The Bluebell Frost Leaf Table Runner is made from lacy, diamond-shaped leaf motifs joined into three long columns. Each leaf has a braided center vein, rows of curling inner arches, and a scalloped outer edge. Light passes through the open loops, so the runner looks just as good on a marble counter as on a dark wood table.
The sample is worked in one color, a soft cornflower blue cotton. It looks wintry and calm, so it suits a holiday table, but it is not tied to one season. Three chunky tassels finish the front end and hang over the table edge.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished runner measures 12 in (30.5 cm) wide by 52 in (132.1 cm) long without tassels. The tassels add 4 in (10.2 cm) at one end.
Each motif is worked in the round around a foundation chain with a small ring at each end. You will crochet the spine first, then the inner arches, cover them with single crochet, and finish with an outer scallop layer. From the second motif on, you join motifs as you go: ring to ring within a column and side to side between columns.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 12 in x 52 in (30.5 cm x 132.1 cm), plus 4 in (10.2 cm) tassels
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK / light (#3) cotton
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
- Number of pieces: 24 leaf motifs and 3 tassels
- Layout: 3 columns x 8 motifs
- Motif size: 4 in (10.2 cm) wide x 6.5 in (16.5 cm) long, tip to tip
- Size before border: 12 in x 52 in (30.5 cm x 132.1 cm)
- Border depth: 0 in (0 cm). The outer scallops of the motifs are the finished edge.
Materials
Yarn: Use a smooth mercerized or combed cotton in DK weight, about 110 m per 50 g. Cotton shows the stitch definition clearly and keeps the arches crisp after blocking. Avoid fuzzy or very stretchy yarns, because the loops will lose their shape.
- Cornflower blue: 200 g (about 440 m). Each motif uses about 6 g (13 m), so 24 motifs need 144 g. The 3 tassels need about 18 g. The total of 162 g is rounded up to four 50 g balls.
These quantities include a margin for swatching, joining tails, and differences in tension.
Tools:
– 3.5 mm (E-4) crochet hook
– Tapestry needle
– Scissors
– Stitch markers
– A piece of stiff card 4.5 in (11.4 cm) tall, for the tassels
– Blocking mats, rust-proof pins, and a spray bottle
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- sk – skip
- sp – space
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- RS – right side
Special technique – drop-loop join (DLJ): Take your hook out of the working loop. Insert the hook from front to back into the stitch you are joining to on the finished motif. Pick up the dropped loop and pull it through. Then carry on with the next stitch as written.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 20 hdc = 4 in (10.2 cm) worked over a chain.
Make one complete motif before you start the runner. It is your real gauge swatch. Check these measurements on it:
- After Round 1: The spine, without the rings, is 5 in (12.7 cm) long. Each ring is about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) across. Total length is 6.5 in (16.5 cm).
- After Round 3: The width across the covered arches is about 2.75 in (7.0 cm).
- After Round 5: The width at the widest point is 4 in (10.2 cm).
If your motif is too big: Go down to a 3.25 mm hook, or chain more tightly. If the spine is right but the leaf is too wide, check that you are not adding extra chains to the arches.
If your motif is too small: Go up to a 3.75 mm hook. Small differences of up to 0.25 in (0.6 cm) will block out. Bigger differences add up quickly over 8 motifs, so fix them before you continue.
Leaf Motif Pattern
Foundation: Ch 8, sl st in the first ch to form Ring A (bottom ring). Ch 25 for the spine. Ch 8 more, then sl st in the 8th ch from the hook to form Ring B (top ring). You now have two rings with a 25-ch spine between them.
Round 1 (spine): Ch 1 (does not count as a st). Work 12 sc in Ring B. Then work along the spine chain toward Ring A: 1 hdc in each of the 25 ch (side 1). Work 12 sc in Ring A. Turn the piece and work along the other side of the spine chain: 1 hdc in each of the 25 ch (side 2). Sl st to the first sc. (74 sts: 25 hdc on each side and 12 sc in each ring.)
The two rows of hdc meet along the center chain and form the raised, braided vein.
Round 2 (inner arches): Sl st in each sc across Ring B until you reach the first hdc of side 1.
Side 1, top to bottom: Sc in hdc 1. Ch 7, sk 4, sc in hdc 6. Ch 9, sk 4, sc in hdc 11. Ch 9, sk 4, sc in hdc 16. Ch 7, sk 4, sc in hdc 21. Ch 5, sk 3, sc in hdc 25.
