Brown crocheted pine cone ornaments with white frosting hang from green strings at a bright window.

Snowy Pinecone Strand Curtain Crochet Pattern

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This curtain is made of hanging strands of dark green cord. Each strand is trimmed with small brown pinecones and pairs of pine fronds. A cream “snow” ruffle sits on top of every pinecone, so the panel looks like a winter branch after a fresh snowfall.

The palette is simple: chestnut brown for the cones, cream for the snow, and deep forest green for the cords and needles. The style is rustic and cozy. The curtain works in front of a window, across a doorway, or as a holiday backdrop.

This pattern uses US crochet terms. One finished pinecone measures 2.5 in (6.4 cm) tall and 2 in (5.1 cm) wide. One strand drops 65.5 in (166.4 cm) from the top of the rod to the tip of the last pinecone. One panel of 8 strands spans about 34 in (86.4 cm), including the fronds. The photo shows two panels on one rod, so make this panel twice for a matching pair.

The curtain is built from separate parts. Each pinecone body is worked in the round from the tip upward. Some rounds are worked in back loops only, which leaves free front loops for four tiers of scales. A cream edging is added last. The fronds are chain-and-slip-stitch pieces, and the cords are chains with a slip-stitch return. Everything is sewn together at marked stations.

Finished Size and Construction

  • Finished panel: about 34 in (86.4 cm) wide x 65.5 in (166.4 cm) drop
  • Skill level: Intermediate (front/back loop work and sewing many parts)
  • Terminology: US
  • Yarn weight: Worsted (#4)
  • Hook: 3.75 mm (US F-5)
  • Pieces per panel: 8 cords, 64 pinecones, 128 fronds
  • Layout: 8 strands, 8 stations per strand, 1 pinecone + 2 fronds per station
  • Pinecone size: 2.5 in (6.4 cm) tall x 2 in (5.1 cm) wide
  • Pinecone size before snow edging: 2.25 in (5.7 cm) tall x 2 in (5.1 cm) wide
  • Snow edging depth: 0.25 in (0.6 cm)
  • Frond size: 3.25 in (8.3 cm) long x 1.5 in (3.8 cm) wide

Materials

Choose a smooth worsted-weight acrylic or acrylic blend with about 180 m per 100 g. Smooth yarn shows the scales clearly. Acrylic is also light enough that the long strands won’t stretch much. Avoid fuzzy yarns, because they blur the scale edges.

Quantities for one panel:

  • Brown (cones): 650 g / 1,170 m
  • Cream (snow): 120 g / 216 m
  • Dark green (fronds and cords): 300 g / 540 m

Tools:

  • 3.75 mm (US F-5) hook
  • Polyester fiberfill, about 150 g
  • Tapestry needle
  • About 20 locking stitch markers
  • Scissors and a measuring tape
  • Blocking mat and pins
  • Curtain rod, up to 1.75 in (4.4 cm) in diameter

All quantities include a margin of about 15% for gauge differences and a test piece.

Abbreviations (US Terms)

  • ch: chain
  • sl st: slip stitch
  • sc: single crochet
  • hdc: half double crochet
  • dc: double crochet
  • inc: 2 sc in the same stitch
  • dec: sc2tog
  • BLO / FLO: back loop only / front loop only
  • FL: front loop
  • st(s): stitch(es)

Scale (special stitch): (sc, hdc, dc) in the next FL, then (dc, hdc, sc) in the following FL. One scale uses 2 front loops and contains 6 sts.

Needle (special stitch): Ch 4, then sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in the next 2 ch (3 sl st).

Gauge and Checkpoints

Body gauge: 5 sc and 5.5 rounds = 1 in (2.5 cm) in tight amigurumi-style sc.

Cord gauge: 4 ch = 1 in (2.5 cm) after the slip-stitch return, so 20 ch = 5 in (12.7 cm).

Make one complete test pinecone and one frond before anything else. Use these checkpoints:

  1. After Round 8, the body circumference is 4.8 in (12.2 cm).
  2. After Round 13, the closed body is about 2.25 in (5.7 cm) tall.
  3. After all scale tiers, the cone is 2 in (5.1 cm) wide.
  4. After the snow edging, the cone is 2.5 in (6.4 cm) tall.
  5. A frond measures 3.25 in (8.3 cm) long.

If your pieces are too big, go down a hook size. If they’re too small or the fabric is stiff, go up a size. For the cord, test a 20-chain swatch. If it’s longer than 5 in (12.7 cm), tighten your chain or use a smaller hook.

Crocheted brown pinecone with cream-colored snow topping, surrounded by dark green crocheted fir branches hanging in a window.

