Hearthside Pines is a cozy holiday garland of five small Christmas trees hung from a cream cord. Each tree has a deep burgundy body made of granny-style shells, with little open triangles between the shells. A cream scalloped edge, a short cream trunk and a cream hanging loop at the tip finish each tree.
There are only two colors: a warm wine-red burgundy for the trees and a soft cream for the trunks, edging, loops and cord. The look is Nordic-cabin simple, and the garland suits a kitchen window, a mantel or a bookshelf.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. Each finished tree is 4.75 in (12.1 cm) wide and 4.75 in (12.1 cm) tall from the border tip to the trunk base, or 5.75 in (14.6 cm) tall with the hanging loop. The cord is 48.25 in (122.6 cm) long, and the section with the trees is 28.75 in (73.0 cm) wide.
The construction is simple. You work each tree body flat in rows from the base up, with one fewer shell in each row. Next you add a cream trunk to the underside of the foundation chain, then work a two-round scalloped border and a hanging loop around the body. Last, you chain the cord and catch all five loops into it as you go.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished garland: cord 48.25 in (122.6 cm); tree section 28.75 in (73.0 cm)
- Skill level: Easy / advanced beginner
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Worsted (#4)
- Hook: 4.0 mm (US G-6)
- Number of pieces: 5 trees + 1 cord
- Layout: 1 row of 5 trees, spaced 6 in (15.2 cm) center to center
- Piece size (bordered tree): 4.75 in (12.1 cm) wide x 4.75 in (12.1 cm) tall, plus a 1 in (2.5 cm) loop
- Size before border: body 3.75 in (9.5 cm) wide x 3.25 in (8.3 cm) tall
- Border depth: 0.5 in (1.3 cm) on each body edge
Materials
Use a smooth worsted-weight cotton or cotton blend with about 85 yd (78 m) per 50 g. Cotton keeps the shells and scallops crisp while the garland hangs. Acrylic also works, but it drapes a little more.
- Burgundy (tree bodies): 20 g, about 31 m
- Cream (trunks, borders, loops, cord): 35 g, about 55 m
These amounts include a margin of about 25% for a test tree and yarn tails.
Tools:
- 4.0 mm (US G-6) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Stitch markers (2–3)
- Ruler or tape measure
- Blocking mat and rust-proof pins
- Spray bottle with water
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- sp – space
- RS – right side
Special stitches
- Shell: 3 dc in the same stitch or space. When a row starts with ch 3, that ch 3 counts as the first dc of the shell.
- Scallop: (hdc, dc, hdc) all in the same stitch.
- Joining chain (jch): Slide the tree’s hanging loop onto your hook next to the working loop, yarn over and pull through both. A jch counts as 1 chain and locks the tree onto the cord.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Make one complete tree before you start the others. That first tree is your gauge swatch.
Gauge: 4 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm); 4 sc rows = 1 in (2.5 cm); 5 shell rows = 3 in (7.6 cm).
Checkpoints:
- After Row 1, the strip of 15 sc is 3.75 in (9.5 cm) wide.
- After Row 6, the body is 3.75 in (9.5 cm) wide at the base and 3.25 in (8.3 cm) tall.
- The trunk is 1.25 in (3.2 cm) wide and 1 in (2.5 cm) long.
- After the border, the tree is 4.75 in (12.1 cm) wide.
- On the cord, 4 ch = 1 in (2.5 cm), measured after the sl st return row.
If your tree is too big, go down to a 3.75 mm hook. If it is too small, go up to a 4.5 mm hook. If only the shell rows are too tall, you are probably pulling the dc loops up too far. Snug each loop down onto the hook shaft.
Tree Body (Burgundy)
The body is worked flat in rows. From Row 3 on, each shell sits in the gap between two shells of the row below, which leaves small open triangles between the shells.
Foundation: With burgundy, ch 16.
Row 1 (RS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn. (15 sc)
Row 2: Ch 1, sc in first sc, [shell in next sc, skip 2 sc] 4 times, shell in next sc, sc in last sc. Turn. (5 shells + 2 sc = 17 sts)
The 2 skipped sc between shells make the first row of open gaps.
