The Frosted Spire Icicle is a slender, lacy tree ornament made in crisp white cotton thread. It looks like a long frozen drip. It starts at a sharp tip and widens slowly into stacked bands of airy treble “spokes.” A neat, solid ridge caps each band, and the top closes into a soft dome with a chain hanging loop.
The whole ornament is one color, bright white, so the lace looks icy against green branches and warm string lights. The style is classic thread lace. It is light enough to hang from the thinnest twig without bending it.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished icicle is 5.5 in (14.0 cm) long from tip to top. The hanging loop adds 1.5 in (3.8 cm), so the total hanging length is about 7 in (17.8 cm). At its widest, the icicle is about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) across, with a circumference of 4 in (10.2 cm).
Construction is simple. You start at the tip with a magic ring and work upward in joined rounds. Each “tier” has two rounds: an open round of trebles separated by chain-1 spaces, then a single crochet ridge round that adds stitches to widen the cone. After ten tiers, three decrease rounds close the top and a chain loop finishes it. Light stiffening keeps the cone crisp.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 5.5 in (14.0 cm) long; 1.25 in (3.2 cm) across at the widest point
- Hanging loop: 1.5 in (3.8 cm)
- Skill level: Easy-intermediate (thread work, joined rounds)
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Size 3 crochet cotton thread
- Hook: 2.25 mm (US B-1)
- Number of pieces: 1 (a single piece worked in the round)
- Layout: One vertical cone, tip down, loop up
- Piece size: 5.5 in (14.0 cm) long x 4 in (10.2 cm) around at the widest point
- Size before top closure (“border”): 5.25 in (13.3 cm) long after Round 22
- Top closure depth: 0.25 in (0.6 cm)
Materials
Choose a smooth, mercerized size 3 cotton thread. Mercerized cotton has a slight sheen, shows the lace spokes clearly, and holds starch well. Avoid fuzzy or acrylic threads. They blur the open spaces and don’t stiffen as cleanly.
- White, size 3 cotton thread: about 6 g / 20 m per icicle. Have 10 g / 30 m on hand.
These amounts include extra for a test start, the hanging loop, and weaving in ends. One standard ball makes many icicles.
Tools:
- 2.25 mm (US B-1) steel or aluminum hook
- Locking stitch marker
- Tapestry needle with an eye small enough for thread
- Small sharp scissors
- Fabric stiffener or heavy spray starch
- Plastic wrap, plus a rolled paper cone or other tapered form for drying
- Rustproof pins and a ruler or tape measure
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch: chain
- sl st: slip stitch
- sc: single crochet
- tr: treble crochet (yarn over twice, insert hook, pull up a loop, [yarn over, pull through 2 loops] 3 times)
- sc2tog: single crochet 2 together (insert hook in next st, pull up a loop, insert hook in following st, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through all 3 loops)
- sp: space
- st(s): stitch(es)
- MR: magic ring
- beg: beginning
Special stitch: Spoke. One tr followed by ch 1. The beg ch-5 of each open round counts as the first tr plus its ch-1.
Counting note: In open rounds, each tr and each ch-1 sp counts as one stitch. An open round with 8 spokes therefore has 16 stitches.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 8 sc and 9 sc rounds = 1 in (2.5 cm). One tier (one open round plus one ridge round) = 0.5 in (1.3 cm) tall.
Because this is a single ornament, the first part of the icicle is your gauge test. Work Rounds 1–10, then measure before you continue.
Checkpoints:
- After Round 2 (tip): 0.25 in (0.6 cm) tall.
- After Round 10 (4 tiers): 2.25 in (5.7 cm) long; 3 in (7.6 cm) around; 24 sts.
- After Round 16 (7 tiers): 3.75 in (9.5 cm) long; 4 in (10.2 cm) around; 32 sts.
- After Round 22 (10 tiers): 5.25 in (13.3 cm) long.
- After Round 25 (closed top): 5.5 in (14.0 cm) long.
