Butter Lace Tiered Tree Ornament Crochet Pattern

This little Christmas tree is made from three lacy fans stacked on top of each other. Each fan starts at a point, opens into a half circle, and ends with a firm single-crochet rim. A small round picot sits at each bottom corner. A chain loop at the top and a full tassel at the bottom make it ready to hang.

The sample uses one color, a soft butter yellow, which looks like gold under tree lights. It also works well in white, cream, or a pale metallic cotton. The style is simple, light, and slightly vintage, close to a lace doily folded into a tree.

The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished tree body is about 4 in (10.2 cm) wide and 3.75 in (9.5 cm) tall. With the loop and tassel, the ornament hangs about 7 in (17.8 cm) long.

Construction is simple. You crochet three fans in turned rows, each starting from a magic ring. Each fan ends with a picot edge row. Then you stack the fans so they overlap, sew them together, and add the loop and tassel.

Finished Size and Construction

• Finished size (tree body): 4 in (10.2 cm) wide × 3.75 in (9.5 cm) tall
• Overall hanging length: about 7 in (17.8 cm) including loop and tassel
• Skill level: Easy / advanced beginner
• Terminology: US crochet terms
• Yarn weight: DK (light worsted, #3), cotton or cotton blend
• Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
• Number of pieces: 3 fan tiers + 1 tassel (the hanging loop is worked onto the top tier)
• Layout: 3 tiers stacked vertically, each overlapping the one below by 0.5 in (1.3 cm)
• Piece sizes (with edge): Small 2.5 in (6.4 cm) × 1.25 in (3.2 cm); Medium 3.25 in (8.3 cm) × 1.5 in (3.8 cm); Large 4 in (10.2 cm) × 2 in (5.1 cm)
• Size before edge row: Small 1 in (2.5 cm) tall; Medium 1.25 in (3.2 cm) tall; Large 1.75 in (4.4 cm) tall
• Edge (border) depth: 1 sc row, about 0.25 in (0.6 cm), plus picots

Materials

Yarn: Use a smooth, mercerized or combed DK cotton. Cotton shows the eyelets clearly and holds the fan shape after blocking. Soft acrylics also work, but the fans will be a little floppier.

• Butter Yellow (one color): 15 g, about 35 m (38 yd)

That covers one ornament: about 2 g for the small tier, 3 g for the medium, 5 g for the large, 3 g for the tassel, and a little for the loop and sewing. Quantities include a margin for a gauge swatch and longer tails.

Tools:

• 3.5 mm (E-4) crochet hook
• Tapestry needle
• Scissors
• Stiff card, 2 in (5.1 cm) tall, for the tassel
• Rust-proof pins and a foam blocking mat
• Spray bottle with water
• Optional: fabric stiffener or a starch spray

Abbreviations (US Terms)

• ch – chain
• sl st – slip stitch
• sc – single crochet
• dc – double crochet
• sp – space
• st(s) – stitch(es)
• t-ch – turning chain
• sk – skip
• [ ] … times – repeat the bracketed steps the stated number of times

Special stitch – Picot: Ch 3, then sl st into the 3rd ch from the hook (the first of those 3 chains). This makes the small round knob at each fan corner.

Turning chains: At the start of every dc row, ch 3 counts as the first dc, and ch 5 counts as dc + ch 2. At the end of a row, the last stitch always goes into the top of the previous row’s turning chain.

Gauge and Checkpoints

Base gauge: 18 dc and 9 dc rows = 4 in (10.2 cm). One dc row is about 0.44 in (1.1 cm) tall.

Gauge matters less here than in a garment, but it does change how the tiers fit together. Crochet the small tier first and measure it before you go on.

Checkpoints (measure from the magic ring straight down to the center of the lower edge):

• After Row 1 of any tier: 0.5 in (1.3 cm)
• After Row 2: 1 in (2.5 cm)
• After Row 3: 1.25 in (3.2 cm)
• After Row 4 (Large only): 1.75 in (4.4 cm)
• Small tier, finished: 2.5 in (6.4 cm) wide × 1.25 in (3.2 cm) tall

If your tier is too big (over 1.4 in / 3.6 cm tall for the small tier), go down to a 3.25 mm hook. If it is too small (under 1.1 in / 2.8 cm), go up to a 3.75 mm hook. Also check that your dc are not too tight. Snug dc pull the fan into a cone instead of a flat half circle.

Small Tier (Top)

Make a magic ring.

