The Marigold Lattice Curtain is a long, airy lace panel made from small diamond motifs. Each diamond has a tiny center knot, four slim petals inside a round ring, long loops that reach out to knotted corners, and a double-strand outline. Mustard and plum diamonds alternate in a checkerboard, so the panel looks like a bright lattice when light comes through it.
The style is part macramé and part vintage filet lace. The stitches are basic: chains, single crochet, and slip stitches. The effect comes from long chain strands cut to exact lengths. This pattern uses US crochet terms throughout.
One finished panel measures 16.5 in wide x 84.5 in long (41.9 cm x 214.6 cm), including a slim edge-cord border. The photos show a pair of panels on one rod, so make two panels for a matching set.
Here’s how it’s built. You crochet the first diamond, then join each new diamond to its neighbors as you go, in the final round. The panel is 4 diamonds wide and 21 diamonds long. One round of single crochet then traces the zigzag outline, and the panel hangs from clip rings at the top points.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size (one panel): 16.5 in x 84.5 in (41.9 cm x 214.6 cm)
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK / light worsted (#3) mercerized cotton
- Hook: 3.75 mm (US F-5)
- Number of pieces: 84 diamond motifs per panel (168 for a pair)
- Layout: 4 motifs wide x 21 motifs long, set on point, joined tip to tip
- Motif size: 4 in (10.2 cm) tip to tip, in both directions
- Size before border: 16 in x 84 in (40.6 cm x 213.4 cm)
- Border depth: about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) on every edge
Materials
Choose a smooth, firm mercerized cotton or cotton blend. It holds the sharp diamond points, keeps the chain strands crisp, and won’t sag much in a window. Avoid fuzzy or very stretchy yarns. The amounts below assume a yarn with about 114 m per 50 g.
Per panel:
– Color A, Mustard: 125 g (about 285 m), for 42 motifs
– Color B, Plum: 150 g (about 342 m), for 42 motifs plus the border
For a pair: 250 g (about 570 m) of Mustard and 300 g (about 684 m) of Plum.
All amounts include a margin of about 20% for gauge differences, tails, and a test motif.
Tools:
– 3.75 mm (US F-5) crochet hook
– Tapestry needle
– Scissors
– Rust-proof pins and a blocking surface (foam mats or a towel-covered mattress)
– Spray bottle
– Tape measure
– 4 curtain clip rings per panel (8 for a pair)
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch = chain
- sc = single crochet
- sl st = slip stitch
- sp = space
- MR = magic ring
- st(s) = stitch(es)
- rnd = round
Special stitch, Pinch sc: Insert the hook through the stated chain on one side of a petal loop, then through the matching chain on the other side of the same loop. Yarn over and complete a sc through both. This cinches the loop into a small inner petal and a long outer loop.
Corner knot: (2 sc, ch 3, 2 sc) worked in one corner ch-3 sp.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 6 ch = 1 in (2.5 cm), in a relaxed chain. Gauge matters here because every strand length is planned around it.
Make one complete motif first, block it, and measure it before you start the panel. Use these checkpoints, measured gently flat:
- After Rnd 2: opposite petal tips are about 3.75 in (9.5 cm) apart.
- After Rnd 3: the center ring is about 2.25 in (5.7 cm) across.
- After Rnd 4: about 3.75 in (9.5 cm) tip to tip.
- After Rnd 5 and blocking: 4 in (10.2 cm) tip to tip in both directions.
Also count 18 sts on each side of the finished test motif. If a side has 17 or 19, recheck Rnd 5 before you go on.
If your blocked motif is larger than 4 in (10.2 cm), switch to a 3.5 mm hook or tighten your chains. If it’s smaller, switch to a 4 mm hook. Being off by 1/8 in (0.3 cm) per motif adds up to 2 5/8 in (6.7 cm) over 21 rows, so fix gauge now.
Diamond Motif
Per panel, make 42 motifs in Mustard and 42 in Plum. Work the first motif completely. Join every later motif in Rnd 5 (see Joining).
Rnd 1 (center knot): MR, ch 1, 8 sc in ring, sl st in first sc to join. Pull the ring tight. (8 sc)
Rnd 2 (petal loops): Ch 1, [sc in next sc, ch 20, sc in next sc] 4 times, sl st in first sc to join. (8 sc and 4 ch-20 petal loops)
Each ch-20 loop folds in half: chains 1 to 10 go out, and chains 11 to 20 come back. The fold between ch 10 and ch 11 is the petal tip, which becomes a corner later.
