This curtain is made of lacy, leaf-shaped motifs hung in long vertical strands. Each motif has an open oval center wrapped in dense single crochet, a ring of fine spokes, and a scalloped edge with tiny picots. Small rings at the top and bottom points link the motifs into a chain.
The color scheme is fresh and simple: lime green strands alternate with soft butter-yellow strands. Each strand is one color and ends in a matching crocheted bead and a full tassel. With light behind it, the curtain throws lacy shadows and still lets the garden show through.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished curtain is 35 in (88.9 cm) wide. Green strands hang 52 in (132.1 cm) from the rod, and yellow strands hang 55 in (139.7 cm), because their hanging loops are longer and they sit offset from the green.
Construction is modular. You crochet one motif in four rounds and join each new motif to the one above it during its last round. Eight motifs make one strand. After that you add a hanging loop at the top and a bead and tassel at the bottom.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 35 in (88.9 cm) wide × 52–55 in (132.1–139.7 cm) long, measured from the rod
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK / light (#3) cotton
- Hook: 4.0 mm (G-6)
- Number of pieces: 64 motifs (32 green, 32 yellow), joined into 8 strands of 8
- Layout: 8 strands side by side, alternating green and yellow, starting with green on the left
- Motif size: 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide × 4.75 in (12.1 cm) tall for the body; 5.5 in (14.0 cm) from tip to tip including both rings
- Size before finishing: each strand of motifs is 46 in (116.8 cm) from the top ring to the bottom ring
- Edge finish depth: hanging loop 2 in (5.1 cm) on green strands, 5 in (12.7 cm) on yellow; bead and tassel 4 in (10.2 cm) on every strand
Materials
Pick a smooth mercerized cotton or a cotton blend in DK weight. Cotton holds the spokes and picots crisply and resists stretching while the strands hang. Avoid fuzzy or very stretchy yarns, because the long strands will lengthen over time.
- Lime green: 250 g, about 575 m (629 yd)
- Butter yellow: 250 g, about 575 m (629 yd)
Each motif uses about 6 g. Each color covers 32 motifs, 4 hanging loops, 4 beads, and 4 tassels. The quantities above include a margin of roughly 15% for gauge swatches and differences between dye lots.
Tools:
- 4.0 mm (G-6) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch markers
- Scissors
- A piece of stiff card 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide, for wrapping tassels
- A little polyester fiberfill, for the beads
- Rustproof pins and a blocking mat
- A curtain rod at least 37 in (94.0 cm) long
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- tr – treble crochet
- dtr – double treble crochet (yo 3 times, insert hook, pull up a loop, [yo, pull through 2 loops] 4 times)
- sp – space
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 together
- rep – repeat
Special stitch – picot: ch 3, then sl st in the 3rd ch from the hook.
Special stitch – point ring: ch 6, then sl st in the 6th ch from the hook. This makes a small closed ring.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Make one complete motif before you start the rest, and block it. Every measurement in the curtain depends on this one piece.
- After Round 1: the center ring is about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) across, with the stitches packed snugly.
- After Round 2: 2.5 in (6.4 cm) wide × 3.25 in (8.3 cm) tall, measured from the bottom tr to the top dtr.
- After Round 3: 3 in (7.6 cm) wide × 4 in (10.2 cm) tall.
- After Round 4 (blocked): 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide × 4.75 in (12.1 cm) tall for the body, and 5.5 in (14.0 cm) including both rings.
If your motif is more than 0.25 in (0.6 cm) too big, go down a hook size. If it is more than 0.25 in (0.6 cm) too small, go up a hook size. Change the hook rather than changing stitch counts, because the point shaping depends on the exact sequence of spokes.
Motif Pattern
Work in joined rounds with the right side facing you. Don’t turn.
Round 1: Ch 24 and sl st in the first ch to form a ring. Ch 1, then work 40 sc into the ring, over the chain. Sl st in the first sc to join. (40 sc)
Pack the stitches closely so that the chain is completely covered. This makes the solid, wrapped look of the oval center. Place a marker in the joining sc. This is the bottom center of the motif.