If your icicle is too big (more than 2.5 in / 6.4 cm long at Round 10), switch to a 2.0 mm hook or work the trebles a little tighter. If it is too small (less than 2 in / 5.1 cm long at Round 10), switch to a 2.5 mm hook. The stitch counts stay the same either way. Only the size changes.
Pattern
Work in joined rounds with the right side facing you. Do not turn. Move the marker to the first stitch of each round.
Thread Tips
Thread is slippery. Hold it with a little more tension than yarn, and pull each loop up to its full height before you finish the stitch. Trebles look best when every spoke is the same height. Pinch the work just below the hook so the narrow cone doesn’t spin as you go.
The Tip
Round 1: MR, ch 1, 4 sc in ring, pull ring closed, sl st in first sc to join. (4 sts)
Round 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in each st around, sl st in first sc to join. (8 sts)
The tip should be firm and pointed. Pull the ring tail snug from the inside.
How Each Tier Works
Each tier has one open round and one ridge round.
Open round (all tiers): Ch 5 (counts as tr + ch 1), skip next st, *tr in next st, ch 1, skip next st; repeat from * around, sl st in 4th ch of beg ch-5 to join. The open round always has half as many spokes as the round below it has stitches.
Ridge round: Ch 1. Work 1 sc in every tr and every ch-1 sp, putting 2 sc in some of the ch-1 sps as listed for each round. The first sc goes into the same st as the join (the first tr). Sl st in first sc to join.
Ridge rounds are conversion rounds, so their counts are shown as (stitches worked 1 per existing st) + (extra stitches added).
Tier 1
Round 3 (open): Work the open round. (4 spokes: 4 tr + 4 ch-1 sps = 8 sts)
Round 4 (ridge): Ch 1, *sc in tr, 2 sc in ch-1 sp; repeat from * 3 more times, join. (8 + 4 = 12 sts)
Tier 2
Round 5 (open): Work the open round. (6 spokes = 12 sts)
Round 6 (ridge): Ch 1, *[sc in tr, 2 sc in ch-1 sp] twice, sc in tr, sc in ch-1 sp; repeat from * once more, join. (12 + 4 = 16 sts)
Tier 3
Round 7 (open): Work the open round. (8 spokes = 16 sts)
Round 8 (ridge): Ch 1, *sc in tr, 2 sc in ch-1 sp, sc in tr, sc in ch-1 sp; repeat from * 3 more times, join. (16 + 4 = 20 sts)
Tier 4
Round 9 (open): Work the open round. (10 spokes = 20 sts)
Round 10 (ridge): Ch 1, *sc in tr, 2 sc in ch-1 sp, sc in tr, sc in ch-1 sp, sc in tr, 2 sc in ch-1 sp, [sc in tr, sc in ch-1 sp] twice; repeat from * once more, join. (20 + 4 = 24 sts)
Checkpoint: 2.25 in (5.7 cm) long. Check your gauge now.
Tier 5
Round 11 (open): Work the open round. (12 spokes = 24 sts)
Round 12 (ridge): Ch 1, *sc in tr, 2 sc in ch-1 sp, [sc in tr, sc in ch-1 sp] twice; repeat from * 3 more times, join. (24 + 4 = 28 sts)
Tier 6
Round 13 (open): Work the open round. (14 spokes = 28 sts)
Round 14 (ridge): Ch 1, *sc in tr, 2 sc in ch-1 sp, [sc in tr, sc in ch-1 sp] twice, sc in tr, 2 sc in ch-1 sp, [sc in tr, sc in ch-1 sp] 3 times; repeat from * once more, join. (28 + 4 = 32 sts)
Tier 7
Round 15 (open): Work the open round. (16 spokes = 32 sts)
Round 16 (ridge): Ch 1, *sc in tr, sc in ch-1 sp; repeat from * around, join. (32 + 0 = 32 sts)
Checkpoint: 3.75 in (9.5 cm) long; 4 in (10.2 cm) around.
