The Midnight Lantern is an open, airy Christmas ornament shaped like an old-fashioned glass lantern. Two navy cones of long ribbed stitches sit at the top and bottom. Between them, four chain arcs make a light, see-through body that lets the tree lights show through.
The palette is just navy and cream. The navy gives the frame depth, and the cream single-crochet edging traces every curve so the shape reads clearly from across the room. The style is classic and a little vintage, and it looks good next to gold baubles and pinecones.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished ornament measures about 4 in (10.2 cm) wide and 5.25 in (13.3 cm) tall. The hanging loop adds about 1.25 in (3.2 cm), for an overall hanging length of about 6.5 in (16.5 cm).
Construction is simple. First you make two identical caps, each a cream single-crochet band topped with a navy row of treble crochet that you gather into a point. Next you link the caps with one continuous navy chain path that forms all four arcs. Then a single cream edging pass covers each arc. Last, you add a cream collar with a hanging loop at the top and a small knob at the bottom tip.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 4 in (10.2 cm) wide x 5.25 in (13.3 cm) tall, not counting the loop
- With hanging loop: about 6.5 in (16.5 cm)
- Skill level: Easy-intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK / light worsted (#3), cotton
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
- Number of pieces: 1 finished ornament (two small caps are linked by the chain frame as you work)
- Layout: Vertical lantern: top cap, open four-arc body, bottom cap
- Cap size: 2.2 in (5.6 cm) wide at the band, about 1 in (2.5 cm) tall
- Size before border: about 3.6 in (9.1 cm) wide across the navy chain frame
- Border (cream arc edging) depth: about 0.2 in (0.5 cm) per side
Materials
Use a smooth mercerized or combed cotton in DK weight. Cotton holds the arcs crisply and gives the long treble ribs clear definition. Acrylic will also work, but it relaxes more and may need a stiffener.
- Navy (Color A): 8 g / about 20 m
- Cream (Color B): 6 g / about 15 m
- 3.5 mm (E-4) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Rust-proof pins and a foam blocking mat
- Spray bottle of water
- Optional: fabric stiffener, or white glue diluted 1:1 with water
- Optional: stitch markers
All quantities include a margin of about 25% for your gauge swatch and tails.
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 together
- tr – treble crochet (yarn over twice, insert hook, pull up a loop, [yarn over, pull through 2 loops] 3 times)
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- free loop – the unused bottom loop of a foundation chain, under a stitch
Special technique: gather. Thread the yarn tail onto a tapestry needle. Pass it from front to back under the top loops of every stitch in the row, including the turning chain. Pull firmly so the tops draw together into a point, then pass the needle through the center twice to lock it.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 20 sc and 22 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm) in rows of sc. That works out to 5 sc per inch (2.5 cm).
You don’t need a full swatch. Make the first cap and treat it as your test piece.
Checkpoint 1: Cap Row 1 (11 sc) should measure 2.2 in (5.6 cm).
Checkpoint 2: One tr in Cap Row 2 should stand about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) tall.
Checkpoint 3: After joining the frame, the gap between the two cap bands should be 2.75 in (7.0 cm). The navy frame should spread to about 3.6 in (9.1 cm) wide.
Checkpoint 4: After the cream edging, the ornament should measure 4 in (10.2 cm) x 5.25 in (13.3 cm).
If Row 1 is over 2.4 in (6.1 cm), go down to a 3.25 mm hook. If it is under 2 in (5.1 cm), go up to a 3.75 mm hook. Change hooks before you make the second cap, so both caps match.
Cap (Make 2)
Both caps are identical. One will point up and the other will point down.
Row 1 (Color B, cream): Ch 12. Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (11 sc) Fasten off.
This flat strip is the cream band. Leave the foundation chain’s free loops alone; you will work into them later.
Row 2 (Color A, navy): With the right side facing, join navy in the first sc of Row 1. Ch 4 (counts as first tr). Tr in each of the next 10 sc. (11 tr, including the beginning ch-4) Fasten off, leaving a 8 in (20.3 cm) tail.
