The Seaglass Fan Drop is a small hanging motif: an open teal fan with a scalloped cream edge, a cream clover at the top, and a cream clover and teal teardrop hanging below. It looks vintage and a bit Art Deco, with seven long spokes fanning out from a small half-circle hub like the ribs of a shell.
Two colors are used. Teal makes the hub, spokes, connecting link and teardrop. Cream makes the scalloped edge and both four-petal clovers. Because the colors contrast, the spokes show up clearly against the lacy edge, and the motif looks good laid flat on a table or hung against a window.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished motif is 5 in (12.7 cm) wide across the fan and 7.1 in (18.0 cm) long from the top clover to the tip of the teardrop. The fan alone is 2.6 in (6.6 cm) tall.
It is built as one piece. You work the teal fan flat in rows, then add three cream rows to make the scalloped edge. A clover is joined to the top while you make it, and a second clover hangs from the hub on a teal chain link. Last comes the teal teardrop.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 5 in (12.7 cm) wide x 7.1 in (18.0 cm) long
- Skill level: Easy-Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK / light (3), cotton
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
- Number of pieces: 1 finished motif, made from a fan, 2 clovers, a link and a teardrop that are all joined as you go
- Layout: vertical: top clover, fan, link, middle clover, teardrop
- Fan size: 5 in (12.7 cm) wide x 2.6 in (6.6 cm) tall
- Size before border (teal fan only): 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide x 1.85 in (4.7 cm) tall
- Border depth: 0.75 in (1.9 cm) of cream scallops around the fan arc
Materials
Pick a smooth mercerized or combed cotton in DK weight, around 50 g per 115 m. Cotton shows the stitches clearly, keeps the spokes straight and blocks into a crisp edge. Don’t use fuzzy or very stretchy yarn, because the open spokes will sag.
- Teal (Color A): 10 g, about 23 m
- Cream (Color B): 12 g, about 28 m
These amounts include a margin of roughly 30 percent for a gauge swatch and weaving in ends. The motif itself uses about 7 g of teal and 9 g of cream.
Tools:
- 3.5 mm (E-4) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Rustproof pins and a blocking mat or folded towel
- Spray bottle with water
- Ruler or tape measure
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch = chain
- sl st = slip stitch
- sc = single crochet
- hdc = half double crochet
- dc = double crochet
- sp = space
- st(s) = stitch(es)
- RS = right side
- trtr = triple treble crochet
Special stitch: triple treble crochet (trtr). Yarn over 4 times and insert the hook into the stitch. Yarn over and pull up a loop (6 loops on hook). Then yarn over and pull through 2 loops 5 times. Each trtr becomes one long spoke, about 1.15 in (2.9 cm) tall in DK cotton.
Scallop: (sc, hdc, 3 dc, hdc, sc) all worked in the same ch-4 sp, for 7 sts.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Make one complete fan first, before you start the clovers or the teardrop. The fan is the gauge swatch. Measure it flat without stretching.
- After Row 2 (hub): 1.2 in (3.0 cm) wide across the straight edge.
- After Row 3 (spokes): 3.5 in (8.9 cm) from the tip of one outer spoke to the tip of the other, and 1.85 in (4.7 cm) tall.
- After Row 4: 4 in (10.2 cm) wide.
- After Row 6: 5 in (12.7 cm) wide x 2.6 in (6.6 cm) tall.
- One clover: 1.2 in (3.0 cm) across, petal tip to petal tip.
If your fan is more than 0.2 in (0.5 cm) too wide after Row 3, change to a 3.25 mm hook. Also check that you are not pulling the trtr loops long. If it is too small, change to a 3.75 mm hook. Spoke length affects the fan most, so it is worth practicing a few trtr on a scrap chain until they come out even.
Fan
Teal Hub and Spokes
With Color A, ch 4. Sl st in first ch to form a ring.
Row 1 (RS): Ch 3 (counts as dc), 6 dc in ring. Turn. (7 dc)
The dc sit in a half circle on the top half of the ring. The lower half of the ring stays bare and becomes the base of the fan.
Row 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in each of the first 6 dc, sc in the top of the turning ch. Turn. (13 sc)
Checkpoint: the hub is 1.2 in (3.0 cm) wide and lies flat as a half circle. If the edges curl up, your sc are too tight.
