This lace curtain is made of hanging strands. Each strand alternates six-point snowflakes and diamond lace motifs, with pairs of ivory pearls between them and a soft tassel at the bottom. Hung in a sunny window, the open lace lets the light through.
The whole curtain is ivory: cream cotton thread, ivory glass pearls, and a natural wood rod. The style is airy and wintry without being overtly Christmassy, so it works in a bedroom or living room all year.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. One panel has 12 strands spaced 3.5 in (8.9 cm) apart, giving a width of 42 in (106.7 cm). Each strand hangs about 74 in (188.0 cm) from the bottom of its rod loop to the tip of the tassel. Make two panels for a pair.
You’ll crochet the snowflakes and diamonds separately, edge each diamond with a picot border, link the motifs point to point with short beaded chains, then add a hanging loop and a tassel to each strand.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished panel: 42 in (106.7 cm) wide x about 74 in (188.0 cm) long, plus the rod loop
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Size 3 mercerized cotton crochet thread (Lace, CYC 0)
- Hook: 2.25 mm (US B-1)
- Number of pieces per panel: 96 snowflakes, 96 diamonds, 192 pearl links, 12 tassels
- Layout: 12 vertical strands, each with 16 motifs alternating snowflake and diamond, staggered strand to strand
- Snowflake size: 3.5 in (8.9 cm) point to point
- Diamond size before border: 1.75 in (4.4 cm) wide x 2.75 in (7.0 cm) tall
- Diamond border depth: 0.25 in (0.6 cm), so the bordered diamond measures 2.25 in (5.7 cm) x 3.25 in (8.3 cm)
Materials
Use a smooth mercerized cotton. It holds crisp picots, doesn’t stretch much when hanging, and keeps its shape after blocking. Avoid fuzzy blends because the lace will lose definition.
Yarn (one panel):
- Ivory/Cream: 700 g, about 1,920 m (2,100 yd) of Size 3 cotton thread
For a pair of panels, double this to 1,400 g (about 3,840 m / 4,200 yd). Quantities include a margin of about 15%. Each snowflake uses about 9 m (9.8 yd), each diamond about 6 m (6.6 yd), and each tassel about 6 m (6.6 yd).
Tools and notions:
- 2.25 mm (US B-1) crochet hook
- 400 ivory glass pearls, 8 mm (0.3 in) diameter, with holes of at least 1.5 mm (384 used plus spares)
- Big-eye beading needle or a thin dental-floss threader for loading the pearls
- Tapestry needle and scissors
- Stiff card 4.5 in (11.4 cm) wide for tassels
- Blocking mat, rustproof pins, spray starch
- Curtain rod up to 1.5 in (3.8 cm) in diameter
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- dc – double crochet
- tr – treble crochet
- sp – space
- sk – skip
- st(s) – stitch(es)
Special stitches:
- Picot: Ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook.
- Bead chain (bch): Slide one pearl up against the hook, yarn over, and pull through the loop on the hook so the pearl is locked into the chain.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge is measured on the motifs. Make one snowflake and one diamond before you begin production and block them, then check them against these checkpoints:
Snowflake:
– After Round 1: 1 in (2.5 cm) across
– After Round 2: 1.5 in (3.8 cm)
– After Round 3: 2.25 in (5.7 cm)
– After Round 4: 2.75 in (7.0 cm)
– After Round 5: 3.5 in (8.9 cm) point to point
Diamond:
– After Round 1: 0.75 in (1.9 cm) across
– After Round 2: 1.25 in (3.2 cm) wide x 1.75 in (4.4 cm) tall
– After Round 3: 1.75 in (4.4 cm) x 2.75 in (7.0 cm)
– After the border: 2.25 in (5.7 cm) x 3.25 in (8.3 cm)
If your motifs are more than 0.25 in (0.6 cm) too large, go down to a 2.0 mm hook. If they are too small, go up to 2.5 mm. Small differences add up: an extra 0.25 in (0.6 cm) on each of the 16 motifs makes a strand 4 in (10.2 cm) longer.
Snowflake Motif
The snowflake has a solid center ring with a clear hole in the middle, shells that open into six lacy arms, and tips finished with three loops.