Round 2 (spokes): Ch 4 (counts as the first tr, spoke 1), ch 2. Now work into every other sc as follows:
- Skip 1 sc, tr in the next sc, ch 2. (Spoke 2)
- [Skip 1 sc, dc in the next sc, ch 2] 7 times. (Spokes 3–9)
- Skip 1 sc, tr in the next sc, ch 2. (Spoke 10)
- Skip 1 sc, dtr in the next sc, ch 2. (Spoke 11, the top point)
- Skip 1 sc, tr in the next sc, ch 2. (Spoke 12)
- [Skip 1 sc, dc in the next sc, ch 2] 7 times. (Spokes 13–19)
- Skip 1 sc, tr in the next sc (the second-to-last sc), ch 2. (Spoke 20)
Sl st in the top of the beginning ch-4. (20 spokes: 1 dtr, 5 tr including the beginning ch, 14 dc; 20 ch-2 sps)
The spokes use 20 of the 40 sc, one in every other stitch. The taller stitches at spoke 11 and spoke 1 stretch the motif upward and downward, which gives it the lemon-leaf shape with two points.
Round 3 (trim round): Sl st in the first ch-2 sp, ch 1, sc in the same sp. Ch 5, sc in the next ch-2 sp. Rep from * 8 more times, so that you have just made the sc in ch-2 sp 10. Ch 7 (this is the top point loop) and sc in ch-2 sp 11. [Ch 5, sc in the next ch-2 sp] 9 times, so you end in sp 20. Ch 7 (this is the bottom point loop) and sl st in the first sc. (20 sc, one in each ch-2 sp, + 20 loops: 18 ch-5 loops and 2 ch-7 loops)
Check that the two ch-7 loops sit directly over spoke 11 (top) and spoke 1 (bottom).
Round 4 (scalloped edge): Sl st in the first ch-5 loop.
- In each of the first 9 ch-5 loops: (sc, hdc, dc, picot, dc, hdc, sc).
- In the top ch-7 loop: (sc, hdc, 2 dc, point ring, 2 dc, hdc, sc).
- In each of the next 9 ch-5 loops: (sc, hdc, dc, picot, dc, hdc, sc).
- In the bottom ch-7 loop: (sc, hdc, 2 dc, point ring, 2 dc, hdc, sc).
Sl st in the first sc and fasten off. (18 regular scallops × 6 sts = 108 sts, + 2 point scallops × 8 sts = 16 sts; 124 sts in total, plus 18 picots and 2 point rings)
The picots give the edge its knotted look. The point rings are used to link the motifs and to attach the finishings.
Make All Pieces
- Green: 32 motifs (4 strands × 8 motifs)
- Yellow: 32 motifs (4 strands × 8 motifs)
Make motif 1 of each strand as a stand-alone motif, following the pattern above. Make motifs 2–8 with the join-as-you-go method below, so that each strand is finished as soon as its eighth motif is done.
Layout, viewed from the front (G = green, Y = yellow; each column is a strand, and Row 1 is at the top):
S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8
Row 1: G Y G Y G Y G Y
Row 2: G Y G Y G Y G Y
Row 3: G Y G Y G Y G Y
Row 4: G Y G Y G Y G Y
Row 5: G Y G Y G Y G Y
Row 6: G Y G Y G Y G Y
Row 7: G Y G Y G Y G Y
Row 8: G Y G Y G Y G Y
The yellow strands hang 3 in (7.6 cm) lower than the green strands, so the motifs alternate in height across the curtain.
Joining
Each motif joins to the one above it by one ring only. The strands are never joined to each other. They hang freely from the rod, about 1 in (2.5 cm) apart.
Join-as-you-go (motifs 2–8): Work Rounds 1–3 as usual. Work Round 4 as written up to the top ch-7 loop. In that loop, work sc, hdc, 2 dc, and ch 3. With the right side facing, insert your hook from front to back through the bottom point ring of the motif above, and sl st. Ch 3, then sl st in the first of the 3 ch you made before the join. This closes a new ring that passes through the old one. Finish the loop with 2 dc, hdc, and sc, and complete Round 4.
Stitch logic: the new ring still has 6 ch, 3 on each side of the joining sl st. It is the same size as an ordinary point ring, so the linked rings look the same as the free rings on the motif.
Tension: keep the joining chains at your normal tension. If you work them tight, the strand twists. If you work them loose, the strand sags at the joins.
Size checkpoint: the gap between the bodies of two linked motifs should measure 1 in (2.5 cm). One strand of 8 motifs is 8 × 4.75 in + 7 × 1 in = 45 in (114.3 cm) from the top of the first body to the bottom of the eighth body. Adding the free top ring and bottom ring at 0.5 in (1.3 cm) each gives 46 in (116.8 cm).
Border: Hanging Loops, Beads, and Tassels
This curtain has no border around its outer edge. Each strand is finished separately at the top and bottom, so these finishings act as the border.
Border gauge: 5 ch = 1 in (2.5 cm), and 11 sc worked over a ch-10 = 2 in (5.1 cm).
