This small tabletop tree is made of overlapping lace leaves in soft sage green, with a cream star on top. Each leaf has a chain center vein, open spaces between the stitch “ribs,” and a neat single crochet outline. Together they look like layered foliage rather than a plain cone.
The look is calm and Scandinavian: one muted green, one warm cream, and a natural wood slice underneath. It suits a mantel, shelf, or holiday table.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. Without the star, the finished tree is about 7.3 in (18.5 cm) tall. With the star, it is about 8.8 in (22.4 cm) tall. The bottom tier of leaves spreads to about 6.5 in (16.5 cm).
First you make 33 leaves. Then you crochet a single crochet cone from the bottom up. On six “tier rounds,” you join the leaves into the cone as you work. A two-round rim finishes the bottom edge, and a two-layer star is sewn to the tip.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: cone 7.3 in (18.5 cm) tall; 8.8 in (22.4 cm) with star; base diameter 4.5 in (11.4 cm); leaf spread 6.5 in (16.5 cm)
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US terms
- Yarn weight: DK (category 3) cotton
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
- Number of pieces: 36 (1 cone, 21 large leaves, 12 small leaves, 2 star layers)
- Layout: 6 tiers of leaves: 8, 7, 6 large; 5, 4, 3 small
- Piece size: large leaf 2.5 x 1.5 in (6.4 x 3.8 cm); small leaf 1.75 x 1.1 in (4.4 x 2.8 cm); star 2 in (5.1 cm)
- Size before border: cone 7.1 in (18.0 cm) tall
- Border depth: 0.2 in (0.5 cm)
Materials
Use a smooth DK cotton, either mercerized or matte. Cotton keeps the pointed leaf tips and lace spaces crisp. Fuzzy yarn hides the open veins.
- Sage green: 50 g / 115 m (cone, leaves, rim)
- Cream: 10 g / 23 m (star)
- Light brown: 1 g / 1 m (star center accent)
These quantities include a margin of about 20 percent.
Tools:
- 3.5 mm (E-4) crochet hook
- Craft foam or cardstock cone, about 7 in (17.8 cm) tall and 4.25 in (10.8 cm) across the base
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch marker
- Scissors
- Spray starch (optional)
- Wood slice, about 5.5 in (14.0 cm) across, for display (optional)
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch: chain
- sl st: slip stitch
- sc: single crochet
- hdc: half double crochet
- dc: double crochet
- tr: treble crochet
- sc2tog: single crochet 2 together
- sk: skip
- sp: space
- st(s): stitch(es)
- RS: right side
Special stitch: Join Leaf. Hold a leaf RS facing you, in front of the cone, with its tip pointing down. Insert the hook through the next base sc of the leaf, then through the next cone stitch, and complete a sc. “Join leaf over next 3” means you do this 3 times, using the leaf’s 3 base sc in order. Each joined sc counts as 1 cone stitch.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 20 sc x 22 rounds = 4 in (10.2 cm) in sc worked in the round. That is 5 sts and 5.5 rounds per inch.
Test one piece first. Make one large leaf before anything else. It should measure 2.5 in (6.4 cm) long and 1.5 in (3.8 cm) wide.
- If it is longer than 2.75 in (7.0 cm), go down 0.5 mm in hook size.
- If it is shorter than 2.25 in (5.7 cm), go up 0.5 mm.
Cone checkpoints:
- After Round 1: circumference 14 in (35.6 cm), within 0.5 in (1.3 cm)
- After Round 10: height 1.8 in (4.6 cm)
- After Round 17: height 3.1 in (7.9 cm)
- After Round 24: height 4.4 in (11.2 cm)
- After Round 30: height 5.5 in (14.0 cm)
- After Round 39: height 7.1 in (18.0 cm)
If the cone comes out too tall, your rounds are loose, so go down a hook size. If it comes out too short, go up a size. Leaf spacing depends on the circumference, so match Round 1 before you continue.
Large Leaf (make 21)
With sage, ch 12.
Round 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, ch 1, sk next ch, dc in next ch, ch 1, sk next ch, tr in next ch, ch 1, sk next ch, dc in next ch, ch 1, sk next ch, hdc in next ch, (sc, ch 2, sc) in last ch for the tip. Now work along the opposite side of the foundation chain: hdc in next ch, ch 1, sk next ch, dc in next ch, ch 1, sk next ch, tr in next ch, ch 1, sk next ch, dc in next ch, ch 1, sk next ch, hdc in next ch, sc in last ch (same ch as first sc), ch 2, sl st to first sc. (14 sts, 8 ch-1 sps, 1 tip ch-2 sp, 1 base ch-2 sp)
The foundation chain becomes the center vein. The ch-1 spaces open up between the stitch posts and form the lace ribs.