Row 3 (spokes): Ch 6 (counts as trtr), ch 5, skip next sc, trtr in next sc; repeat from * 5 more times. (7 trtr spokes and 6 ch-5 sps)
The spokes land on sc 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13. That puts the fourth spoke at the exact center of the fan and gives three spokes on each side. The two outer spokes lie almost flat along the base and make the lower edge of the fan.
Fasten off Color A.
Checkpoint: 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide x 1.85 in (4.7 cm) tall. Each ch-5 sp should lie as a gentle curve between spoke tips. It should not be pulled straight or hang loose.
Border (Cream Scalloped Edge)
The cream rows act as the border. They go along the arc only and do not continue across the straight base.
Border gauge: Row 4 has 37 sc along about 6 in (15.2 cm) of outer arc, so about 6 sc per inch (2.5 cm). Each ch-5 sp takes 5 sc, and each spoke top takes 1 sc.
Row 4: With RS facing, join Color B with a sl st in the top of the beginning ch-6 of Row 3. Ch 1, sc in the same st, 5 sc in next ch-5 sp, sc in top of next trtr; repeat from * 5 more times. Turn. (37 sc: 7 on spoke tops + 30 in the 6 sps)
Count it this way: 1 sc on the first spoke, then 6 repeats of 6 sc, so 1 + 36 = 37. The center spoke holds sc 19, which is the exact middle.
Row 5: Ch 1, sc in first sc, ch 4, skip next 2 sc, sc in next sc; repeat from * 11 more times. Turn. (13 sc and 12 ch-4 sps)
This uses all 37 Row 4 sts: 1 + (12 x 3) = 37. The seventh sc of this row sits right above sc 19 of Row 4, so it lines up with the center spoke. Mark it with a scrap of yarn now.
Row 6: Ch 1, work 1 scallop in each ch-4 sp across. (12 scallops, 84 sts)
Each scallop has 7 sts, and 12 x 7 = 84. The Row 5 sc between scallops are not worked into. They sit as small dips, so the edge comes out as a row of rounded bumps. The marked center sc is in the dip between scallops 6 and 7.
Fasten off.
Why the math works: The 6 spaces and 7 spokes make 37 sts, and 37 is one more than a multiple of 3. That lets Row 5 start and end with an sc on the outer spokes and gives exactly 12 arches. An even number of scallops puts a dip, not a scallop, at the center top, which is where the top clover attaches.
Checkpoint: 5 in (12.7 cm) wide x 2.6 in (6.6 cm) tall. The border should add 0.75 in (1.9 cm) on each side and on top.
Clovers (Make 2)
Both clovers use Color B and are the same up to Round 3. The top clover is joined to the fan during Round 3. The middle clover is made on its own.
Middle Clover
Ch 4. Sl st in first ch to form a ring.
Rnd 1: Ch 1, 8 sc in ring. Sl st in first sc. (8 sc)
Rnd 2: Ch 5, skip next sc, sl st in next sc; repeat from * 3 more times. The last sl st goes into the first sl st of the round. (4 ch-5 loops)
Rnd 3: Work 7 sc in each ch-5 loop. Sl st in first sc. (28 sc, 7 per petal)
The 4th sc of each petal is the petal tip. Fasten off and leave a 4 in (10.2 cm) tail.
Checkpoint: 1.2 in (3.0 cm) across. All four petals should be round and the same size.
Top Clover (Joined)
Work Rnds 1 and 2 the same as the middle clover.
Rnd 3 (joining): Work 7 sc in each of the first 3 loops. In the 4th loop, work 3 sc, then sl st in the marked center sc of Row 5 on the fan, then work 3 more sc in the same loop. Sl st in first sc. (27 sc + 1 joining sl st = 28 sts)
The joined petal points down into the dip between scallops 6 and 7, so the clover stands up straight above the center spoke. Fasten off.
Teal Link
With RS of the fan facing, join Color A with a sl st in the bare lower edge of the hub ring, at its center under the middle spoke.
