Coral and navy blue crocheted curtain panels with geometric pattern hanging from wooden rod above a bright window.

Coral Lagoon Twist Strand Curtain Crochet Pattern

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This curtain is made from long, separate strands in coral and deep teal. Each strand looks like a twisted ribbon. Two narrow bands split apart around an almond-shaped opening, cross over each other at a narrow neck, and split again, all the way down to a rounded tip.

The colors alternate across the rod. Light comes through every opening, so the curtain softens a window without blocking it.

This pattern uses US crochet terms. Each finished strand is 3 in (7.6 cm) wide at the necks and 4 in (10.2 cm) wide across each opening. It hangs 85 in (215.9 cm) from the top of the rod. Each panel holds 7 strands and is 24 in (61.0 cm) wide, and you make two panels for a pair.

You work each strand from the bottom up in short rows of single crochet. At each opening, the strand splits into two 5-stitch branches, and a dc cable cross joins them again at the neck. One edging round goes around each strand, and the top tab folds over to make a rod loop.

Finished Size and Construction

  • Finished strand: 3 in (7.6 cm) wide at necks, 4 in (10.2 cm) wide at openings, 85 in (215.9 cm) drop
  • Skill level: Intermediate
  • Terminology: US crochet terms
  • Yarn weight: Worsted (#4), cotton or cotton blend
  • Hook: 5.0 mm (H-8)
  • Number of pieces: 14 separate strands (7 per panel, 2 panels)
  • Layout: Strands hang side by side and are not joined to each other
  • Piece size before border: 2.5 in (6.4 cm) wide at necks, 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide at openings, 87.25 in (221.6 cm) long, unfolded
  • Border depth: 0.25 in (0.6 cm), one round of sc

Materials

Use a smooth worsted-weight cotton or cotton blend. Cotton keeps the openings crisp and stretches less than acrylic. The amounts below assume about 190 m per 100 g.

  • Color A, deep teal: 1,150 g (2,185 m), for 8 strands
  • Color B, coral: 860 g (1,634 m), for 6 strands

Each strand uses about 130 g (250 m). These quantities include a margin of about 10% for your swatch and tension differences.

Tools:

  • 5.0 mm (H-8) crochet hook
  • Tapestry needle
  • 4 locking stitch markers
  • Tape measure and scissors
  • Blocking pins and a long, flat surface
  • Curtain rod no thicker than 1.5 in (3.8 cm) in diameter

Abbreviations (US Terms)

  • ch – chain
  • sc – single crochet
  • dc – double crochet
  • sc2tog – single crochet 2 together
  • sl st – slip stitch
  • st(s) – stitch(es)
  • sk – skip
  • WS – wrong side

Special stitch – Cable Cross (CC): Sk next 4 sts, dc in each of the next 4 sts. Then reach in front of the 4 dc you just made and dc in each of the 4 skipped sts, starting with the first skipped st. This uses 8 sts and makes 8 dc. The front group creates the twist at each neck.

Second ball: Before you start each strand, wind about 30 g of the same color into a small ball for branch B.

Gauge and Checkpoints

Gauge: 16 sc and 16 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm). One sc row is 0.25 in (0.6 cm) tall. One dc row is 0.5 in (1.3 cm) tall, the same as two sc rows.

Make one complete strand before buying yarn for all 14, and check it at each stage below.

  • After Row 3: 2.5 in (6.4 cm) wide
  • Each repeat: 4.75 in (12.1 cm) tall. The opening is 4 in (10.2 cm) tall and 1 in (2.5 cm) wide, and the strand is 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide across it.
  • After 4 repeats: 19.75 in (50.2 cm) from the start
  • After 8 repeats: 38.75 in (98.4 cm)
  • After the final neck: 82.25 in (208.9 cm)
  • After the tab, before the border: 87.25 in (221.6 cm)

Small errors multiply over 17 repeats. A 5 in (12.7 cm) repeat adds more than 4 in (10.2 cm) to the strand. If your repeats are too tall, use a 4.5 mm hook. If they are too short, use a 5.5 mm hook. Measure with the strand hanging, because cotton stretches a little under its own weight.

Two intertwined crocheted cords in teal and coral display openwork stitch detail backlit against a blurred outdoor background.

Strand Pattern

Make 8 strands in Color A and 6 in Color B, all worked the same way.