Row 3: Sl st in first sc and in each of next 3 dc, then sl st in sp between first and second shells. Ch 3, 2 dc in same sp (first shell made), shell in each of next 3 sps between shells. Turn. (4 shells = 12 dc)
Row 4: Sl st in each of first 3 dc, then sl st in sp between first and second shells. Ch 3, 2 dc in same sp, shell in each of next 2 sps. Turn. (3 shells = 9 dc)
Row 5: Sl st in each of first 3 dc, then sl st in sp between first and second shells. Ch 3, 2 dc in same sp, shell in next sp. Turn. (2 shells = 6 dc)
Row 6: Sl st in each of first 3 dc, then sl st in sp between the 2 shells. Ch 3, 2 dc in same sp. (1 shell = 3 dc)
Fasten off and weave in the ends. You now have a stepped triangle with 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 shells from base to tip.
Checkpoint: 3.75 in (9.5 cm) wide x 3.25 in (8.3 cm) tall.
Trunk (Cream)
The trunk is worked into the free loops on the underside of the foundation chain, which are left unused after Row 1. Number these 15 foundation stitches 1–15, starting from either end. The trunk uses the middle 5 stitches, numbers 6–10.
Row 1: Hold the tree upside down with the RS facing you. Join cream with a sl st in the free loop of foundation st 6. Ch 1, sc in same st and in each of the next 4 free loops. Turn. (5 sc)
Rows 2–4: Ch 1, sc in each sc across. Turn. (5 sc)
Fasten off after Row 4 and weave in the ends.
Checkpoint: The trunk is 1.25 in (3.2 cm) wide x 1 in (2.5 cm) long. Foundation stitches 1–5 and 11–15 are still free for the border.
Make All Pieces
Make 5 trees. Finish each tree in this order: body, trunk, Border Rounds 1–2, then the hanging loop. The border and loop instructions are in the Border section below. When all 5 trees are done, make the cord as described in the Joining section.
Yarn per piece:
- Burgundy: 5 bodies, about 6 m each
- Cream: about 8 m per tree for the trunk, border and loop (5 trees); about 9 m for the cord
Layout grid (front view):
tie ---[T1]---[T2]---[T3]---[T4]---[T5]--- tie
12 in 6 in 6 in 6 in 6 in 12 in
Each tie end is 12 in (30.5 cm) long. The 6 in (15.2 cm) spacing is measured from the center of one loop to the center of the next, which leaves a 1.25 in (3.2 cm) gap between neighboring trees.
Joining
You join the trees by catching each hanging loop into the cord as you chain. Each joining chain takes the place of one regular chain. That means the trees can’t slide, and the stitch count sets the spacing, so you don’t have to judge it by eye.
Cord: With cream, ch 48, jch through the loop of Tree 1, [ch 23, jch through the loop of the next tree] 4 times, ch 48. (193 ch)
Stitch logic: Each jch counts as 1 chain. From one jch to the next is 23 ch + 1 jch = 24 ch. At 4 ch per inch, that is 6 in (15.2 cm). The total is 48 + 1 + (4 x 24) + 48 = 193 ch.
Return row: Ch 1, turn. Sl st in the back bump of each ch across, including each jch. (193 sl sts)
Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Tension advice: Chain at an even, medium tension. Keep the sl st return row loose so the cord stays flexible, because a tight return row shortens the cord and makes it curl. Before each jch, check that the tree faces RS forward and its loop isn’t twisted.
Size checkpoint: Laid flat without stretching, the cord measures 48.25 in (122.6 cm). From the outer edge of Tree 1 to the outer edge of Tree 5 is 4 x 6 in + 4.75 in = 28.75 in (73.0 cm).
Border
Work this border around each tree body separately, before joining. There is no border around the garland as a whole. The border skips the trunk, so the trunk has no edging.
Border gauge: Rnd 1 adds 0.25 in (0.6 cm) and Rnd 2 adds 0.25 in (0.6 cm). Together they add 0.5 in (1.3 cm) to each edge of the body.
Rnd 1 (cream): With the RS facing, join cream with a sl st in the center dc of the Row 6 shell. Ch 1, 3 sc in same st (top corner).
First side: Working down, 2 sc around the end post of each of Rows 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2, then 1 sc in the end of Row 1. (11 sc)
Base: 3 sc in the free loop of the first foundation st (corner), sc in each of the next 4 free loops, skip the trunk (foundation sts 6–10), sc in each of the next 4 free loops, 3 sc in the last foundation st (corner).
Second side: Working up, 1 sc in the end of Row 1, then 2 sc around the end post of each of Rows 2–6. (11 sc)
Join with a sl st to the first sc. (39 sc)
Rnd 1 counts per side. Each side count includes the center stitch of the corner at both of its ends:
- First side: 15 sts (top corner center + 1 + 11 + 1 + bottom corner center)
- Base: 12 sts (corner center + 1 + 4 + 4 + 1 + corner center)
- Second side: 15 sts
Check: 15 + 12 + 15 − 3 shared corner centers = 39. ✓
Rnd 2 (scallops): Ch 1. Sc in first sc, scallop in next st (top corner center), sc in next st.