Rnd 3 (ring): Sl st in first 6 ch of first petal loop. Ch 1, Pinch sc through the 6th ch and the 15th ch of the same loop. Ch 8, Pinch sc through the 6th and 15th ch of next petal loop; repeat from * 2 more times, ch 8, sl st in first Pinch sc to join. (4 Pinch sc and 4 ch-8 arcs)*
The arcs form the round ring you can see. Each pinch splits a petal into a small inner petal and a long outer loop.
Rnd 4 (corners and inner strand): Sl st in next 4 ch of the same petal loop to reach its tip (the 10th ch). Ch 1, (sc, ch 3, sc) in tip of petal loop, ch 15; repeat from * 3 more times, working each corner in the tip of the next petal loop, sl st in first sc to join. (8 sc, 4 corner ch-3 sps, 4 ch-15 strands)*
Each side has sc + 15 ch + sc = 17 sts between corner spaces. The ch-15 strand is a little long, so it curves gently inward and forms the inner line of each side.
Rnd 5 (outer strand and corner knots): Sl st in next ch-3 corner sp. Ch 1, (2 sc, ch 3, 2 sc) in corner sp, ch 14; repeat from * 3 more times, sl st in first sc to join. Fasten off. (16 sc, 56 ch, 4 corner ch-3 sps)*
Per-side count: 2 sc + 14 ch + 2 sc = 18 sts per side. In this pattern, the 18-st side count does NOT include the corner ch-3 sp. Corners are counted separately. Total: 4 sides x 18 = 72 sts, plus 4 corner sps.
The ch-14 outer strand runs straight from knot to knot, while the ch-15 inner strand curves inward. Together they make the double-strand outline, with a narrow lens-shaped gap along each side.
Tip: Leave 6 in (15.2 cm) tails. Weave them back along the ch-15 strand of the same motif so they stay hidden and don’t stiffen the corners.
Make All Pieces
Per panel, make 42 Mustard (A) and 42 Plum (B) motifs, 84 in total. For a pair, double everything.
Set each diamond on point. Every row has 2 A and 2 B. Odd rows start with A, and even rows start with B:
Row 1: A B A B
Row 2: B A B A
Row 3: A B A B
Row 4: B A B A
...
Row 19: A B A B
Row 20: B A B A
Row 21: A B A B
Keep alternating through Row 21. That gives 11 rows of “A B A B” and 10 rows of “B A B A”.
Joining
Join as you go in Rnd 5. Each motif’s top point joins to the bottom point of the motif above it, and its left point joins to the right point of the motif to its left. The diamonds touch only at their points, so each joined point links exactly 2 motifs and the diamond-shaped windows between them stay open.
Joining corner: Instead of (2 sc, ch 3, 2 sc), work (2 sc, ch 1, sl st in neighbor’s corner ch-3 sp, ch 1, 2 sc).
Stitch-to-stitch logic: ch 1 + sl st + ch 1 = 3 sts, the same as ch 3. The joined corner stays its normal length, and each side still has 18 sts. Nothing is added at the seam.
Order: Work Row 1 from left to right, then each new row from left to right. The first motif in each row after Row 1 has 1 join (top). Every other motif after Row 1 has 2 joins (top and left).
Tension: Keep the joining sl st loose and the same height as your chains. A tight sl st pulls the points together and puckers the lattice.
Managing length: Keep the panel flat on a table while you work. Loosely roll the finished rows and pin the roll, so the weight doesn’t stretch the newest joins.
Size checkpoint: After Row 1, the strip should measure 16 in (40.6 cm) from point to point. After 5 rows, the length should be 20 in (50.8 cm). Measure it lightly stretched, the way it will sit after blocking.
Border
The border is one round of Plum sc that traces the zigzag outline like a fine cord. Border gauge matches the motif: 18 sc along each 18-st motif side, with 1 sc in each st (2 sc, 14 ch, 2 sc).
Border rules:
– Each motif side on the edge: 1 sc in each of its 18 sts.
– Each free outer point: (sc, ch 2, sc) in the corner ch-3 sp.