Ch 1, sk all 12 sc of Ring A.
Side 2, bottom to top: Sc in hdc 1. Ch 5, sk 3, sc in hdc 5. Ch 7, sk 4, sc in hdc 10. Ch 9, sk 4, sc in hdc 15. Ch 9, sk 4, sc in hdc 20. Ch 7, sk 4, sc in hdc 25.
Ch 1, sl st in the first sc. (12 anchor sc, 10 arches, and 2 ch-1 sps.)
The anchors sit at the same heights on both sides, so the leaf is symmetrical. Ring A and Ring B stay free and stick out at the tips.
Round 3 (cover inner arches): Sl st in the first anchor sc.
Side 1: 9 sc in the ch-7 arch, sl st in the next anchor. 11 sc in the ch-9 arch, sl st in the anchor. 11 sc in the ch-9 arch, sl st in the anchor. 9 sc in the ch-7 arch, sl st in the anchor. 7 sc in the ch-5 arch, sl st in the anchor.
Sl st in the bottom ch-1 sp.
Side 2: Sl st in the anchor. 7 sc in the ch-5 arch, sl st in the anchor. 9 sc in the ch-7 arch, sl st in the anchor. 11 sc in each of the two ch-9 arches, with a sl st in the anchor after each. 9 sc in the ch-7 arch, sl st in the anchor.
Sl st in the top ch-1 sp. (47 sc per side, 94 sc in total, plus 12 anchor sl sts and 2 sl sts in the ch-1 sps.)
Round 4 (outer loops): In this round, “center” means the middle sc of each covered arch: the 4th of 7, the 5th of 9, and the 6th of 11.
Side 1, starting from the top ch-1 sp: Ch 5, sc in the center of the 9-sc arch. Ch 7, sc in the center of the first 11-sc arch. Ch 8, sc in the center of the second 11-sc arch. Ch 7, sc in the center of the 9-sc arch. Ch 6, sc in the center of the 7-sc arch. Ch 5, sl st in the bottom ch-1 sp.
Side 2, from the bottom: Ch 5, sc in the center of the 7-sc arch. Ch 6, sc in the center of the 9-sc arch. Ch 7, sc in the center of the first 11-sc arch. Ch 8, sc in the center of the second 11-sc arch. Ch 7, sc in the center of the 9-sc arch. Ch 5, sl st in the top ch-1 sp.
(12 loops, 6 per side: ch-5, ch-6, ch-7, ch-8, ch-7, and ch-5, which is 38 ch per side. Plus 10 sc and 2 sl sts.)
The ch-8 loop on each side is the widest point of the leaf.
Round 5 (outer scallops): Cover every loop with sc, and sl st in each sc anchor between loops:
- ch-5 loop = 6 sc
- ch-6 loop = 7 sc
- ch-7 loop = 9 sc
- ch-8 loop = 10 sc
Side 1: 6, 9, 10, 9, 7, 6. Sl st in the bottom ch-1 sp.
Side 2: 6, 7, 9, 10, 9, 6. Sl st in the top ch-1 sp.
(47 sc per side, 94 sc in total, plus 10 anchor sl sts and 2 tip sl sts.) Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Make All Pieces
Make 24 motifs in cornflower blue. Make the first one completely, then join each following motif as you work it (see Joining).
Layout. Each L is one leaf motif, and the rings point up and down:
Col 1 Col 2 Col 3
L1 L9 L17
L2 L10 L18
L3 L11 L19
L4 L12 L20
L5 L13 L21
L6 L14 L22
L7 L15 L23
L8 L16 L24
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tassel tassel tassel
Make L1 to L8 first, then L9 to L16, then L17 to L24.
Joining
Vertical joins (ring to ring): For every motif except the top motif in each column, join during Round 1. Work 6 sc in Ring B, then DLJ into the 6th sc of the motif above it in that motif’s Ring A. Work the remaining 6 sc in Ring B.
The ring still has 12 sc, and the join adds no stitches and no length. The rings touch at their outer tips, so each motif adds exactly 6.5 in (16.5 cm) to the column.
Side joins (columns 2 and 3): Join during Round 5, on the side that faces the column you have already made. When you reach the ch-8 loop on that side, work 5 sc. DLJ into the gap between the 5th and 6th sc of the matching ch-8 loop on the motif next to it. Then work the last 5 sc. The loop still has 10 sc.