Round 1: Ch 6, sl st to the first ch to form a ring. Ch 3 (counts as dc), 17 dc in ring, sl st to top of beg ch-3. (18 dc)
Round 2: Ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in next 2 sts, ch 2, dc in next 3 sts, ch 2; repeat from * 4 more times, sl st to top of beg ch-3. (18 dc, 6 ch-2 sps)
Round 3: Sl st in next 2 dc and into the ch-2 sp. Ch 3 (counts as dc), (dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in same sp, ch 3, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch-2 sp, ch 3; repeat from * 4 more times, sl st to top of beg ch-3. (24 dc: 6 shells, 6 ch-2 sps, 6 ch-3 sps)
Round 4: Sl st in next dc and into the ch-2 sp. Ch 3 (counts as dc), (dc, ch 3, 2 dc) in same sp, ch 2, sc in next ch-3 sp, ch 2, (2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc) in next ch-2 sp, ch 2, sc in next ch-3 sp, ch 2; repeat from * 4 more times, sl st to top of beg ch-3. (30 sts: 24 dc + 6 sc; 6 ch-3 tip sps, 12 ch-2 sps)
Round 5 (points): Sl st in next dc and into the ch-3 tip sp. Ch 1, (sc, ch 3, sc, ch 5, sc, ch 3, sc) in tip sp, ch 4, picot, ch 1, sc in next sc, ch 4, picot, ch 1; repeat from * 5 more times, sl st to first sc. Fasten off and weave in the ends. (30 sc: 24 at the tips + 6 between arms; 6 ch-5 tip loops, 12 ch-3 loops, 12 picots)
The ch-5 loop at the center of each point is the connection point. On every snowflake, choose one tip as the top. The opposite tip, three points away, is the bottom.
Diamond Lace Motif
The diamond is worked in the round. The top and bottom corners use treble crochet and the side corners use double crochet, which stretches the motif into a tall diamond with a lattice of eyelets.
Round 1: Ch 4, sl st to form a ring. Ch 3 (counts as dc), 11 dc in ring, sl st to top of beg ch-3. (12 dc)
Round 2: Ch 4 (counts as tr), (ch 3, tr) in same st [top corner], ch 1, dc in next 2 sts, ch 1, (dc, ch 2, dc) in next st [side corner], ch 1, dc in next 2 sts, ch 1, (tr, ch 3, tr) in next st [bottom corner], ch 1, dc in next 2 sts, ch 1, (dc, ch 2, dc) in next st [side corner], ch 1, dc in next 2 sts, ch 1, sl st to top of beg ch-4. (16 sts: 4 tr + 12 dc; 2 ch-3 tips, 2 ch-2 side corners, 8 ch-1 sps)
Round 3: Sl st into the top ch-3 sp. Ch 4 (counts as tr), (2 tr, ch 3, 3 tr) in same sp, ch 2, sc in next ch-1 sp, ch 3, sc in next ch-1 sp, ch 2, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in side ch-2 sp, ch 2, sc in next ch-1 sp, ch 3, sc in next ch-1 sp, ch 2, (3 tr, ch 3, 3 tr) in bottom ch-3 sp; repeat from * to * once, sl st to top of beg ch-4. Do not fasten off. (28 sts: 12 tr + 8 dc + 8 sc; 2 ch-3 tips, 2 ch-2 side corners, 4 ch-3 side sps, 8 ch-2 sps)
The diamond now measures 1.75 in (4.4 cm) x 2.75 in (7.0 cm). Go straight on to the Border round (see Border below) before you fasten off.
Make All Pieces
Per panel (ivory):
- 96 snowflakes, about 864 m total
- 96 diamonds with borders, about 576 m total
- 12 tassels, about 72 m total
- 192 pearl links (384 pearls), about 115 m total
Layout grid (S = snowflake, D = diamond; rows are motif positions from the top, columns are strands):
Strand: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Pos 1: S D S D S D S D S D S D
Pos 2: D S D S D S D S D S D S
...repeat Pos 1–2 down to Pos 16
The odd-numbered strands start with a snowflake and the even-numbered strands start with a diamond. Each strand has 8 of each motif, and the stagger stops neighboring snowflakes from catching on each other.
Joining: Pearl Links
Method: Each link is a short chain with two locked pearls, worked with its own length of thread.
- Cut 60 cm (23.6 in) of thread and load 2 pearls onto it.
- Sl st into the bottom tip loop of the upper motif (the ch-5 loop of a snowflake or the ch-4 loop of a diamond).
- Ch 2, bch, ch 2, bch, ch 2.
- Sl st into the top tip loop of the next motif. Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Stitch-to-stitch logic: Always work into the center of a tip loop, never into a neighboring sc. Each motif then hangs straight from point to point. The 7 ch and 2 pearls make a link of 1 in (2.5 cm).
Tension: Keep the chains firm and even. Loose links let the motifs twist and make strands different lengths.
Strand assembly: Link 16 motifs in grid order with 15 links, then add a 16th link to the bottom tip of the last motif.
Hanging loop: Attach thread to the top tip loop of the first motif, ch 42, sl st into the same tip loop. This makes a loop of 6 in (15.2 cm) that slides over a rod up to 1.5 in (3.8 cm) in diameter.