– Each valley (a joined point on the edge): no stitches. Go straight from the last st of one side to the first st of the next.
Rnd 1: Join Plum in any free point. Work the round following the rules above, then sl st in first sc to join. Fasten off.
Counts per edge:
– Top edge: 4 motifs x 36 sts (2 sides x 18) = 144 sc, plus 4 points x 2 sc = 8 sc. Total: 152 sc and 4 ch-2 sps.
– Bottom edge: same as top, 152 sc and 4 ch-2 sps.
– Left edge: 19 middle motifs x 36 = 684 sc. The top-left and bottom-left motifs add 18 sc each, because their other outer side belongs to the top or bottom edge, for 720 sc. Add 21 points x 2 sc = 42 sc. Total: 762 sc and 21 ch-2 sps.
– Right edge: same as left, 762 sc and 21 ch-2 sps.
– Grand total: 1,828 sc and 50 ch-2 sps.
Check: The outline has 8 + 8 + 40 + 40 = 96 motif sides. 96 x 18 = 1,728 sc, plus 50 points x 2 sc = 100 sc, which makes 1,828 sc.
Why the math works: Working exactly 1 sc per existing st keeps each edge the same length as the motif side, so the border doesn’t ruffle or pull. The ch-2 at each point gives enough ease to turn the sharp outer angle, and skipping the valleys keeps the inner angles crisp. The border adds only its own height, about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) per edge. That takes the panel from 16 in x 84 in (40.6 cm x 213.4 cm) to 16.5 in x 84.5 in (41.9 cm x 214.6 cm).
Final Blocking
- Weave in any remaining ends along chain strands, never across an open window.
- Soak the panel in cool water for 15 minutes, then press the water out gently. Don’t wring it.
- Roll it in towels to remove extra moisture.
- Lay it flat on mats or a towel-covered bed. If space is short, work in sections.
- Pin every outer point first, and check that the width is 16.5 in (41.9 cm).
- Pin each joined point inside the panel so every diamond is 4 in (10.2 cm) tip to tip.
- Gently open the lens gap along each side and center each ring.
- Let it dry completely, then unpin.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Each motif has an 8-sc center, 4 petals, 4 ring arcs, 4 corner knots, and 18 sts per side.
- The colors alternate in a true checkerboard, with 2 A and 2 B per row.
- Every joined point uses ch 1, sl st, ch 1, with no extra stitches.
- The panel is 4 motifs wide and 21 motifs long.
- The border has 152 sc on the top and bottom edges and 762 sc on each long edge.
- The finished panel measures 16.5 in x 84.5 in (41.9 cm x 214.6 cm).
- All ends are woven in securely.
Troubleshooting
Petals look round, not pointed: Your Pinch sc may be in the wrong chains. Count to the 6th and 15th ch of each loop.
Ring puckers the center: Loosen your ch-8 arcs, or go up one hook size for Rnd 3 only.
No gap between the side strands: The inner ch-15 is too tight. Chain more loosely, or block the gap open.
Panel is narrower than 16 in (40.6 cm): Your chains are tight. Check your gauge against the 6 ch = 1 in (2.5 cm) target.
Border ruffles: You added stitches in the valleys or worked 2 sc into one chain. Recount to 18 per side.
Corner knots twist: Work all 4 sc of each knot into the ch-3 sp, not into the chains themselves.
Colors are out of order: Lay out the next row’s motifs before joining, and check them against the grid.
Panel droops when hung: Add clips at the valleys too, not only at the peaks.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with a mild detergent and dry flat, re-pinning the points if needed. Don’t tumble dry, because heat and tumbling can stretch the long chain strands.
Final Notes
The measurement chain is simple. A gauge of 6 ch = 1 in (2.5 cm) gives an 18-st side and a 4 in (10.2 cm) diamond. Four diamonds make 16 in (40.6 cm) of width, and 21 rows make 84 in (213.4 cm) of length. The 1:1 border adds 0.25 in (0.6 cm) per edge, for a finished panel of 16.5 in x 84.5 in (41.9 cm x 214.6 cm).
To hang the panel, clip one ring to each of the 4 top points, and space the rings evenly along the rod. Check your first motif, measure after each row, and the full panel will hang straight and even.
Happy crocheting!