Motifs in the same row join only at this single point, so the open diamond-shaped gaps between the columns stay open.
Tension: Keep the DLJ snug but not tight. If you pull it hard, the scallops pucker. If it is loose, the columns drift apart.
Size checkpoint: 2 motifs joined in a column measure 13 in (33.0 cm). 4 motifs measure 26 in (66.0 cm). The first row of 3 motifs measures 12 in (30.5 cm) across. The finished panel is 12 in x 52 in (30.5 cm x 132.1 cm).
Border
This runner has no worked border rounds. A sc or chain border would cover the scallops, flatten the diamond outline, and close the open lace gaps you can see in the finished piece. Round 5 of each motif is the finished edge.
Edge count (for reference): Each long side is the outer side of 8 motifs. At 47 sc per motif side, that is 8 x 47 = 376 sc of scalloped edge per long side, with no extra stitches at the joins. Each short end is the 3 free rings of the end motifs. The top end has 3 Ring Bs, and the bottom end has 3 Ring As, 12 sc each.
Why the math works: Each motif adds the same 6.5 in (16.5 cm) to the length and 4 in (10.2 cm) to the width. The joins add nothing:
- Length: 8 x 6.5 in = 52 in (132.1 cm)
- Width: 3 x 4 in = 12 in (30.5 cm)
Tassels (make 3):
- Wrap yarn 40 times around the 4.5 in (11.4 cm) card.
- Slide a 12 in (30.5 cm) strand under the wraps at the top and knot it tightly.
- Cut the wraps open at the bottom.
- Wrap another strand tightly 0.5 in (1.3 cm) below the top knot, about 8 times, to make a rounded head. Knot it and hide the ends inside the tassel.
- Trim the tassel to 4 in (10.2 cm).
Use the long top ties to attach one tassel through Ring A of L8, L16, and L24. Knot the ties securely and bury the ends inside the tassel head.
Final Blocking
- Lightly wet the runner with cool water and press out the extra water with a towel. Do not wring it.
- Lay it flat on blocking mats with the right side up.
- Pin the outer corners of the panel to 12 in x 52 in (30.5 cm x 132.1 cm).
- Pin the tip of every ring and the widest point of each outer motif.
- Open each arch and scallop with your fingers, and pin the larger ch-8 scallops into rounded curves.
- Check that every column is straight and that each motif is 6.5 in (16.5 cm) long.
- Let it dry completely. Then unpin it, hold each tassel over steam, and comb the strands straight.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- All 24 motifs are 4 in x 6.5 in (10.2 cm x 16.5 cm).
- Each side has 5 inner arches (7, 9, 11, 11, and 9 sc) and 6 outer scallops.
- Each ring has 12 sc and stays open.
- Every vertical and side join is secure and lies flat.
- The open diamond gaps between columns are even.
- The panel is 12 in x 52 in (30.5 cm x 132.1 cm).
- 3 tassels of 4 in (10.2 cm) hang evenly from the bottom rings.
- All ends are woven in invisibly.
Troubleshooting
- Spine curves or twists: You probably worked side 2 into the same loops as side 1. Work side 2 into the remaining loops of the chain.
- Arches flip forward: Too many sc in the arches. Recount against 7, 9, and 11.
- Leaf is lopsided: Your anchors are at different heights on the two sides. Check the anchor positions in Round 2.
- Edges ruffle: Your sc are too loose or too many. Go down a hook size for Round 5.
- Columns drift apart: Your side DLJs are loose. Redo them more snugly.
- Tassel heads look flat: Wrap the neck tie tighter and closer to the top knot.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with a mild detergent. Reshape the runner and dry it flat, pinning it if needed. Press it lightly from the wrong side with a warm iron and a pressing cloth.
Final Notes
Each stage of the runner builds on the one before. With a gauge of 20 hdc = 4 in (10.2 cm), the spine is 5 in (12.7 cm). With the rings, each motif is 6.5 in (16.5 cm) long, and the outer scallops make it 4 in (10.2 cm) wide. Since the joins add no stitches, 8 rows of motifs give 52 in (132.1 cm) and 3 columns give 12 in (30.5 cm). If your first motif matches these measurements, the rest of the runner will too.
Happy crocheting!