First side: [Scallop in next st, sc in next st] 5 times, scallop in next st, sc in next st, scallop in next st (bottom corner center).
Base: Sc in next st, scallop in next st, sc in next st, scallop in next st, sc in next st. Skip past the trunk. Sc in next st, scallop in next st, sc in next st, scallop in next st, sc in next st, scallop in next st (bottom corner center).
Second side: Sc in next st, [scallop in next st, sc in next st] 5 times, scallop in next st. Join with a sl st to first sc.
(You work once into each of the 39 Rnd 1 sts: 20 sc + 19 scallops x 3 sts = 20 + 57 = 77 sts)
Scallop count: 6 on each slanted side, 2 on each half of the base and 1 on each of the 3 corners: 6 + 6 + 2 + 2 + 3 = 19. ✓
Hanging loop: Sl st in the next hdc and the next dc (the center of the top scallop). Ch 10, sl st in same dc. Work 14 sc into the ch-10 loop, then sl st in same dc. Fasten off and weave in the ends. (The loop is 1 in / 2.5 cm tall.)
Why the math works: Scallops fall on every other stitch, and each corner center gets a scallop. Each slanted side has 13 stitches between its two corner centers (1 + 11 + 1). Starting and ending with sc, that gives 7 sc and 6 scallops. Each half of the base has 5 stitches between the corner center and the trunk, which gives 3 sc and 2 scallops. Both sides match, so the tree hangs straight. The 3-sc corners in Rnd 1 give the corner scallops room to open without cupping.
Bordered size: The tree is 3.75 in + 2 x 0.5 in = 4.75 in (12.1 cm) wide. The bordered body is 3.25 in + 2 x 0.5 in = 4.25 in (10.8 cm) tall. The trunk shows 0.5 in (1.3 cm) below the base scallops, so the total height is 0.5 + 3.25 + 1 = 4.75 in (12.1 cm).
Final Blocking
- Spray the whole garland lightly with water until it is damp but not soaked.
- Lay it on the blocking mat with the cord running straight across the top.
- Pin each tree to 4.75 in (12.1 cm) wide across the base scallops and 4.75 in (12.1 cm) tall from tip to trunk base.
- Pin the 3 corner scallops first, then pin open each side scallop.
- Pin the trunk square at 1.25 in x 1 in (3.2 cm x 2.5 cm).
- Check that the trees are 6 in (15.2 cm) apart, center to center, along the cord.
- Let everything dry completely, usually 6–8 hours, before you remove the pins.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Each body has rows of 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 shells, with open triangles between the shells.
- Each trunk is 5 sc wide and 4 rows long, centered on foundation sts 6–10.
- Each tree has 39 sc in Rnd 1, and 77 sts with 19 scallops in Rnd 2.
- The trunk has no border.
- Each hanging loop is 1 in (2.5 cm) tall and firmly attached to the top scallop.
- All 5 trees face RS forward.
- The cord is 193 ch, or 48.25 in (122.6 cm), with 12 in (30.5 cm) ties at each end.
- All ends are woven in securely.
Troubleshooting
The tree leans to one side. A shell probably went into the wrong space. Rows 3–6 should have 4, 3, 2 and 1 shells.
The sides ripple. There are too many sc along the sides in Rnd 1. Use exactly 11 sc per side.
The tip or base corners cup. Check that each corner in Rnd 1 has 3 sc.
The trunk is off-center. Recount the foundation stitches. The trunk must start in st 6.
The trees twist on the cord. Redo the jch with the loop flat and the RS facing you.
The cord is too short. The sl st return row is too tight. Rework it more loosely or with a 4.5 mm hook.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, roll in a towel to press out the water, and dry flat, pinning to shape if needed. Store the garland flat or loosely coiled so the scallops don’t get crushed.
Final Notes
Each measurement builds on the one before:
- The 15 sc base is 3.75 in (9.5 cm) wide.
- The six-row body is 3.25 in (8.3 cm) tall.
- The border adds 0.5 in (1.3 cm) to each edge, making a 4.75 in (12.1 cm) tree.
- The trunk is 1 in (2.5 cm) long.
- Each 24-ch interval on the cord is 6 in (15.2 cm).
- The full cord is 48.25 in (122.6 cm).
If your first tree meets every checkpoint, the other four trees and the cord will come out the right size too. Hang the garland up and enjoy it.
Happy crocheting!