This runner is made of airy bow-shaped lace motifs in soft butter yellow. Each bow has two fan wings of long spoke stitches. The wings meet at a wrapped, cinched center and finish in a row of rounded scallops. Short chain bars link the motifs into an open lattice, and three tassels hang from one end.
The look is light and elegant. It suits a holiday table and works just as well on a spring sideboard. A single color keeps the focus on texture. Cream, ivory or pale gold would also work well with candlelight.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished runner measures 13 in (33.0 cm) wide by 53.5 in (135.9 cm) long, not counting tassels. Each tassel adds 4 in (10.2 cm).
You make 36 motifs and join each one as you go during its last round. Then you wrap each bow center, block the runner, and add the tassels. No separate seaming pass is needed.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 13 in x 53.5 in (33.0 cm x 135.9 cm), plus 4 in (10.2 cm) tassels
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK (weight 3) cotton
- Hook: 3.5 mm (US E-4)
- Number of pieces: 36 motifs, joined as you go
- Layout: 3 motifs wide x 12 motifs long
- Motif size: 4 in (10.2 cm) wide x 4 in (10.2 cm) tall
- Join bar length: 0.5 in (1.3 cm)
- Size before border: 13 in x 53.5 in (33.0 cm x 135.9 cm)
- Border depth: 0 in (0 cm). The scallop round of the motifs is the finished edge.
Materials
Yarn: Use a smooth mercerized or combed cotton in DK weight, about 112 m (122 yd) per 50 g. Cotton shows stitch definition well, blocks crisply and holds the scallops open. Avoid fuzzy or very stretchy yarns, because they blur the spokes and let the bars sag.
- Butter yellow: 250 g (about 560 m / 612 yd), which is five 50 g balls
- Motifs: about 5 g each, so about 180 g (403 m) for all 36
- Tassels: about 8 g each, so about 24 g (54 m) for three
- Center wraps and weaving: about 10 g (22 m)
Tools:
- 3.5 mm (US E-4) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Stiff card, 4 in (10.2 cm) tall, for tassels
- Blocking mats and rust-proof pins
- Spray bottle
- Tape measure
Quantities include a margin of about 15% for gauge differences, swatching and tassel trimming.
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- tr – treble crochet
- sp – space
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- rep – repeat
- Rnd – round
Special stitch – Bar Join: Work the join-point stitch as written. Then ch 3, sl st in the matching join-point stitch of the finished neighbor motif, ch 3, and sl st in the top of the stitch you just made. Continue the round. The 6 chains and 2 sl sts form a doubled bar about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) long. The bar does not count as a motif stitch.
Scallop: (sc, hdc, 3 dc, hdc, sc) worked in the same arch, for 7 sts.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Make one complete motif first, wrap its center and block it before you start the others. Gauge matters here because every bar spacing and every final dimension depends on the motif size.
Checkpoints, measured wing tip to wing tip with the motif laid flat:
- After Rnd 1: 2 in (5.1 cm)
- After Rnd 2: 3 in (7.6 cm)
- After Rnd 3: 3.5 in (8.9 cm)
- After Rnd 4: 4 in (10.2 cm) wide and 4 in (10.2 cm) tall, measured pinch to pinch over the wrapped center
If your motif is too big (over 4.25 in / 10.8 cm), go down one hook size to 3.25 mm. Also check that your tr stitches are not pulled tall.
If your motif is too small (under 3.75 in / 9.5 cm), go up to 3.75 mm. Also loosen the chains in Rnds 2 and 3, because tight chains cup the fans.
Each 0.25 in (0.6 cm) of motif error multiplies across 12 motifs down the length. Fix gauge now, not after motif 20.
Bow Motif
Make 1 full motif as written. For every other motif, work Rnds 1–3 the same way and join during Rnd 4 (see Joining).
Ring: Ch 10, sl st to the first ch to form a ring.
Rnd 1 (two fans):
- Ch 4 (counts as tr), then 9 tr in the ring. This is wing 1.
- Ch 3.
- 10 tr in the ring. This is wing 2.
- Ch 3, sl st to the top of the beginning ch-4.
- Count: 20 tr (10 per wing) and 2 ch-3 sps (the pinches).
Push the stitches around the ring so each group of 10 fans into a half circle. The ch-3 sps sit opposite each other at the waist.
