Crochet textile with alternating purple and mint-green fan-shell pattern and decorative purple tab border on linen.

Plum & Sage Fan Cascade Curtain Crochet Pattern

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This curtain is made of small lacy fans hanging in vertical strands from a mesh header band. Each fan opens upward. It has a pointed base, open spokes, a ring of lacy arches and a solid single crochet rim. A short chain stem drops from the point of each fan to the rim of the fan below it.

The fans alternate between deep plum and soft sage green, both in each strand and from strand to strand. Every other strand hangs 2″ (5.1 cm) lower than its neighbors, so the fans nest into a staggered, scale-like pattern. Light passes through the open spokes, and the curtain looks airy without seeming bare. The plum header is a band of double crochet and net mesh with eleven tab loops along the top for a wooden rod.

The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished curtain is 36¼” (92.1 cm) wide. It measures 46″ (116.8 cm) from the top of the header to the lowest fan tip, not counting the tabs.

Construction is straightforward. You crochet 120 separate fans, join them into 12 strands with chain stems, crochet the header band and tabs in one piece, and then attach each strand to the bottom edge of the header with a hanging chain.

Finished Size and Construction

  • Finished size: 36¼” (92.1 cm) wide × 46″ (116.8 cm) long, excluding tabs
  • Skill level: Easy–Intermediate
  • Terminology: US
  • Yarn weight: DK (#3) cotton
  • Hook: 4.0 mm (US G-6)
  • Number of pieces: 120 fans + 1 header band
  • Layout: 12 strands × 10 fans, with even strands dropped 2″ (5.1 cm)
  • Fan size: 4½” (11.4 cm) wide × 2½” (6.4 cm) tall
  • Header size: 36¼” × 3″ (92.1 × 7.6 cm), plus tabs
  • Strand spacing: 3″ (7.6 cm), center to center
  • Strand repeat: 4″ (10.2 cm) per fan plus stem

Materials

Use a smooth, mercerized or combed DK cotton. Cotton holds the fan shape, blocks crisply and won’t stretch much when it hangs. Avoid acrylic, which tends to droop in long hanging pieces. The amounts below assume a yarn of about 120 m per 50 g.

  • Plum (Color P): 250 g / 600 m — 60 fans, header, tabs, all hanging chains and plum stems
  • Sage green (Color G): 200 g / 480 m — 60 fans and green stems

Tools:

  • 4.0 mm (US G-6) crochet hook
  • Tapestry needle
  • Stitch markers
  • Rust-proof pins and a blocking mat
  • Spray bottle
  • Tape measure
  • Wooden curtain rod, up to 1″ (2.5 cm) in diameter

These quantities already include a margin of about 20% for gauge differences and swatching.

Abbreviations (US Terms)

  • ch — chain
  • sl st — slip stitch
  • sc — single crochet
  • dc — double crochet
  • tr — treble crochet (yarn over twice, insert hook, pull up a loop, [yarn over, pull through 2 loops] 3 times)
  • sp — space
  • sk — skip
  • RS / WS — right side / wrong side

Special stitch – Arch: a ch-4 loop that runs from one sc to the next. In Row 4 you fill each arch with 5 sc.

Gauge and Checkpoints

  • Dc gauge: 16 dc and 8 rows = 4″ (10.2 cm)
  • Chain gauge: 4 ch = 1″ (2.5 cm), worked loosely and evenly

Make one fan first and check it before you make the other 119.

Fan checkpoints:

  • After Row 1: a half circle 1¼” (3.2 cm) wide
  • After Row 2: 3″ (7.6 cm) wide across the spoke tips
  • After Row 4: 4½” (11.4 cm) wide and 2½” (6.4 cm) tall, measured from the bottom of the ring to the rim

If your fan is too big, go down half a hook size. If it is too small, go up half a size. Size errors add up fast: a fan that is ¼” (0.6 cm) too tall makes each strand 2½” (6.4 cm) too long.

Next, chain 20 and measure the chain. It should be 5″ (12.7 cm). If it is tighter, chain with a hook one size larger, because the stems control the strand length.

Purple crochet shell motif with green leaf accents creates delicate lacework against a blurred garden background.

Fan Motif

Make 60 fans in P and 60 in G. Every fan is worked flat, turning at the end of each row.

Ring: Ch 4, then sl st in the first ch to form a ring.

Row 1 (RS): Ch 3 (counts as dc), work 8 dc in the ring, and turn. (9 dc)

The dc only cover the top half of the ring. The bottom half stays bare and becomes the fan’s point.

Row 2: Ch 4 (counts as tr), ch 2, tr in next dc, ch 2 7 times, tr in top of turning ch, and turn. (9 tr, 8 ch-2 sps)

These are the open spokes.

