This little tree ornament is made almost entirely of open shells. Five fans of double crochet sit across the bottom, then the rows narrow to a single fan at the top. Triangular windows appear between the shells, so the tree looks lacy and light when it hangs in front of tree lights.
The sample is shown in two classic holiday colors: a warm rust (terracotta) and a soft cream. Each ornament uses only one color. A set that alternates the two looks cozy and Scandinavian-style on a tree, a gift, or a window.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished triangle measures about 4.5 in (11.4 cm) wide by 4.5 in (11.4 cm) tall. With the trunk, the height is about 5.3 in (13.5 cm), or about 6.5 in (16.5 cm) including the hanging loop.
Construction is simple. You work the tree body flat in rows from the base up, alternating shell rows with single-crochet “tie” rows that step in by half a shell on each side. Then you add a two-round border, ending in reverse single crochet for the rope edge. Last, you work the trunk off the bottom edge and add the hanging loop.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 4.5 in × 4.5 in (11.4 cm × 11.4 cm) triangle; 5.3 in (13.5 cm) tall with trunk; 6.5 in (16.5 cm) with loop
- Skill level: Easy+ (confident beginner)
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Sport (#2 fine), cotton or cotton blend
- Hook: 3.25 mm (US D-3)
- Number of pieces: 1 (single piece, no joining)
- Layout: One triangle with 5 shell tiers (5-4-3-2-1 shells), trunk below and loop above
- Body size before border: 4 in (10.2 cm) wide at the base × 4 in (10.2 cm) tall
- Border depth: about 0.25 in (0.6 cm), 2 rounds
- Trunk: about 1 in (2.5 cm) wide × 0.8 in (2.0 cm) tall
Materials
Yarn: A smooth, tightly plied mercerized cotton gives the clearest shells and holds its shape after blocking. Fuzzy or loosely spun yarns blur the triangular holes, so avoid them for this design.
- Color A – Rust/Terracotta: 8 g (about 25 m / 27 yd) per ornament
- Color B – Cream: 8 g (about 25 m / 27 yd) per ornament
Each ornament is worked in one color only. Make as many of each color as you like.
Tools:
– 3.25 mm (US D-3) crochet hook
– Tapestry needle
– Scissors
– Stitch marker (1)
– Blocking mat and rustproof pins
– Spray bottle; optional fabric stiffener or light starch
Quantities include about a 20% margin for your gauge swatch and weaving in ends.
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 together
- sc3tog – single crochet 3 together
- rsc – reverse single crochet (crab stitch)
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- sp – space
Special stitches:
- Shell: Work 5 dc in the same stitch. The 5 dc of each shell are called dc1 through dc5 in the order you work them, and dc3 is the center.
- Reverse single crochet (rsc): Work from left to right (right-handed). Insert the hook into the next stitch to the right, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, and pull through both loops on the hook.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 21 sc and 24 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm) in sc. One shell tier (1 shell row + 1 sc row) = 0.75 in (1.9 cm) tall.
Make one complete ornament as your test piece before starting a set. It is small, and it shows your shells, holes and border together.
Checkpoints:
– After Row 1: Base row = 4 in (10.2 cm) wide.
– After Row 4: Body = 1.5 in (3.8 cm) tall.
– After Row 6: Body = 2.25 in (5.7 cm) tall.
– After Row 10: Body = 3.75 in (9.5 cm) tall.
– After Row 11: Body = 4 in (10.2 cm) tall.
– After the border: Triangle = 4.5 in (11.4 cm) wide and tall.
If your piece is too big, go down to a 3.0 mm hook. If it is too small, go up to a 3.5 mm hook. If the width is right but the shells look squat, pull up the first loop of each dc slightly taller.
Tree Body
Work flat in rows. Turn at the end of each row. The ch 1 at the start of a row does not count as a stitch.