Pinecone Body (Brown)

Work in continuous rounds and mark the first stitch of each round. Each round marked BLO leaves free front loops on the round before it. Those loops will hold the scales and the snow.

Round 1: Magic ring, 4 sc in ring. (4)
Round 2: (sc, inc) x 2. (6)
Round 3 (BLO): (sc, inc) x 3. (9)
Round 4: (2 sc, inc) x 3. (12)
Round 5 (BLO): (3 sc, inc) x 3. (15)
Round 6: (4 sc, inc) x 3. (18)
Round 7 (BLO): (5 sc, inc) x 3. (21)
Round 8: (6 sc, inc) x 3. (24)
Round 9 (BLO): sc in each st around. (24)
Round 10: sc in each st around. (24)
Round 11 (BLO): (2 sc, dec) x 6. (18)

Stuff firmly, keeping the widest part at Rounds 8-10.

Round 12: (sc, dec) x 6. (12)
Round 13: dec x 6. (6)

Fasten off, leaving a 12 in (30.5 cm) tail. Weave the tail through the 6 front loops, pull closed, and keep the tail for sewing. Round 13 is the top of the cone, and Round 1 is the tip.

These free front loops are now available: Round 2 (6), Round 4 (12), Round 6 (18), Round 8 (24), and Round 10 (24).

Scale Tiers (Brown)

Hold the cone with the tip pointing up so the scales fall toward the tip. Work each tier as a closed round, join with sl st to the first sc, and fasten off. Weave in ends inside the cone.

Tier 1 (Round 2 FLs): Join in any FL. Scale x 3. (3 scales, 18 sts)
Tier 2 (Round 4 FLs): Scale x 6. (6 scales, 36 sts)
Tier 3 (Round 6 FLs): Scale x 9. (9 scales, 54 sts)
Tier 4 (Round 8 FLs): Scale x 12. (12 scales, 72 sts)

Each tier uses every free front loop exactly once: 6, 12, 18, and 24 loops, divided by 2 loops per scale. Start each tier halfway across a scale of the tier below, so the scales overlap like shingles.

Pine Fronds (Dark Green)

Make 128 per panel.

Ch 13. Sl st in 2nd ch from hook (this is the frond tip). 11 ch remain.

Needle, needle, sl st in next 2 ch. Repeat from * 4 more times (5 pairs, 10 ch used). Sl st in last ch. (10 needles, 11 ch used)

Fasten off, leaving an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail at the base. As you work, push the first needle of each pair to the left and the second to the right. This puts needles on both sides of the frond.

Hanging Cords (Dark Green)

Make 8 per panel.

Loop: Ch 24, then sl st in first ch to form a ring. (24 ch; it hangs 3 in / 7.6 cm when looped over the rod)

Cord: Ch 240. Sl st in back bump of 2nd ch from hook and in each ch back to the loop. (239 sl st) Sl st into the loop join and fasten off.

The cord measures 60 in (152.4 cm) below the loop. Counting from the loop, place markers at ch 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, and 240. These are the 8 stations, spaced 7.5 in (19.1 cm) apart. Station 8 is the end of the cord.

Make All Pieces

Per panel:

  • Brown: 64 pinecone bodies, each with 4 scale tiers
  • Cream: snow edging on all 64 pinecones (see Border)
  • Dark green: 128 fronds and 8 cords

Layout grid (S = strand; each P = 1 pinecone + 2 fronds at that station):

          S1  S2  S3  S4  S5  S6  S7  S8
Loop      O   O   O   O   O   O   O   O
Stn 1     P   P   P   P   P   P   P   P
Stn 2     P   P   P   P   P   P   P   P
Stn 3     P   P   P   P   P   P   P   P
Stn 4     P   P   P   P   P   P   P   P
Stn 5     P   P   P   P   P   P   P   P
Stn 6     P   P   P   P   P   P   P   P
Stn 7     P   P   P   P   P   P   P   P
Stn 8     P   P   P   P   P   P   P   P

8 strands x 8 stations = 64 pinecones, and 64 x 2 = 128 fronds.

Joining

Finish the snow edging (next section) on all pinecones before joining.

Pinecones: Center the closed top (Round 13) of a cone on the cord at a station marker. Using the brown tail, sew through the marker stitch and 1 cord stitch on each side, so 3 cord sts carry the cone. Pass through 3 times and knot inside the cone. At station 8, sew the cone to the last 3 sts of the cord so the cord ends inside the snow cap.