Row 3: Ch 1, sc in first tr, ch 4, sc in next tr 8 times, with the last sc in the top of the turning ch. Turn. (9 sc, 8 arches)

Each arch sits above one ch-2 space and creates the lacy outer band.

Row 4 (rim): Ch 1, 5 sc in each of the next 4 arches, sc in the center (5th) sc of Row 3, then 5 sc in each of the last 4 arches. Fasten off. (5 × 8 arches) + 1 center sc = 41 sc

Place a marker in the 21st sc, which is the center of the rim. The stem from the fan above attaches here.

Weave in the ends now while each fan is still small and easy to handle. Lightly steam or wet-block the fans in batches to a 4½” (11.4 cm) half-fan shape.

Make All Pieces

  • Color P: 60 fans
  • Color G: 60 fans
  • Header: 1, in P

Layout grid (fan colors, read top to bottom):

Fan   S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12
 1    P  G  P  G  P  G  P  G  P  G   P   G
 2    G  P  G  P  G  P  G  P  G  P   G   P
 3    P  G  P  G  P  G  P  G  P  G   P   G
 4    G  P  G  P  G  P  G  P  G  P   G   P
 5    P  G  P  G  P  G  P  G  P  G   P   G
 6    G  P  G  P  G  P  G  P  G  P   G   P
 7    P  G  P  G  P  G  P  G  P  G   P   G
 8    G  P  G  P  G  P  G  P  G  P   G   P
 9    P  G  P  G  P  G  P  G  P  G   P   G
10    G  P  G  P  G  P  G  P  G  P   G   P

Odd strands (S1, S3 … S11) start with P. Even strands start with G and hang 2″ (5.1 cm) lower. Each strand uses 5 P and 5 G fans, so the 12 strands use 60 P and 60 G in total.

Joining

Join the fans into strands with chain stems. Each stem is worked in the color of the fan above it.

  1. Lay out the 10 fans for one strand in order, all opening upward with the RS facing you.
  2. Stem: Join the upper fan’s color with a sl st at the bottom center of that fan’s bare ring (the point). Ch 6. Sl st in the marked center sc of the fan below, then fasten off. The stem should measure 1½” (3.8 cm).
  3. Repeat the stem between each pair of fans, for 9 stems per strand.
  4. Bottom tip: On fan 10, join at the point, ch 4, and fasten off. Knot the tail close to the chain and trim it to ¼” (0.6 cm). The tip measures 1″ (2.5 cm).

Stitch logic: Each stem joins exactly one point to exactly one center sc. Because the 21st sc is the true center of a 41-stitch rim, the fan hangs level.

Tension: Keep the stem chains the same size as your gauge chain. Tight stems pucker the rim, and loose stems make the strand sag.

Strand checkpoint: From the rim of fan 1 to the tip of fan 10 should measure 2½” + 9 × (1½” + 2½”) + 1″ = 39½” (100.3 cm). Check every strand against the first one, and redo any stem that is off by more than ¼” (0.6 cm).

Header Band and Strand Attachment (Border)

In this curtain, the header band does the job of a border. It finishes the top edge and holds the spacing of all 12 strands. Work it in P, from the bottom up.

Border gauge: 16 dc = 4″ (10.2 cm), so each dc is ¼” (0.6 cm) wide.

Foundation: Ch 147.

Row 1 (RS): Dc in the 4th ch from the hook and in each ch across. Turn. (145 dc, with the skipped ch-3 counting as a dc)

Row 2: Ch 1, sc in first dc, ch 5, sk 3 dc, sc in next dc 36 times. Turn. (37 sc, 36 ch-5 loops)

Row 3: Ch 5 (counts as dc + ch 2), sc in first ch-5 loop, ch 5, sc in next loop 35 times, ch 2, dc in last sc. Turn. (36 sc, 35 ch-5 loops, 2 half loops)

Row 4: Ch 1, sc in first dc, ch 5, sc in next ch-5 loop 35 times, ch 5, sc in 3rd ch of turning ch. Turn. (37 sc, 36 ch-5 loops)

Row 5: Ch 3 (counts as dc), 3 dc in first loop, 4 dc in each of next 35 loops, dc in last sc. Turn. 1 + 3 + 140 + 1 = 145 dc

Row 6: Ch 1, sc in each dc across. Do not turn. (145 sc)

Header checkpoint: 36¼” (92.1 cm) wide × 3″ (7.6 cm) tall.