Tiers 8–10
Rounds 17–22: Repeat Rounds 15 and 16 three more times. Each open round has 16 spokes (32 sts). Each ridge round has 32 + 0 = 32 sts.
Checkpoint: 5.25 in (13.3 cm) long, with 10 visible tiers.
Border: Top Closure and Hanging Loop
This ornament has no flat edge, so its “border” is the closing dome plus the loop. The gauge here is the same sc gauge: 8 sts = 1 in (2.5 cm). The three decrease rounds curve inward, so together they add only about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) to the length.
Round 23: Ch 1, sc2tog around, join. (16 sts)
Round 24: Ch 1, sc2tog around, join. (8 sts)
Round 25: Ch 1, sc2tog around, join. (4 sts)
Hanging loop: Ch 25, sl st in first st of Round 25. Fasten off, leaving a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail. Thread the tail through the front loops of the 4 remaining sts, pull closed, and weave the tail in through the dome.
The 25-chain measures about 3 in (7.6 cm) and folds into a 1.5 in (3.8 cm) loop.
Why the math works: The widest round has 32 sts, which halves cleanly three times: 32 to 16 to 8 to 4. Every sc2tog uses exactly 2 sts, so there are no leftover stitches and the dome closes evenly without a lopsided pucker. The 4-st center at the top mirrors the 4-st magic ring at the tip.
Final Blocking
- Check that the tip is fully closed, then weave in the tip tail.
- Soak the icicle in fabric stiffener, or saturate it with heavy spray starch.
- Gently squeeze out the extra. Don’t wring it.
- Wrap a rolled paper cone or other tapered form in plastic wrap.
- Slide the icicle over the form, tip down. Ease each tier straight so the spokes run up and down.
- Check the length: 5.5 in (14.0 cm) from tip to top. Nudge the tiers up or down to match.
- Pin the hanging loop flat and straight.
- Let it dry completely, usually overnight, before removing the form.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- The Round 22 ridge has 32 sts, and Round 25 has 4 sts.
- Ten tiers are visible, each with evenly spaced spokes.
- The tip is sharp and closed, with no hole.
- The joins line up in one neat column at the back.
- The length is 5.5 in (14.0 cm) and the widest point is 1.25 in (3.2 cm) across.
- The hanging loop is 1.5 in (3.8 cm) and sits centered on the dome.
- All ends are woven in and trimmed close.
- The cone holds its shape when hung.
Troubleshooting
The cone twists into a spiral. Joined rounds tend to drift a little. Keep the join column straight by always putting the first sc into the joining tr. Blocking also fixes a mild twist.
The spokes lean or look uneven. Pull each tr to the same height before you finish it. Keep the chain-1s loose but consistent.
A ridge round has the wrong count. Check that you worked into every tr and every ch-1 sp. Missing a sp is the most common mistake.
The tip has a hole. Pull the magic ring tail tighter and stitch the hole closed from the inside.
The dome puckers. Make sure Round 22 has exactly 32 sts so each decrease round halves evenly.
The icicle is too stubby. Your trebles are probably short. Pull up taller loops, or try a hook 0.25 mm larger.
The loop sits off-center. Before fastening off, slip stitch the loop into the stitch directly opposite the round’s join.
The icicle droops. Soak it in stiffener again and dry it on a form.
Care
Dust gently with a soft brush. If it needs washing, hand wash in cool water, then stiffen and block it on a form again.
Final Notes
Everything depends on one measurement chain: 8 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm), one tier = 0.5 in (1.3 cm), the tip = 0.25 in (0.6 cm), and the dome = 0.25 in (0.6 cm). Ten tiers plus the tip and dome give 5.5 in (14.0 cm). The 32 sts in the widest rounds give a 4 in (10.2 cm) circumference and a width of about 1.25 in (3.2 cm). Check your work at Rounds 10, 16, and 22, and each icicle will match the last. Make a whole frosty set for the tree.
Happy crocheting!