Tassel: Wrap thread 25 times around the 4.5 in (11.4 cm) card. Tie the bundle at the top, cut the bottom, and wrap the neck 0.5 in (1.3 cm) below the top. Trim to 4 in (10.2 cm). Thread the tail of the 16th link through the top tie, knot it, and hide the end inside the tassel.
Size checkpoint: 8 snowflakes x 3.5 in + 8 diamonds x 3.25 in + 15 links x 1 in = 28 + 26 + 15 = 69 in (175.3 cm) from the top tip to the bottom tip. Adding the final link and the tassel (5 in / 12.7 cm) gives 74 in (188.0 cm). Hang the first strand and measure it before you make the rest.
Border: Diamond Picot Edging
Border gauge: 8 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm).
On each diamond, work this round straight after Round 3. For this round, “per side” means the 14 sc between two corner spaces. The corner stitches are counted separately.
Round 4: Ch 1, sc in same st as join and in next 2 tr (these 3 sc are the end of the left upper side). (sc, ch 4, sc) in top tip sp. Right upper side: sc in next 3 tr, 2 sc in ch-2 sp, sc in sc, 3 sc in ch-3 sp, sc in sc, 2 sc in ch-2 sp, sc in next 2 dc (14 sc), working a picot after the 5th and 10th sc. (sc, picot, sc) in side ch-2 sp. Right lower side: sc in next 2 dc, 2 sc in ch-2 sp, sc in sc, 3 sc in ch-3 sp, sc in sc, 2 sc in ch-2 sp, sc in next 3 tr (14 sc), with picots after the 5th and 10th sc. Repeat from * to * once more for the bottom tip and the left sides. On the final left upper side, work only the first 11 sc (still with picots after the 5th and 10th), because the 3 sc made at the start complete the 14. Sl st to first sc and fasten off.
Counts: 14 sc on each of 4 sides = 56 sc, plus 8 corner sc = 64 sc. There are 8 side picots, 2 side-corner picots and 2 ch-4 tip loops.
Why the math works: After Round 3, each side of the diamond measures about 1.65 in (4.2 cm). At 8 sc per inch, 14 sc covers 1.75 in (4.4 cm). The extra 0.1 in (0.3 cm) is taken up because the border sits outside the old edge. The sides therefore lie flat with no ruffling or cupping, and the ch-4 tips give the pearl links a clean, centered loop.
Final Blocking
- Block every motif before you link it. Wet each one, then roll it in a towel.
- Pin each snowflake to a 3.5 in (8.9 cm) circle, with a pin through every ch-5 tip loop and every picot.
- Pin each diamond to 2.25 in (5.7 cm) x 3.25 in (8.3 cm), with pins in both ch-4 tip loops and both side corners.
- Spray with starch and let the motifs dry completely.
- When the strands are assembled, hang them and mist them lightly so the links settle straight.
- Steam the tassels and trim them evenly to 4 in (10.2 cm).
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Every snowflake has 6 arms, each with 3 tip loops and 2 picots between arms
- Every diamond is 2.25 in (5.7 cm) x 3.25 in (8.3 cm), with 14 sc on each side
- Each link has exactly 2 pearls and 7 ch
- Each strand measures 69 in (175.3 cm) from the top tip to the bottom tip
- All 12 strands are within 0.5 in (1.3 cm) of each other in length
- The strands alternate between starting with a snowflake and starting with a diamond
- All ends are woven in and the tassels are trimmed level
Troubleshooting
- Snowflake cups: Your Round 4 chains are too tight. Loosen them, or go up a hook size for Rounds 4–5 only.
- Snowflake ruffles: Your chains are too loose. Go down a hook size.
- Diamond is too square: Make your tr stitches taller, and pin the top and bottom tips firmly when blocking.
- Strands twist: The links weren’t worked into the center of the tip loops. Redo them, or block the strand while it hangs.
- Pearls slip: Tighten each bch so the pearl is locked between two chains.
- Strands are uneven: Measure each strand at the checkpoint and adjust by reworking one link.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, roll in a towel, and hang the strands straight to dry. Re-starch lightly if the motifs soften.
Final Notes
The measurement chain is: a 3.5 in (8.9 cm) snowflake, a 2.25 in (5.7 cm) x 3.25 in (8.3 cm) bordered diamond, and a 1 in (2.5 cm) link, giving 69 in (175.3 cm) of motifs and 74 in (188.0 cm) with the tassel. Twelve strands 3.5 in (8.9 cm) apart make a 42 in (106.7 cm) panel. If you check each motif against these numbers, the finished curtain will hang evenly.
Happy crocheting!