Rounded Tip

Row 1: Ch 7. Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (6 sc)

Row 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in last st, turn. (8 sc)

Row 3: Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, sc in next 6 sts, 2 sc in last st, turn. (10 sc)

From now on, st 1 is the stitch at the edge where your working yarn hangs. Sts 1–5 are branch A and sts 6–10 are branch B.

Twist Repeat (work 17 times)

Neck Row 1 (Cross Row): Ch 3 (does not count as a st), dc in first st, CC over next 8 sts, dc in last st, turn. (10 dc)

Neck Row 2: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (10 sc) Your yarn is now back at st 1.

Branch A (main ball, sts 1–5). Start every row with ch 1 and turn at the end. Odd rows start at the outer edge. Even rows start at the inner edge, next to the opening.

  • Row 1: Sc in first 5 sts only. (5 sc)
  • Row 2 (shift out): Sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in last st. (5 sts)
  • Row 3: Sc in each st. (5 sc)
  • Row 4: Repeat Row 2. (5 sts)
  • Rows 5–12: Sc in each st. (5 sc each row)
  • Row 13 (shift in): 2 sc in first st, sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog. (5 sts)
  • Row 14: Sc in each st. (5 sc)
  • Row 15: Repeat Row 13. (5 sts)
  • Row 16: Sc in each st. (5 sc)

Don’t fasten off. Put a locking marker in the loop on your hook.

Branch B (second ball, sts 6–10). On the first repeat, join the second ball with a sl st in st 6 of Neck Row 2. On later repeats, it is already waiting at st 6. Odd rows start at the inner edge. Even rows start at the outer edge.

  • Row 1: Ch 1, sc in sts 6–10. (5 sc)
  • Row 2 (shift out): 2 sc in first st, sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog. (5 sts)
  • Row 3: Sc in each st. (5 sc)
  • Row 4: Repeat Row 2. (5 sts)
  • Rows 5–12: Sc in each st. (5 sc each row)
  • Row 13 (shift in): Sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in last st. (5 sts)
  • Row 14: Sc in each st. (5 sc)
  • Row 15: Repeat Row 13. (5 sts)
  • Row 16: Sc in each st. (5 sc)

Drop the second ball at the inner edge. When shifting out, each branch increases on the outer edge and decreases on the inner edge. When shifting in, it does the reverse. Each branch moves 2 sts out and back, staying 5 sts wide. That makes an opening 4 sts wide (1 in / 2.5 cm) and a strand 14 sts wide (3.5 in / 8.9 cm) at its widest.

Take the marked main-ball loop back onto your hook and start the next repeat at Neck Row 1. As you work both neck rows, lay the second-ball strand along the stitch tops and work over it, so it comes out at st 6.

Each repeat is 18 rows and 4.75 in (12.1 cm): 0.5 in (1.3 cm) cross row, 0.25 in (0.6 cm) Neck Row 2, and 4 in (10.2 cm) of branches. After the 17th repeat, fasten off the second ball.

Final Neck and Rod Tab

Final Neck: Work Neck Rows 1–2 once more. (10 sts)

Tab Rows 1–20: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (10 sc each row) The tab is 5 in (12.7 cm) long. Don’t fasten off. Go straight into the border.

Row check: 3 tip rows + 17 × 18 repeat rows + 2 final neck rows + 20 tab rows = 331 rows. Of these, 18 are dc rows and 313 are sc rows.

Make All Pieces

  • Color A, teal: 8 strands (4 per panel)
  • Color B, coral: 6 strands (3 per panel)

Panel layout, seen from the room (both panels are the same):

Rod:  ================================
      A    B    A    B    A    B    A
     teal coral teal coral teal coral teal

Before hanging, lay the strands side by side and check that their lengths match within 1 in (2.5 cm).

Joining

The strands are not stitched to each other. The only join is the rod loop on each strand, sewn after the border.

Method: Fold the top 10 tab rows to the WS so that the top border edge meets the top of the final Neck Row 2. Whipstitch across one stitch at a time. Sew each of the 10 center top-edge sts to one Neck Row 2 st, and each pair of corner sts to the side border at that level.

Tension: Keep your whipstitches as firm as the fabric. If they’re too tight, the loop puckers. If they’re too loose, the seam opens under the strand’s weight.