Green hanging loop (strands 1, 3, 5, 7): Join green with a sl st in the top ring of motif 1. Ch 20 and sl st in the same ring. Ch 1 and work 22 sc over the ch-20, then sl st in the ring. Fasten off. (22 sc) The loop folds in half over the rod and hangs 2 in (5.1 cm) deep.
Yellow hanging loop (strands 2, 4, 6, 8): Work the same way, but ch 50 and then work 55 sc over the chain. (55 sc) The loop hangs 5 in (12.7 cm) deep. This drops each yellow strand 3 in (7.6 cm), which is roughly half the distance from one motif to the next.
Why the math works: 20 ch at 5 ch per inch is 4 in (10.2 cm) of chain, which folds to 2 in (5.1 cm). 50 ch is 10 in (25.4 cm), which folds to 5 in (12.7 cm). Using 11 sc for every 10 ch adds 1 extra stitch per 10 ch (2 on the green loop and 5 on the yellow). This gives the sc enough room to lie flat over the chain without bunching or flaring.
Bead (make 8, 4 per color):
- Rnd 1: 6 sc in a magic ring. (6 sc)
- Rnd 2: 2 sc in each sc. (12 sc)
- Rnds 3–4: Sc in each sc. (12 sc)
- Rnd 5: Sc2tog 6 times. (6 sts) Stuff the bead firmly.
Close the hole with the tail, then sew the bead to the bottom point ring of motif 8. The finished bead is 0.75 in (1.9 cm) across.
Tassel (make 8): Wrap yarn around the 3.5 in (8.9 cm) card 30 times. Tie the loops at the top with a 10 in (25.4 cm) strand and cut through the bottom. Wrap a second strand tightly 0.5 in (1.3 cm) below the top, and trim the tassel to 3.25 in (8.3 cm). Thread the tie strand through the bead and tie it to the ring. Bead and tassel together hang 4 in (10.2 cm).
Total drop: green strands are 2 + 46 + 4 = 52 in (132.1 cm). Yellow strands are 5 + 46 + 4 = 55 in (139.7 cm).
Final Blocking
- Wet-block each strand separately. Soak it in cool water for 10 minutes, then press it gently in a towel. Don’t wring it.
- Lay the strand straight on the blocking mat.
- Pin each motif to 3.5 in (8.9 cm) × 4.75 in (12.1 cm), with one pin at each point and one at the widest part of each side.
- Pin out every picot so that the scallops open evenly.
- Gently shape the center into a vertical oval about 1.25 in × 1.5 in (3.2 cm × 3.8 cm).
- Check that the gaps between motifs are 1 in (2.5 cm).
- Fluff the tassels and let everything dry completely before unpinning.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Every motif has 20 spokes and 20 scallops, with picots on 18 scallops and rings at both points.
- All dtr spokes point upward.
- Each strand has 8 motifs, all with the right side facing forward.
- Body gaps are 1 in (2.5 cm), and each strand of motifs measures 46 in (116.8 cm) from ring to ring.
- The loops measure 2 in (5.1 cm) on green strands and 5 in (12.7 cm) on yellow strands.
- Beads and tassels are secure, and all tassels are trimmed to 3.25 in (8.3 cm).
- Every end is woven in through solid sc or dc, never through a chain.
Troubleshooting
- The motif is round instead of pointed: check that spoke 11 is a dtr and that the top and bottom loops in Round 3 are ch-7.
- The center ring ruffles: you have more than 40 sc, or the ch-24 is too short for your tension. Remake it with an even, relaxed chain.
- The scallops cup: your Round 3 loops are too tight. Chain more loosely, or go up a hook size for that round only.
- The strand twists: some motifs are joined with the wrong side facing. Rejoin them so that all right sides face the front.
- A strand grows longer over time: re-block it. Next time, use mercerized cotton.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with a mild detergent, press out the water in a towel, and dry the strands flat and pinned. Don’t put the curtain in the dryer, because the tassels will tangle and the strands may stretch.
Final Notes
The curtain is built on a simple measurement chain. One blocked motif is 3.5 in × 4.75 in (8.9 cm × 12.1 cm). Eight motifs with 1 in (2.5 cm) gaps make a 46 in (116.8 cm) strand. A hanging loop of 2 in or 5 in (5.1 cm or 12.7 cm) and a bead and tassel of 4 in (10.2 cm) bring the green strands to 52 in (132.1 cm) and the yellow strands to 55 in (139.7 cm). Eight strands spaced 1 in (2.5 cm) apart fill 35 in (88.9 cm) of rod. If the first motif matches its checkpoints, the rest of the curtain will match too.
Happy crocheting!