Row 1: Ch 3 (counts as dc), 6 dc in the ring. Pull the ring closed until the stitches form a half circle with no hole. Turn. (7 dc)

Row 2 (eyelet row): Ch 5 (counts as dc + ch 2), [dc in next dc, ch 2] 5 times, dc in top of t-ch. Turn. (7 dc, 6 ch-2 sps)

The ch-2 spaces make the open eyelets. They also widen the fan without extra stitches, so the edge row below can follow the curve.

Don’t fasten off. Go straight to the Small Edge Row in the Border section.

Medium Tier (Middle)

Make a magic ring.

Row 1: Ch 3 (counts as dc), 7 dc in the ring. Pull closed. Turn. (8 dc)

Row 2 (solid increase row): Ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in same st, 2 dc in each of next 6 dc, dc in top of t-ch. Turn. (15 dc)

Check: 2 + (6 × 2) + 1 = 15. Putting only 1 dc in the last stitch keeps the count odd, which the eyelet row needs.

Row 3 (eyelet row): Ch 5 (counts as dc + ch 2), sk next dc, [dc in next dc, ch 2, sk next dc] 6 times, dc in top of t-ch. Turn. (8 dc, 7 ch-2 sps)

Check: the 15 stitches become 8 dc and 7 spaces, and every space skips exactly 1 stitch (8 + 7 = 15).

Don’t fasten off. Go to the Medium Edge Row.

Large Tier (Bottom)

Make a magic ring.

Row 1: Ch 3 (counts as dc), 7 dc in the ring. Pull closed. Turn. (8 dc)

Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in same st, 2 dc in each of next 6 dc, dc in top of t-ch. Turn. (15 dc)

Row 3: Ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in next dc, [2 dc in next dc, dc in next dc] 6 times, dc in top of t-ch. Turn. (21 dc)

Check: 1 + 1 + (6 × 3) + 1 = 21, which uses all 15 stitches of Row 2.

Row 4 (eyelet row): Ch 5 (counts as dc + ch 2), sk next dc, [dc in next dc, ch 2, sk next dc] 9 times, dc in top of t-ch. Turn. (11 dc, 10 ch-2 sps)

Check: 11 + 10 = 21.

Checkpoint: The large tier should measure about 1.75 in (4.4 cm) from ring to edge and about 3.5 in (8.9 cm) across the straight bottom corners.

Don’t fasten off. Go to the Large Edge Row.

Make All Pieces

For one ornament, make:

• Small tier: 1 (Butter Yellow)
• Medium tier: 1 (Butter Yellow)
• Large tier: 1 (Butter Yellow)
• Tassel: 1 (Butter Yellow), instructions below

Layout (front view, top to bottom):

        [ loop ]
        [  S   ]        Small, 2.5 in (6.4 cm) wide
       [   M    ]       Medium, 3.25 in (8.3 cm) wide
     [     L      ]     Large, 4 in (10.2 cm) wide
        [tassel]

Each tier’s lower edge sits 0.5 in (1.3 cm) over the point of the tier below it.

Joining

Method: Whipstitch from the back with the tapestry needle and a 12 in (30.5 cm) length of yarn. You can also use the ring tails.

Stitch-to-stitch logic:

1. Lay the medium tier face up. Place the small tier on top so that its lower edge covers the top 0.5 in (1.3 cm) of the medium tier, about Row 1 and the top of Row 2.
2. Line up the center sc of the small edge (sc 10 of 19) with the magic ring line of the medium tier. Pin.
3. From the back, sew the medium tier’s Row 1 dc posts to the back of the small tier’s center Row 2 dc. Work 1 whipstitch per dc, catching only the back strand so nothing shows on the front.
4. Repeat for the medium and large tiers. Line up the medium center, which falls between sc 11 and sc 12 of 22, with the large tier’s ring, and sew the large tier’s Row 1 posts to the back of the medium tier’s Row 3.

Tension: Sew just firmly enough to close gaps. Tight sewing will pucker the eyelets and lift the corner picots.

Size checkpoint: Measure the joined tree from the top of the small ring to the bottom of the large edge. It should be 1.25 + 1.5 + 2 − 0.5 − 0.5 = 3.75 in (9.5 cm).

Border (Edge Rows with Picots)

Each tier ends with one sc row that makes the firm curved rim and the two corner picots.

Border gauge: 4.5 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm) along the edge. Each chain in a ch-2 space is about as wide as one sc, so you work 2 sc into each ch-2 space and 1 sc into each dc.