Fronds: Count 4 cord sts (1 in / 2.5 cm) up from each cone. At that stitch, sew one frond base on each side of the cord, angled up and out at about 45 degrees, so the pair forms a V behind the snow cap. Tack each frond once more, 0.5 in (1.3 cm) along its stem, so it doesn’t twist.

Tension: Sew firmly, but don’t pull the cord. Lay the strand flat while sewing, and check that the cord between stations still measures 7.5 in (19.1 cm). Tight sewing shortens strands unevenly.

Hanging: Slide the 8 loops onto the rod and space them 4.5 in (11.4 cm) center to center. Seven gaps x 4.5 in = 31.5 in (80.0 cm) between the outer cords. The fronds add about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) per side, for about 34 in (86.4 cm) total.

Size checkpoint: Each strand should measure 65.5 in (166.4 cm): 3 in (7.6 cm) loop + 60 in (152.4 cm) cord + 2.5 in (6.4 cm) cone. All 8 strands should match within 0.5 in (1.3 cm).

Border: Snow Edging (Cream)

On this design, the border is the cream snow worked onto each pinecone. It goes into the free front loops of Round 10 and along the top of Tier 4.

Border gauge: One scallop over 2 FLs is about 0.4 in (1.0 cm) wide and 0.25 in (0.6 cm) deep.

To keep count, divide the cone into 4 quarters of 6 front loops each.

Snow Round A (Round 10 FLs): Hold the cone with the top up. Join cream in any FL. Sc in next FL, (hdc, dc, hdc) in next FL. Repeat from * 11 more times. Join with sl st to first sc. (12 scallops, 48 sts; 3 scallops and 12 sts per quarter) Fasten off.

Snow Round B (Tier 4 frosting): Join cream in the first sc of any Tier 4 scale. Sl st loosely in the top of each st along all scales. (12 scales x 6 sts = 72 sl st; 18 per quarter) Join and fasten off.

Why the math works: Round 10 has 24 front loops, and each scallop uses 2, so 24 / 2 = 12 scallops with nothing left over. Round B follows Tier 4 exactly, so it has the same 72 sts as Tier 4. Neither round adds or skips stitches. The edging lies flat apart from its scallop shape, with no cupping or extra ruffling.

Final Blocking

  1. Lightly mist each finished cone and gently push the scales down toward the tip.
  2. Shape the snow scallops upward so they curl over the shoulder of the cone.
  3. Pin the fronds flat on a blocking mat, with needles spread evenly left and right.
  4. Mist the fronds and let them dry completely.
  5. Hang each finished strand by itself for 24 hours to relax the cord.
  6. Measure every strand again. If one is short, loosen the sewing at its stations.

Final Quality-Control Checklist

  • Every cone measures 2.5 in (6.4 cm) x 2 in (5.1 cm).
  • Each cone has 4 brown tiers (3, 6, 9, and 12 scales) and 12 cream scallops.
  • Every frond has 10 needles, 5 per side.
  • Each cord has 8 stations, 7.5 in (19.1 cm) apart.
  • Every station has 1 cone and 2 fronds in a V.
  • All strands measure 65.5 in (166.4 cm) within 0.5 in (1.3 cm).
  • All ends are woven in and the knots are hidden.

Troubleshooting

  • Scales point upward: You held the cone with the tip down. Rework the tier with the tip pointing up.
  • Front loops left over in a tier: A scale used only 1 loop. Count 2 loops per scale and check again.
  • Stuffing shows: Use a smaller hook for the body, or use slightly less stuffing.
  • Cord curls or twists: Work the return sl st more loosely, then hang the cord with a weight overnight.
  • Strands are uneven: Recount the chains between stations; 30 ch should equal 7.5 in (19.1 cm).
  • Fronds droop: Add the second tack 0.5 in (1.3 cm) up the stem.

Care

Dust gently or spot clean with cool water and mild soap. Lay flat to dry, and don’t machine wash, which can tangle the strands.

Crocheted cream and brown pine cones dangle with green pine sprigs as a decorative curtain in a festive living room.

Final Notes

Every measurement follows from the one before it. A gauge of 5 sc per inch gives a 4.8 in (12.2 cm) Round 8 and a 2 in (5.1 cm) wide cone. The snow edging then brings the cone to 2.5 in (6.4 cm) tall. A gauge of 4 ch per inch turns 240 ch into 60 in (152.4 cm) of cord, with stations every 7.5 in (19.1 cm). Add the 3 in (7.6 cm) loop and the last cone, and each strand drops 65.5 in (166.4 cm). Eight strands at 4.5 in (11.4 cm) spacing give a panel about 34 in (86.4 cm) wide.

Check each stage before moving on, and the finished curtain will hang evenly. Happy crocheting!

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