Gather: Use the navy tail to gather the tops of all 11 stitches into a point, following the special technique above. The tr posts now fan down from the point to the cream band like the ribs of a lantern roof. Weave the tail in at the point and trim.
The cap measures 2.2 in (5.6 cm) across the band and about 1 in (2.5 cm) from band to point. It will dome slightly, which is intended.
Top Collar and Hanging Loop (first cap only)
Collar Rnd 1 (Color B): Join cream at the gathered point of one cap. Ch 1. Work 6 sc into the center of the gather and around the gathered strands. Sl st to the first sc. (6 sc)
Loop: Ch 15. Sl st into the first sc of the collar to close the loop. Fasten off and weave in the end.
The collar makes a small cream ring about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) tall. The ch-15 loop hangs about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) above it.
Bottom Tip (second cap only)
Tip Rnd 1 (Color B): Join cream at the gathered point of the second cap. Ch 1. Work 6 sc around the gather as for the top collar. Sl st to the first sc. (6 sc)
Tip Rnd 2: Ch 1. [Sc2tog] 3 times. (3 sts) Fasten off. Thread the tail through the 3 remaining stitches, pull it closed and weave it in.
This makes a small cream knob about 0.4 in (1.0 cm) long that finishes the lower point.
Navy Chain Frame
Lay the caps on a flat surface with the collared cap at the top, point up, and the tipped cap at the bottom, point down. Their cream bands should face each other, 2.75 in (7.0 cm) apart, with the foundation edges (the free loops) toward the gap.
Number the free loops 1 to 11 from left to right on both caps. Placing markers in loops 1, 4, 8 and 11 of each cap makes the next steps easier.
Frame (Color A, navy):
- Join navy in free loop 1 of the top cap. Ch 18. Sl st in free loop 1 of the bottom cap. (left outer arc)
- Sl st in free loops 2, 3 and 4 of the bottom cap. (3 sl st)
- Ch 15. Sl st in free loop 4 of the top cap. (left inner arc)
- Sl st in free loops 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the top cap. (4 sl st)
- Ch 15. Sl st in free loop 8 of the bottom cap. (right inner arc)
- Sl st in free loops 9, 10 and 11 of the bottom cap. (3 sl st)
- Ch 18. Sl st in free loop 11 of the top cap. (right outer arc)
Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Frame count: 18 + 15 + 15 + 18 = 66 ch in the four arcs, plus 10 traveling sl sts (3 + 4 + 3).
Check that no chain is twisted. Each arc should lie flat with the V’s of the chain facing you. The outer arcs bow out to about 3.6 in (9.1 cm) wide. The two inner arcs bow gently apart to make a central oval about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) wide at its widest point.
Border: Cream Arc Edging
This is the ornament’s border. One pass of cream sc runs along every arc, which turns the floppy chains into firm, defined curves.
Border gauge: 1 sc per chain, which matches the 5-per-inch gauge. Work each sc into the back bump of the chain so that the navy V’s stay visible as a thin line on one side.
Edging (Color B, cream):
- Join cream in free loop 1 of the top cap, at the base of the left outer arc. Ch 1. Sc in each of the 18 ch of the left outer arc, keeping the sc on the outer (convex) side. (18 sc) Sl st in free loop 1 of the bottom cap.
- Sl st in free loops 2 and 3 of the bottom cap. (2 sl st)
- Sc in each of the 15 ch of the left inner arc, working upward and keeping the sc on the side facing the left outer arc. (15 sc) Sl st in free loop 4 of the top cap.
- Sl st in free loops 5, 6 and 7 of the top cap. (3 sl st)
- Sc in each of the 15 ch of the right inner arc, working downward and keeping the sc on the side facing the right outer arc. (15 sc) Sl st in free loop 8 of the bottom cap.
- Sl st in free loops 9 and 10 of the bottom cap. (2 sl st)
- Sc in each of the 18 ch of the right outer arc, working upward on the outer side. (18 sc) Sl st in free loop 11 of the top cap.
Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Edging count: 18 + 15 + 15 + 18 = 66 sc, which exactly matches the 66 frame chains.