Rnd 2 (spokes):
- Ch 6 (counts as tr + ch 2).
- (Tr in next tr, ch 2) 8 times, then tr in next tr. This gives 10 tr and 9 ch-2 sps on wing 1.
- Ch 1, sc in the ch-3 sp, ch 1. This is pinch A.
- Tr in next tr, then (ch 2, tr in next tr) 9 times. This gives 10 tr and 9 ch-2 sps on wing 2.
- Ch 1, sc in the ch-3 sp, ch 1. This is pinch B.
- Sl st to the 4th ch of the beginning ch-6.
- Count: 20 tr, 18 ch-2 sps, 2 pinch sc and 4 ch-1 sps.
This round is a spacing round. The tr count stays at 20 and the fans open out to make the long spokes.
Rnd 3 (arches):
- Ch 1, sc in the same st.
- (Ch 4, sc in next tr) 9 times. This gives 10 sc and 9 arches on wing 1.
- Ch 2, sc in the pinch A sc, ch 2.
- Sc in next tr, then (ch 4, sc in next tr) 9 times. This gives 10 sc and 9 arches on wing 2.
- Ch 2, sc in the pinch B sc, ch 2.
- Sl st to the first sc.
- Count: 22 sc (20 on the spokes plus 2 at the pinches), 18 ch-4 arches and 4 ch-2 sps.
Rnd 4 (scallop edge):
- Ch 1.
- *Work 1 Scallop in each of the next 9 ch-4 arches. Then 2 sc in the next ch-2 sp, sc in the pinch sc, and 2 sc in the next ch-2 sp. Rep from * once more.
- Sl st to the first sc and fasten off.
- Count: 136 sts. That is 18 scallops x 7 sts = 126, plus 2 pinch groups x 5 sts = 10.
Join points: Each motif has 4 join points:
- Wing tips (left and right): the center dc of the 5th scallop on each wing. Each wing has 9 scallops, so scallop 5 is exactly at the tip.
- Pinches (top and bottom): the center sc of each pinch group.
Each quarter of the edge, from one join point to the next, has 35 sts counting both join-point stitches. Next-door quarters share their join point, so 4 x 35 − 4 = 136.
Wrap the center:
- Cut a 24 in (61.0 cm) length of yarn and thread it on the needle.
- Bring the needle from front to back through the Rnd 1 ch-3 sp at pinch A.
- Carry the yarn up the back, pass it through the opposite ch-3 sp at pinch B to the front, and carry it down the front.
- Repeat for 12 wraps. Lay them side by side so they make a smooth band about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) wide over the ring.
- Pull just snug enough to cinch the waist. Knot the yarn at the back and weave in the ends.
The motif is symmetrical, so either wing or either pinch can face any direction.
Make All Pieces
Make 36 motifs in butter yellow, about 5 g each.
Layout (3 columns x 12 rows; the numbers are working order):
Col A Col B Col C
Row 1 1 — 2 — 3
| | |
Row 2 4 — 5 — 6
| | |
Row 3 7 — 8 — 9
... ... ... ...
Row 12 34 — 35 — 36
“—” is a wing-tip bar and “|” is a pinch bar.
- Wing-tip bars: 2 per row x 12 rows = 24
- Pinch bars: 3 per row gap x 11 gaps = 33
Joining
Method: Join as you go in Rnd 4 with the Bar Join. Work each new motif’s Rnd 4 normally until you reach a join point that faces a finished neighbor. Work the Bar Join there, then carry on.
Joins for each position:
- Motif 1: No joins.
- Row 1, motifs 2 and 3: Join the left wing tip to the right wing tip of the motif on the left.
- Col A, rows 2–12: Join the top pinch to the bottom pinch of the motif above.
- Cols B and C, rows 2–12: Join the top pinch to the motif above and the left wing tip to the motif on the left. That is 2 bar joins in one round.
Stitch-to-stitch logic: Every bar connects one join-point stitch to its exact match: center dc to center dc, or pinch sc to pinch sc. No motif stitches are skipped or added. Each motif keeps its 136-st count.
Tension: Keep the two ch-3 halves of each bar the same tension as your Rnd 3 chains. Tight bars pull the wings into points and make the runner pucker. Loose bars let the lattice droop when it hangs off the table end.