Row 1 (base): Ch 22. Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (21 sc)
Row 2 (shell row, 5 shells): Ch 1, turn. Sc in first sc. Skip 1 sc, shell in next sc, skip 1 sc, sc in next sc. Repeat from * 4 more times. (5 shells, 6 sc = 31 sts)
Each repeat uses 4 base stitches, and 1 + (5 × 4) = 21, so the last sc lands exactly in the last stitch. Because the shells are narrow at the bottom and fan out at the top, they touch at their top edges. That leaves an upright triangular hole above each sc between shells.
Row 3 (tie row): Ch 1, turn. Skip the first sc, dc1 and dc2. Sc in dc3 (the center) of the first shell. Sc in dc4. Sc2tog over dc5 of this shell and dc1 of the next shell, skipping the sc between them. Sc in dc2, sc in dc3. Repeat from * 3 more times. Leave dc4, dc5 and the last sc of the final shell unworked. (17 sc)
Count: 1 + (4 × 4) = 17. Each sc2tog sits exactly where two shells meet, at stitches 3, 7, 11 and 15 of this row. The next shells are worked there, which gives the brick offset.
Row 4 (4 shells): Ch 1, turn. Sc in first sc. Skip 1 sc, shell in next sc, skip 1 sc, sc in next sc. Repeat from * 3 more times. (4 shells, 5 sc = 25 sts)
Row 5: Ch 1, turn. Skip the first sc, dc1 and dc2. Sc in dc3 of the first shell. Sc in dc4, sc2tog over dc5 and next dc1, sc in dc2, sc in dc3. Repeat from * 2 more times. (13 sc)
Row 6 (3 shells): Ch 1, turn. Sc in first sc. Skip 1, shell in next, skip 1, sc in next. Repeat from * 2 more times. (3 shells, 4 sc = 19 sts)
Row 7: Ch 1, turn. Skip the first sc, dc1 and dc2. Sc in dc3. Sc in dc4, sc2tog over dc5 and next dc1, sc in dc2, sc in dc3. Repeat from * once more. (9 sc)
Row 8 (2 shells): Ch 1, turn. Sc in first sc. Skip 1, shell in next, skip 1, sc in next. Repeat from * once more. (2 shells, 3 sc = 13 sts)
Row 9: Ch 1, turn. Skip the first sc, dc1 and dc2. Sc in dc3, sc in dc4, sc2tog over dc5 and next dc1, sc in dc2, sc in dc3. (5 sc)
Row 10 (1 shell): Ch 1, turn. Sc in first sc, skip 1, shell in next, skip 1, sc in last sc. (1 shell, 2 sc = 7 sts)
Row 11 (apex): Ch 1, turn. Skip the first sc and dc1. Sc3tog over dc2, dc3 and dc4. (1 st)
Do not fasten off. Place a marker in this stitch. It is the apex corner.
The tie rows run 17, 13, 9 and 5: each one has 4 fewer stitches, or 1 shell fewer. Every tier steps in by half a shell (2 stitches) on each side. At 0.75 in (1.9 cm) per tier, that slope gives a 4 in (10.2 cm) base and a 4 in (10.2 cm) height.
Border
Border gauge: 2 rounds = about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) deep.
Side edge stitches. Along each slanted side, work these stitches for each tier:
– 1 sc in the end of the tie row (or Row 1 for the first tier)
– 2 sc around the post of the outer dc of the shell
– 1 sc in each of the 2 unworked outer dc tops (dc1 and dc2 on one side, dc4 and dc5 on the other)
That is 5 sc per tier for Tiers 1–4. Tier 5 has only 1 unworked dc top on each side, so it gets 4 sc. Each side therefore has (4 × 5) + 4 = 24 sc between corner groups.