Why the math works: At 5 sc per inch, each outer arc of 18 sc is 3.6 in (9.1 cm) long. Bridging a 2.75 in (7.0 cm) gap while bowing out about 0.7 in (1.8 cm) on each side takes roughly 3.4–3.6 in (8.6–9.1 cm) of arc, so 18 stitches fits without slack or strain.
Each inner arc of 15 sc is 3.0 in (7.6 cm) long. That is just enough to bridge the same gap with a gentle 0.4 in (1.0 cm) bow.
Working 1 sc per chain on the outside of each curve makes that outside edge slightly longer than the chain side. This locks the arcs into their bowed shape instead of letting them sag straight.
The two 0.2 in (0.5 cm) edging ridges on the outer arcs bring the width from 3.6 in (9.1 cm) to 4 in (10.2 cm).
For height: collar 0.25 in (0.6 cm) + cap 1 in (2.5 cm) + gap 2.75 in (7.0 cm) + cap 1 in (2.5 cm) + tip 0.25 in (0.6 cm) = 5.25 in (13.3 cm). The tip knob tucks partly against the gathered point, so only about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) of it adds length.
Final Blocking
- Weave in and trim every remaining tail, hiding navy tails in navy stitches and cream tails in cream.
- Spray the ornament until it is evenly damp but not dripping.
- Lay it face up on the blocking mat. Pin the top collar and the bottom tip so the center line is 5.25 in (13.3 cm) long.
- Pin each cap band straight and level, 2.75 in (7.0 cm) apart.
- Pin the widest point of each outer arc so the total width is 4 in (10.2 cm). Put several pins along each curve so it stays smooth.
- Pin the inner arcs into a symmetrical central oval about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) wide.
- Gently press the treble ribs on both cones so they fan evenly.
- If you want a stiffer ornament, brush on fabric stiffener or diluted glue now, concentrating on the arcs.
- Let it dry completely, usually overnight, before you unpin it.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Both cap bands have 11 sc and both cones have 11 tr.
- The cone points are gathered tightly with no visible hole.
- The top collar has 6 sc and the hanging loop is ch 15.
- The bottom tip is closed neatly to 3 stitches.
- The outer arcs have 18 ch and 18 sc each; the inner arcs have 15 ch and 15 sc each.
- No chain arc is twisted.
- The ornament measures 4 in (10.2 cm) x 5.25 in (13.3 cm).
- It is symmetrical left to right.
- All ends are woven in invisibly.
- It hangs straight from the loop.
Troubleshooting
The cones look flat or ruffled. The gather is too loose. Undo it and gather again, pulling firmly before you lock the center.
The arcs sag or droop. Your chains are too loose compared with your sc. Remake the frame one hook size smaller for the chains only, or stiffen the arcs during blocking.
The arcs pucker or pull the caps toward each other. Your chains are too tight. Remake them one hook size larger.
The arcs twist. Check each chain before you slip stitch into the opposite cap. Rotate it until the V’s face up.
The ornament leans to one side. Count the chains in each arc. Both outer arcs must be 18 and both inner arcs must be 15.
The cream edging flips to the wrong side. Hold the arc so the side where you want the sc faces you, then keep working into the back bumps.
The ornament hangs crooked. Re-center the hanging loop on the collar, or block again with the center line pinned straight.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with a mild soap, press the water out in a towel, and reshape and pin it flat to dry. If you used stiffener, spot clean only, and store the ornament flat in tissue.
Final Notes
The whole lantern rests on one measurement chain. Each cap band of 11 sc measures 2.2 in (5.6 cm) and sets the shoulders of the frame. The 18-chain outer arcs and 15-chain inner arcs bridge a 2.75 in (7.0 cm) gap. A matching 66-stitch cream edging locks the curves in place and adds 0.2 in (0.5 cm) per side. The result is an ornament that blocks to 4 in (10.2 cm) x 5.25 in (13.3 cm), with a loop that brings it to 6.5 in (16.5 cm) on the tree.
Check your first cap band, count every arc, and the rest will fall into place. Make a few in different color pairs and hang them where the lights can shine through.
Happy crocheting!