Size checkpoint: The loop is 2.5 in (6.4 cm) tall, with a 5 in (12.7 cm) circumference, so it fits rods up to 1.5 in (3.8 cm) in diameter. Space 7 strands 3.5 in (8.9 cm) apart, center to center, so each panel measures 24 in (61.0 cm). The 4 in (10.2 cm) openings just brush their neighbors.

Border

Border gauge: 1 sc per sc row-end and 2 sc per dc row-end. Along the top and bottom edges, work 1 sc in each st, with 3 sc in each corner st.

Each strand gets its own border because the strands are never joined. Each long side is 349 row-end sc, with no corner sts included. The corners are counted in the top and bottom edges.

Border Round: Continuing from the last tab row, ch 1.

  • Top edge: 3 sc in first st, sc in next 8 sts, 3 sc in last st. (14 sc, including corners)
  • First long side: 1 sc in each sc row-end and 2 sc in each dc row-end along the outer edge, not inside the openings. (313 + 36 = 349 sc)
  • Bottom edge: Working into the free loops of the foundation ch, 3 sc in first ch, sc in next 4 ch, 3 sc in last ch. (10 sc, including corners)
  • Second long side: As the first. (349 sc)
  • Sl st to first sc. Fasten off. (722 sc total)

Why the math works: Each sc row is 0.25 in (0.6 cm) and each dc row is 0.5 in (1.3 cm), so one border sc covers 0.25 in (0.6 cm) of side. That means 349 sc fits 87.25 in (221.6 cm) of side exactly, without ruffling or pulling. The top edge is 10 + 4 = 14 sts, and the bottom edge is 6 + 4 = 10, which rounds the tip. The border adds 0.25 in (0.6 cm) on each side, so the necks are 2.5 + 0.5 = 3 in (7.6 cm) and the openings are 3.5 + 0.5 = 4 in (10.2 cm). The strand is 87.75 in (222.9 cm) long. Folding back 2.75 in (7.0 cm), the 10 tab rows plus the top border, leaves an 85 in (215.9 cm) drop.

Final Blocking

  1. Weave in all ends along the WS of the necks, never across an opening.
  2. Soak each strand in cool water for 15 minutes.
  3. Roll the strand in a towel to press out the water. Don’t wring it.
  4. Lay it flat and straight on a towel-covered floor.
  5. Pin the necks to 3 in (7.6 cm) and the openings to 4 in (10.2 cm), keeping each opening centered.
  6. Check that each repeat is 4.75 in (12.1 cm). Don’t stretch the strand lengthwise.
  7. Let it dry completely, then sew the rod loop.
  8. Hang all strands for 24 hours before your final check.

Final Quality-Control Checklist

  • Each strand has 17 openings and 18 crosses.
  • Every cross leans the same way.
  • Each opening is 1 in (2.5 cm) wide and 4 in (10.2 cm) tall.
  • The border has 722 sc.
  • All strands hang at 85 in (215.9 cm), within 1 in (2.5 cm) of each other.
  • The rod loops are secure and slide freely.
  • The colors alternate A, B, A, B, A, B, A on each panel.

Troubleshooting

Opening stays closed: You skipped a shift row. Rows 2 and 4 must increase on the outer edge.

Strand bends to one side: The branches have different row counts. Each one needs exactly 16 rows.

Neck puckers: The cable cross is too tight. Work the front dc more loosely.

Edge ruffles: You’re working too many border sc. Use 1 per sc row and 2 per dc row.

Carried strand shows: Snug the second-ball strand against the WS before you work over it.

Strands grow over time: Cotton relaxes. Re-block the strand, or sew the loop slightly deeper.

Care

Hand wash in cool water and dry flat, pinned to size. Don’t tumble dry, because it stretches the openings.

Teal and coral crocheted lace curtains with interlocking chain pattern hang on wooden rod framing bright window.

Final Notes

The measurement chain is short. Since 16 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm), each 10-st neck is 2.5 in (6.4 cm), and the border brings it to 3 in (7.6 cm). Each 18-row repeat is 4.75 in (12.1 cm). Seventeen repeats plus the tip, final neck, and tab make 87.25 in (221.6 cm). The border and the loop fold turn that into an 85 in (215.9 cm) drop. Seven strands, 3.5 in (8.9 cm) apart, fill a 24 in (61.0 cm) panel. If your first strand hits these numbers, the other 13 will match.

Happy crocheting!

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