, 20 scallops across.
Adjusting length: Each lace repeat you add or remove changes the length by 2.5 in (6.4 cm). Always end on a Row 6 so the hem stays scalloped.
Piece checkpoint: 161 sts per row, 130 rows. The panel measures 40.25 in x 81 in (102.2 cm x 205.7 cm).
Border
The border runs up one long side, across the top, and down the other long side. The bottom scallops stay open.
Border gauge: 4 sc per inch (2.5 cm) along every edge. That’s the same as the body gauge, so the edges neither ruffle nor pull in.
Side edge counts: Work into row ends as follows:
- Row 1 (sc row): 1 sc
- Each fan row (Rows 2, 4, 6, and so on): 3 sc
- Each mesh row (Rows 3, 5, 7, and so on): 2 sc
One lace repeat (2 fan rows + 2 mesh rows) takes 3 + 2 + 3 + 2 = 10 sc. One side therefore takes 1 + 3 (Row 2) + 32 x 10 = 324 sc.
Border Row 1 (RS): Ch 1 and turn so the RS faces you, then rotate the panel to work up the side edge.
- First side: Work 324 sc evenly up the row ends to the top, using the counts above.
- Top: Working into the free loops of the foundation chain, make 3 sc in the first ch (corner) and 1 sc in each of the next 159 ch. Make 3 sc in the last ch (corner). That gives 165 sc across the top, including both 3-sc corners.
- Second side: Work 324 sc down the second side, using the same counts.
- Do not turn. (324 + 165 + 324 = 813 sc)
The 324 side counts don’t include the corners. The corners are counted only once, inside the 165 top stitches.
Border Row 2 (RS, rev sc): With the RS still facing, ch 1. Work 1 rev sc in each sc, traveling back across all three edges. In each corner, work 1 rev sc in each of the 3 corner sc. Fasten off. (813 rev sc)
Why the math works: The top edge has 161 chain loops across 40.25 in, which is 161 ÷ 40.25 = 4 sts per inch. The side has 324 sc across 81 in, which is 324 ÷ 81 = 4 sc per inch. Both edges match the border gauge, so the panel stays square. The 2 border rows add 0.5 in (1.3 cm) to each long side and to the top. The finished size is 40.25 + 0.5 + 0.5 = 41.25 in (104.8 cm) wide and 81 + 0.5 = 81.5 in (207.0 cm) long.
Weave in all ends along the sc edges, not through the open mesh, where they would show.
Final Blocking
- Soak the panel in cool water with a little wool wash or mild soap for 15 minutes.
- Press the water out gently. Don’t wring. Roll the panel in large towels to remove most of the moisture.
- Lay it flat on your blocking surface, RS up.
- Pin the top edge straight first, at 41.25 in (104.8 cm).
- Pin both long sides straight, at 81.5 in (207.0 cm) from the top border to the tips of the scallops.
- Pin the tip of each of the 20 bottom scallops so they curve evenly.
- Open up the fans by nudging each one into a symmetric tree shape with your fingers. Open each mesh space so the star junctions look crisp.
- Let it dry completely, which takes 24–48 hours. Unpin only when it’s fully dry.
- Clip the 10 rings evenly along the top border, with one at each corner.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Every row holds 161 sts.
- 20 trees across in Rows 2, 6, 10, and so on, and 19 full trees plus 2 half trees in Rows 4, 8, 12, and so on.
- Trees alternate tier to tier without drifting sideways.
- The panel has 32 lace repeats and ends on a fan row with 20 scallops.
- Border Row 1 has 324 + 165 + 324 = 813 sc.
- The finished panel is 41.25 in x 81.5 in (104.8 cm x 207.0 cm).
- Both long sides hang straight, with no wavy or tight edges.
- All ends are woven into solid stitches and invisible from both sides.
Troubleshooting
Fans lean or twist: You’ve probably put the fan in the wrong stitch. Count back to the last sc and check that you skipped exactly 3 sts (Row 2) or landed on the dc (Rows 4 and 6).
Trees don’t alternate: Check that Row 4 starts and ends with half fans. If it starts with a full fan, the tiers will stack straight.
Panel gets narrower: Usually the ch-3 spaces in the mesh rows are too tight. Make looser chains, or chain with a hook one size larger.
Side edges ruffle: Too many border sc. Go back to 3 sc per fan row and 2 sc per mesh row.
Side edges pull in: Too few border sc, or tight stitches. Check your count of 324 per side.
Panel grows longer when hung: Cotton lace relaxes under its own weight. Block it, hang it for two days, then measure again. If needed, take out the last lace repeat to shorten it by 2.5 in (6.4 cm).
Care
Hand wash cool and dry flat, reshaping the fans while damp. Don’t tumble dry or hang the panel wet, because the weight of the water will stretch it.
Final Notes
The measurement chain is simple. Your swatch confirms 8 sts = 2 in (5.1 cm) and one lace repeat = 2.5 in (6.4 cm). That gives 161 sts = 40.25 in (102.2 cm) and 130 rows = 81 in (205.7 cm). The 2-row border, worked at 4 sc per inch, adds 0.5 in (1.3 cm), so the finished panel is 41.25 in x 81.5 in (104.8 cm x 207.0 cm). Check your counts at each stage and the panel will hang straight, airy, and glowing in the light.
Happy crocheting!