Round 1: Ch 1. Work 3 sc in the marked apex stitch. Work 24 sc down the first side as described. Work 3 sc in the first foundation chain loop (bottom corner). Sc in each of the next 19 foundation loops. Work 3 sc in the last foundation loop (bottom corner). Work 24 sc up the second side. Sl st to the first sc. (76 sc)
Counts per side, Round 1: Each corner group has 3 sc, and the middle sc is the corner stitch. Counting between corner stitches:
– Base = 19 + 2 = 21 sts
– Each slanted side = 24 + 2 = 26 sts
– Total = 21 + 26 + 26 + 3 corner sts = 76 ✓
Round 2 (rope edge): Ch 1, do not turn. Rsc in each st around, working 2 rsc in each corner st. Sl st to the first rsc. Fasten off. (79 rsc)
Counts per side, Round 2:
– Base = 21 rsc between corner pairs
– Each side = 26 rsc between corner pairs
– Corners = 3 × 2 rsc
– Total = 21 + 26 + 26 + 6 = 79 ✓
Why the math works: Each slanted side is about 4.5 in (11.4 cm) long. At 24 sc along it, that is about 5.3 sts per inch, within 2% of the 5.25 sc per inch gauge, so the edge lies flat without ruffling or cupping. The 3-sc corners turn the points without pulling them in. The extra rsc at each corner in Round 2 makes up for the slightly longer outer path.
Trunk
With the right side facing and the base edge on top, count the 21 rsc between the bottom corner pairs. The trunk is worked over the center 5: stitches 9 through 13, with 8 stitches left on each side.
Insert the hook under both top loops of each rsc. If that is hard to find, work into the Round 1 sc just behind it.
Row 1: Join yarn with sc in the 9th st. Sc in the next 4 sts. (5 sc)
Rows 2–5: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each sc across. (5 sc)
Fasten off. The trunk should measure about 1 in (2.5 cm) wide × 0.8 in (2.0 cm) tall.
Hanging Loop
- Join yarn with a sl st in the space between the 2 apex rsc.
- Ch 16 and sl st in the same space.
- Ch 1, work 20 sc over the ch-16 loop, and sl st in the first sc. Fasten off.
Folded, the loop stands about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) tall, and the covered chain matches the rope border.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends along the back of the border and trunk, not through the open holes.
- Spray the ornament until it is evenly damp, or dip it in diluted stiffener for a firm hanging piece.
- Pin the 3 corners of the triangle first: the base at 4.5 in (11.4 cm) and the apex 4.5 in (11.4 cm) above the base center.
- Pin along each side so the rope edge forms a straight line.
- Place a pin in each triangular hole to open it into a clean triangle.
- Pin the trunk square and straight down from the center of the base.
- Shape the loop upright and let everything dry completely before unpinning.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Shell tiers count 5-4-3-2-1 from the bottom up.
- Each upper shell sits centered over the join between the two shells below it.
- Every triangular hole is open and similar in size.
- Border Round 1 = 76 sc, and Round 2 = 79 rsc.
- Both slanted sides are the same length and straight.
- The trunk is centered, with 8 border stitches on each side.
- The triangle measures 4.5 in × 4.5 in (11.4 cm × 11.4 cm).
- The loop is secure and the ornament hangs straight.
- All ends are hidden and trimmed.
Troubleshooting
The shells don’t touch at the top. Your dc are too tight or too short. Pull up a taller first loop, or go up half a hook size.
The shells crowd and bulge. Your dc are too loose. Go down a hook size, or check that you skipped 1 sc on each side of every shell.
The triangle leans to one side. Check the tie rows. Each one must start at dc3 of the first shell and end at dc3 of the last shell.
The sides ruffle after the border. You worked more than 5 sc per tier. Frog the round and recount to 24 per side.
The sides cup inward. Your Round 1 sc are too tight. Work the rsc in Round 2 more loosely.
The trunk is off-center. Recount the base stitches before joining: 8 on each side of the 5 trunk stitches.
The loop twists. Work the 20 covering sc evenly, and block the loop flat.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, press out the water in a towel, and re-block flat to dry. If you used stiffener, spot-clean only and re-stiffen as needed.
Final Notes
The measurement chain is simple. A 21-st base row measures 4 in (10.2 cm). Five shell tiers at 0.75 in (1.9 cm) each, plus the apex row, bring the height to 4 in (10.2 cm). Two border rounds add 0.25 in (0.6 cm) for a 4.5 in (11.4 cm) triangle. The trunk adds 0.8 in (2.0 cm), and the loop finishes the ornament at about 6.5 in (16.5 cm). Make one in rust, one in cream, and keep going until the whole tree is full.
Happy crocheting!