Ch 3, then sl st in the tip sc (4th sc) of any petal of the middle clover. This petal is now the top petal. Ch 3, then sl st in the same place on the ring where you joined. (2 strands of 3 ch)
The two strands make a small oval link, 0.6 in (1.5 cm) long. Fasten off.
Teal Teardrop
Join Color A with a sl st in the tip sc of the bottom petal of the middle clover. This is the petal opposite the link.
Stem and loop: Ch 2 for the stem. Then ch 14 and sl st in the 14th ch from the hook to form a loop. (14-ch loop on a 2-ch stem)
Rnd 1: Ch 1, work 8 sc in the loop, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the loop for the tip, then 8 more sc in the loop. Sl st in first sc. (18 sc + 1 ch-2 tip)
The (sc, ch 2, sc) is directly opposite the stem. That makes the point at the bottom.
Sl st in each of the 2 stem ch to firm up the stem. Fasten off.
Checkpoint: 0.4 in (1.0 cm) of stem, then a teardrop 1.2 in (3.0 cm) long and 0.6 in (1.5 cm) wide.
Full-length check: The top clover adds 1.1 in (2.8 cm) above the fan. Add the fan at 2.6 in (6.6 cm), the link at 0.6 in (1.5 cm), the middle clover at 1.2 in (3.0 cm), and the stem plus teardrop at 1.6 in (4.1 cm). The total is 7.1 in (18.0 cm).
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends. Hide teal tails inside teal stitches and cream tails inside cream stitches so no color shows through.
- Lay the motif face up on the blocking mat.
- Pin the base of the fan in a straight line, 5 in (12.7 cm) wide across the outer scallops.
- Pin the center spoke straight up. Then fan the other spokes out evenly on each side so the ch-5 sps match.
- Pin each of the 12 scallops at its highest point so they form a smooth arc 2.6 in (6.6 cm) above the base.
- Pin the top clover and middle clover with all four petals spread out. Each clover should measure 1.2 in (3.0 cm).
- Pull the teardrop tip downward and pin it so the teardrop is 1.2 in (3.0 cm) long.
- Check that the total length is 7.1 in (18.0 cm). Then mist until damp, not soaked.
- Let it dry completely, at least 6 hours, before you take out the pins.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- 7 teal spokes, with the fourth one at the exact center
- Row 4 has 37 sc, Row 5 has 12 ch-4 sps, and Row 6 has 12 scallops (84 sts)
- Top clover joined at the center dip, directly above the center spoke
- Both clovers are 28 sts and 1.2 in (3.0 cm) across
- Link is 0.6 in (1.5 cm) and hangs straight down from the center of the hub
- Teardrop has 18 sc and a clear ch-2 tip
- Fan is 5 in (12.7 cm) x 2.6 in (6.6 cm), and the total length is 7.1 in (18.0 cm)
- All ends are woven in and there is no color showing through
Troubleshooting
Spokes are different lengths. Pull up each loop to the height of the hook shaft and keep the yarn-overs even. Redo Row 3 if the difference is more than 0.1 in (0.3 cm).
Fan cups or ripples. If it cups, the ch-5 sps are too tight, so try ch 6 or a bigger hook for Row 3 only. If it ripples, the chains are too loose.
Row 4 count is wrong. Count each section separately. There should be 5 sc in every space and 1 sc on every spoke top. Check especially that you worked the last sc into the final trtr.
Top clover leans. It was joined off-center. Count 7 sc in from either end of Row 5 and join again there.
Teardrop is round, not pointed. Make sure the (sc, ch 2, sc) is directly opposite the stem. Then pin the tip down firmly while blocking.
Link twists. Join at the exact center of the ring. Make both strands exactly 3 ch.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap and press out the water in a towel without wringing. Reshape the motif and pin it flat to dry.
Final Notes
The sizes build on each other in order. The hub is 1.2 in (3.0 cm) wide. Spokes take the teal fan to 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide x 1.85 in (4.7 cm) tall. The 0.75 in (1.9 cm) scalloped border brings it to 5 in (12.7 cm) x 2.6 in (6.6 cm). With the clovers, link and teardrop added, the finished motif is 7.1 in (18.0 cm) long. If you check each of these numbers as you reach it, the finished motif will come out to size.
Happy crocheting!