Round 2 (trim round): Ch 1, sc in same st as join. Then [sc in next ch-1 sp, sc in next st] up the side, ending at the hdc before the tip (10 sc on this side). Sc in tip sc, (sc, ch 2, sc) in tip ch-2 sp, sc in next tip sc. Sc in each st and ch-1 sp down the second side (10 sc). Work 3 sc in the base ch-2 sp, then sl st to first sc. (27 sc = 14 sts worked 1-per-stitch + 8 in ch-1 sps + 2 extra at tip + 3 in base sp)
Fasten off and weave in the ends. The 3 sc in the base space are the leaf’s base sc, which you use for joining.
Small Leaf (make 12)
With sage, ch 9.
Round 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, ch 1, sk next ch, dc in next ch, ch 1, sk next ch, dc in next ch, hdc in next ch, (sc, ch 2, sc) in last ch. Now work along the opposite side: hdc in next ch, dc in next ch, ch 1, sk next ch, dc in next ch, ch 1, sk next ch, hdc in next ch, sc in last ch, ch 2, sl st to first sc. (12 sts, 4 ch-1 sps, 1 tip ch-2 sp, 1 base ch-2 sp)
Round 2 (trim round): Work as for the large leaf: 7 sc up the first side, 4 sc plus ch 2 at the tip, 7 sc down the second side, and 3 sc in the base sp. Sl st to first sc. (21 sc = 12 sts worked 1-per-stitch + 4 in ch-1 sps + 2 extra at tip + 3 in base sp)
Fasten off and weave in the ends. Pin all the leaves flat, mist them, and let them dry before joining. Flat leaves are easier to line up on the cone.
Make All Pieces
- Sage green: 21 large leaves, 12 small leaves, 1 cone
- Cream: 2 star layers
Tier layout (bottom to top):
Tier 6 (Rnd 38): S S S 3 small
Tier 5 (Rnd 35): S S S S 4 small
Tier 4 (Rnd 30): S S S S S 5 small
Tier 3 (Rnd 24): L L L L L L 6 large
Tier 2 (Rnd 17): L L L L L L L 7 large
Tier 1 (Rnd 10): L L L L L L L L 8 large
Cone and Joining
Work the cone from the bottom up in joined rounds, with RS facing out. Do not turn. Place a marker in the first st of each round. Start every round with ch 1 and end it with a sl st to the first sc.
With sage, ch 70 and sl st to the first ch to form a ring. Take care not to twist the chain.
Round 1: Sc in each ch around. (70)
Rounds 2–3: Sc in each st around. (70)
Round 4: [Sc in next 8, sc2tog] 7 times. (63)
Rounds 5–6: Sc around. (63)
Round 7: [Sc in next 7, sc2tog] 7 times. (56)
Rounds 8–9: Sc around. (56)
Round 10 (Tier 1): [Sc in next 4, join large leaf over next 3] 8 times. (56: 8 leaves x 7 sts)
Round 11: [Sc in next 6, sc2tog] 7 times. (49)
Rounds 12–13: Sc around. (49)
Round 14: [Sc in next 5, sc2tog] 7 times. (42)
Rounds 15–16: Sc around. (42)
Round 17 (Tier 2): [Sc in next 3, join large leaf over next 3] 7 times. (42: 7 leaves x 6 sts)
Round 18: [Sc in next 5, sc2tog] 6 times. (36)
Rounds 19–20: Sc around. (36)
Round 21: [Sc in next 4, sc2tog] 6 times. (30)
Rounds 22–23: Sc around. (30)
Round 24 (Tier 3): [Sc in next 2, join large leaf over next 3] 6 times. (30: 6 leaves x 5 sts)
Round 25: [Sc in next 4, sc2tog] 5 times. (25)
Rounds 26–27: Sc around. (25)
Round 28: [Sc in next 3, sc2tog] 5 times. (20)
Round 29: Sc around. (20)
Round 30 (Tier 4): [Sc in next 1, join small leaf over next 3] 5 times. (20: 5 leaves x 4 sts)
Now slide the foam cone in through the open bottom. Work the remaining rounds over it.
Round 31: [Sc in next 2, sc2tog] 5 times. (15)
Round 32: Sc around. (15)
Round 33: [Sc in next 3, sc2tog] 3 times. (12)
Round 34: Sc around. (12)
Round 35 (Tier 5): [Join small leaf over next 3] 4 times. (12: 4 leaves x 3 sts)
Round 36: [Sc in next 2, sc2tog] 3 times. (9)
Round 37: Sc around. (9)
Round 38 (Tier 6): [Join small leaf over next 3] 3 times. (9: 3 leaves x 3 sts)
Round 39: [Sc in next 1, sc2tog] 3 times. (6)
Fasten off, leaving an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail. Thread the tail through the front loops of the last 6 sts, pull closed, and secure.