Small Edge Row: Ch 1, sc in first dc, picot, [2 sc in next ch-2 sp, sc in next dc] 6 times (the last sc goes into the 3rd ch of the t-ch), picot. Fasten off, leaving a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail. (19 sc, 2 picots)

Math: 7 (1 per dc) + 12 (2 per ch-2 sp) = 19 sc.

Medium Edge Row: Ch 1, sc in first dc, picot, [2 sc in next ch-2 sp, sc in next dc] 7 times, picot. Fasten off with a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail. (22 sc, 2 picots)

Math: 8 (1 per dc) + 14 (2 per ch-2 sp) = 22 sc.

Large Edge Row: Ch 1, sc in first dc, picot, [2 sc in next ch-2 sp, sc in next dc] 10 times, picot. Fasten off with a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail. (31 sc, 2 picots)

Math: 11 (1 per dc) + 20 (2 per ch-2 sp) = 31 sc.

Why the math works: The edge row takes one sc for every stitch width of the row above, counting dc and chains alike, so it doesn’t stretch or ruffle the fan. The picots sit outside the stitch count, right at the two corners where the row ends meet the curve. That is what gives each tier its small rounded “branch tips.”

Hanging loop: Join yarn with a sl st at the top point of the small tier, next to the magic ring. Ch 18 (about 3 in / 7.6 cm), then sl st into the same spot. This makes a 1.5 in (3.8 cm) loop. Fasten off and weave in.

Tassel: Wrap yarn 20 times around the 2 in (5.1 cm) card. Slide a 6 in (15.2 cm) strand under the top and tie it tightly. Cut the bottom loops. Wrap another strand 6 times around the bundle 0.25 in (0.6 cm) below the tie, knot it, and hide the ends inside. Trim the tassel to 1.75 in (4.4 cm). Use the top tie to sew the tassel to the center sc of the large edge (sc 16 of 31).

Final Blocking

1. Weave in all ends except the tassel tie, and tuck them behind solid dc areas.
2. Mist the ornament until it is damp but not dripping.
3. Lay it face up on the blocking mat.
4. Pin the top point and the tassel attachment point in a straight vertical line 3.75 in (9.5 cm) apart.
5. Pin each pair of corner picots level and symmetric: 2.5 in (6.4 cm), 3.25 in (8.3 cm), and 4 in (10.2 cm) across.
6. Gently open each eyelet with a fingertip.
7. Optional: brush a thin layer of fabric stiffener on the back.
8. Let it dry completely, at least 6 hours, before unpinning.
9. Comb the tassel straight and trim it evenly.

Final Quality-Control Checklist

• Small edge 19 sc, medium 22 sc, large 31 sc, with 2 picots on each tier
• Eyelet counts: 6, 7, and 10 open spaces
• Magic rings pulled fully closed, with no center holes
• Tiers centered on a straight vertical line
• Overlaps 0.5 in (1.3 cm) each, and joining stitches hidden from the front
• Tree body 4 in (10.2 cm) × 3.75 in (9.5 cm)
• Loop secure and 1.5 in (3.8 cm) long
• Tassel 1.75 in (4.4 cm), trimmed evenly
• All ends woven in securely

Troubleshooting

• Fan curls into a cone: Your dc are too tight, or you missed an increase. Recount Row 2 or Row 3, or go up a hook size.
• Edge ruffles: You worked 3 sc into a ch-2 space. Recount to 19, 22, or 31.
• Edge pulls in: You skipped the sc in a dc. Every dc gets 1 sc.
• Eyelets lean to one side: You skipped a stitch in the wrong place. Each “sk” skips exactly 1 dc before the next dc.
• Picots flop: Make sure each sl st goes into the 3rd ch from the hook, not the 2nd.
• Tree hangs crooked: Re-center the loop over the small ring, and re-pin while blocking.
• Tassel is thin: Use 25 wraps instead of 20.

Care

Hand wash gently in cool water, press out the water in a towel, and reshape flat to dry. Store the ornament flat between tissue so the picots and tassel keep their shape.

Final Notes

The measurement chain is short. One dc row is about 0.44 in (1.1 cm). Three tiers of 1.25 in (3.2 cm), 1.5 in (3.8 cm), and 2 in (5.1 cm), with two overlaps of 0.5 in (1.3 cm), make a 3.75 in (9.5 cm) tree. The loop and tassel bring it to 7 in (17.8 cm). If your small tier matches its checkpoint, the rest of the ornament will fall into place, and making a matching set for your tree goes quickly.

Happy crocheting!