Tabs (make 11): With the RS facing, join P in sc 1 of Row 6. Ch 1, then sc in the same st and in the next 4 sts (5 sc). Work 11 more rows of 5 sc, for 12 rows in total, about 2¾” (7.0 cm). Fasten off, leaving a 10″ (25.4 cm) tail. Start the remaining tabs in sc 15, 29, 43, 57, 71, 85, 99, 113, 127 and 141.

Fold each tab to the WS and whipstitch its last row to the top of Row 5. This makes a loop that fits a rod up to 1″ (2.5 cm) thick.

Attaching the strands: Work into the free loops of the foundation chain along the bottom edge. Place markers under stitches 7, 19, 31, 43, 55, 67, 79, 91, 103, 115, 127 and 139.

  • Odd strands: Join P at the marker, ch 6, and sl st in the center sc of fan 1. This chain is 1½” (3.8 cm).
  • Even strands: Join P at the marker, ch 14, and sl st in the center sc of fan 1. This chain is 3½” (8.9 cm).

The 8 extra chains create the 2″ (5.1 cm) drop.

Why the math works:

  • Tabs: 145 = 11 tabs × 5 sts + 10 gaps × 9 sts, so the first and last tabs sit exactly at the edges.
  • Mesh: 145 = 36 × 4 + 1, so the net rows divide evenly with 1 st to spare.
  • Strand spacing: The strands sit 12 sts apart. 12 strands × 12 sts = 144 sts, plus 1, gives 145. Because 12 sts = 3″ (7.6 cm), the strands are 3″ (7.6 cm) apart. Stitch 7 from the left and stitch 7 from the right (st 139) mirror each other, so the layout is centered.

Length check:

  • Odd strands: 3″ header + 1½” hanging chain + 39½” strand = 44″ (111.8 cm)
  • Even strands: 3″ + 3½” + 39½” = 46″ (116.8 cm)

Final Blocking

  1. Hang the curtain on its rod and look at it before blocking.
  2. Lay it flat on blocking mats with the RS up.
  3. Pin the header to 36¼” × 3″ (92.1 × 7.6 cm), with the edges straight.
  4. Line up the strands 3″ (7.6 cm) apart, keeping them perfectly vertical.
  5. Pin each fan rim into a smooth arc 4½” (11.4 cm) wide, with one pin in each arch.
  6. Spray the curtain until it is damp but not soaked.
  7. Let it dry completely, which takes 12–24 hours.
  8. Unpin it and hang it straight away so gravity can settle the stems.

Final Quality-Control Checklist

  • 120 fans, each with 9 spokes, 8 arches and a 41 sc rim
  • Each fan is 4½” × 2½” (11.4 × 6.4 cm)
  • Colors alternate down every strand and across every row
  • All stems are 6 ch, 1½” (3.8 cm), and are attached at the center sc
  • Header has 145 sts and is 36¼” (92.1 cm) wide
  • 11 tabs are evenly spaced and securely sewn
  • Even strands hang 2″ (5.1 cm) lower than odd strands
  • All ends are woven in and the bottom-tip knots are secure

Troubleshooting

Fan cups or ruffles: Your Row 2 trebles are too short or too tall. Adjust your tension or go up or down half a hook size.

Rim leans to one side: You missed the center sc in Row 4. Recount to 20 + 1 + 20.

Strand twists: One or more stems were joined from the WS. Rejoin them with all fans facing RS.

Header wider than 36¼” (92.1 cm): Your Row 1 stitches are loose. Rework the header with a smaller hook so the strand spacing stays at 3″ (7.6 cm).

Strands uneven in length: One stem has the wrong number of chains. Measure fan by fan and redo that stem.

Tabs too tight on the rod: Add 2 rows to each tab.

Care

Hand wash in cool water with a mild soap, press out the water in a towel, and dry the curtain flat. Re-block it lightly and hang it right away, avoiding long periods of hot direct sun to keep the plum from fading.

Crocheted sage green and purple fan-motif window hanging displayed on a wooden rod with natural daylight and flowers nearby.

Final Notes

Everything in this curtain depends on a chain of measurements:

  • Each fan is 4½” × 2½” (11.4 × 6.4 cm).
  • Each 6-ch stem is 1½” (3.8 cm), so every fan repeat is 4″ (10.2 cm).
  • Ten fans make a 39½” (100.3 cm) strand.
  • A 145-stitch header gives 36¼” (92.1 cm) of width with strands every 3″ (7.6 cm).
  • An 8-chain difference drops the even strands by 2″ (5.1 cm).
  • The finished curtain is 44″ (111.8 cm) at the odd strands and 46″ (116.8 cm) at its lowest tips.

If you match gauge on your first fan and your first chain, the rest falls into place. Happy crocheting!

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