Joining logic: Each joined sc takes the place of one ordinary sc, so a tier round never changes the stitch count. Each leaf uses exactly its 3 base sc, which covers 0.6 in (1.5 cm) of the cone.
Staggering: Before each tier round, check that the first leaf will sit between two leaves of the tier below. If it won’t, work 1–2 extra plain sc at the start of the round. Then leave out the same number of plain sc at the end so the total stays the same.
Tension: Make the joined sc the same height as the plain sc. If you pull tight through the two layers, the tier round shrinks and the cone pinches in.
Size checkpoint: After Round 39, the cone should be 7.1 in (18.0 cm) tall, and the bottom tier should spread to about 6.5 in (16.5 cm).
Border: Bottom Rim
Border gauge: 5 sts per inch, the same as the cone.
The rim is a circle, so it has one continuous side and no corners. Turn the tree upside down. With RS facing, join sage in any unused loop of the foundation chain.
Round 1: Ch 1, sc in each foundation ch loop around, sl st to first sc. (70)
Round 2: Sl st loosely in each sc around. (70)
Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Why the math works: The foundation has 70 chains, and the rim puts exactly 1 st into each one. At 5 sts per inch, 70 sts measure 14 in (35.6 cm), the same as Round 1. No stitches are added or removed, so the rim lies flat without ruffling or pulling in. It adds 0.2 in (0.5 cm), which brings the cone to 7.3 in (18.5 cm).
Star Topper (make 2)
With cream, make a magic ring.
Round 1: Ch 1, 10 sc in ring, sl st to first sc. (10)
Round 2: [Ch 5, sc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, dc in next ch, tr in next ch, sk next sc, sl st in next sc] 5 times. (5 points, 4 sts each)
Round 3 (trim round): Work around each point: 4 sc up the first side, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the tip ch, 4 sc down the second side, then sl st in the sl st between points. (50 sc = 40 sts worked 1-per-stitch along point edges + 10 extra at tips)
Fasten off the first layer. Leave the second layer’s loop live.
Assembly: Hold the two stars wrong sides together. Using the live loop, sl st through both layers all the way around, working into each pair of sc and into the tip ch-2 spaces. This creates the raised cream outline. Fasten off.
With light brown, work 3 small straight stitches across the center ring. Sew the two lower points of the star to the cone tip so the star overlaps it by 0.5 in (1.3 cm).
Final Blocking
- Mist the leaves lightly with water or spray starch.
- Gently curve each leaf outward so its tip lifts away from the tier below.
- Press each tier flat against the cone along its joining line.
- Check that the bottom spread is about 6.5 in (16.5 cm), and even out the tips.
- If the star curls, pin it flat on a towel and starch it.
- Let everything dry for at least 12 hours, then set the tree on the wood slice.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- 33 leaves joined: 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 from bottom to top
- Each tier staggered over the gaps in the tier below
- Tier round counts are 56, 42, 30, 20, 12, 9
- Cone is 7.1 in (18.0 cm) tall before the rim and 7.3 in (18.5 cm) after
- Rim has 70 sts and lies flat
- Star is centered, both layers are aligned, and the center accent shows
- All tails are woven in
Troubleshooting
Leaves curl or twist: Block them before joining. Check that Round 2 has exactly 2 extra sc at the tip.
Lace spaces look closed: Your ch-1 spaces are too tight. Work them a little looser.
Cone is too wide for the foam form: Your gauge is loose. Go down a hook size, or wrap the form in thin batting.
Gaps between leaves: Check the stagger, and make sure each leaf is joined over 3 sts.
Star droops: Starch it, or slip a slightly smaller cardstock star between the layers before assembly.
Care
Spot clean with a damp cloth and mild soap. Store the tree upright, or loosely wrapped in tissue, so the leaves keep their shape.
Final Notes
The whole tree follows one chain of measurements. A large leaf at 2.5 in (6.4 cm) confirms your gauge. Round 1 at 14 in (35.6 cm) sets the cone’s width. Tier rounds of 56, 42, 30, 20, 12, and 9 sts space every leaf evenly. The cone reaches 7.1 in (18.0 cm), the rim adds 0.2 in (0.5 cm), and the star brings the tree to 8.8 in (22.4 cm).
Happy crocheting!