Size checkpoint:
- After motifs 1–3, Row 1 should measure 3 x 4 in + 2 x 0.5 in = 13 in (33.0 cm) wide.
- After Row 6, the length should be 6 x 4 in + 5 x 0.5 in = 26.5 in (67.3 cm).
- At Row 12, the length should be 12 x 4 in + 11 x 0.5 in = 53.5 in (135.9 cm).
Border
This runner has no added border rounds. Rnd 4 of the motifs is the finished edge, and the border depth is 0 in (0 cm). A solid border would fill the open bays between motifs and lose the lattice look.
Border gauge: One scallop is about 0.6 in (1.5 cm) along the curve. Every motif edge matches the motif you blocked for your gauge check.
Edge counts:
- Each long side: 12 motifs, each showing 2 quarters (top pinch to wing tip to bottom pinch). That is 35 + 35 − 1 shared tip = 69 sts per motif, so 12 x 69 = 828 sts.
- Each short end: 3 motifs, each showing 2 quarters (wing tip to pinch to wing tip). That is also 69 sts per motif, so 3 x 69 = 207 sts.
Why the math works: The bars are chains between motifs, not edge stitches, so they add nothing to these counts. Each motif keeps its own 136 sts, and there is no extra fullness that could ruffle or tight spot that could cup.
Tassels (make 3):
- Wrap yarn 25 times around the 4 in (10.2 cm) card.
- Slip a 12 in (30.5 cm) tie strand under the loops at the top and knot it tightly.
- Cut the loops at the bottom.
- Wrap a second strand 8 times around the tassel 0.75 in (1.9 cm) below the top to form the head. Knot it and bury the ends inside the tassel.
- Use the tie strands to attach one tassel to the bottom pinch sc of each Row 12 motif. Knot securely at the back.
Trim the tassels evenly after blocking.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all remaining ends along the Rnd 3 chains, where they hide best.
- Lay the runner face up on blocking mats.
- Pin out the width to 13 in (33.0 cm) at Row 1, Row 6 and Row 12.
- Pin the length to 53.5 in (135.9 cm) down the center column.
- Pin each wing tip and each pinch so every bar lies straight at 0.5 in (1.3 cm).
- Pin the center dc of every scallop to open the edge into round curves.
- Mist the runner until damp, not soaked, and let it dry completely before unpinning.
- Steam the tassels lightly, comb the strands straight, and trim to 4 in (10.2 cm).
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- [ ] 36 motifs, each with 136 sts in Rnd 4
- [ ] 24 wing-tip bars and 33 pinch bars, all the same length
- [ ] Every center has 12 neat wraps and an even cinch
- [ ] Width is 13 in (33.0 cm) at both ends and in the middle
- [ ] Length is 53.5 in (135.9 cm)
- [ ] The spokes lie straight and the scallops are fully open
- [ ] 3 tassels, each 4 in (10.2 cm) long, firmly tied to the Row 12 pinches
- [ ] No visible knots or tails on the front
Troubleshooting
- The fans cup into bowls: Rnd 2 or Rnd 3 chains are too tight. Loosen your chains, or work them with a hook one size larger.
- The motif ruffles: The chains are too loose, or you worked extra stitches in the scallops. Recount 7 sts per scallop.
- The wings don’t line up across a row: One of the bars was worked from the wrong scallop. The tip is always scallop 5 of 9.
- The runner narrows in the middle: Some bars are tighter than others. Re-block with pins on every bar.
- The center looks lumpy: Remove the wraps and redo them side by side without crossing.
- The tassels splay: Tighten the head wrap and steam the strands straight.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with a mild detergent. Roll the runner in a towel to remove the water, then dry it flat, reshaping and pinning the scallops if needed.
Final Notes
All the measurements build on one motif:
- Rnd 1 is 2 in (5.1 cm), Rnd 2 is 3 in (7.6 cm), Rnd 3 is 3.5 in (8.9 cm) and Rnd 4 is 4 in (10.2 cm).
- Three motifs and two 0.5 in (1.3 cm) bars make 13 in (33.0 cm) of width.
- Twelve rows and eleven bars make 53.5 in (135.9 cm) of length.
- Three 4 in (10.2 cm) tassels finish the end.
If your first motif matches these numbers, the rest will follow.
Happy crocheting!