This curtain is made from nine separate filet crochet strips. Each strip is an open mesh with a column of solid, stepped diamonds down the center. Rust and cream strips alternate across the rod, so the light comes through the mesh and the diamonds stand out as warm shapes.
The style is relaxed and Mediterranean: terracotta rust, natural cream, and a plain wooden rod. Every strip hangs on its own from two straps, so the curtain moves easily when you walk through it and you can replace any single strip later.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. Each finished strip measures 4.8 in (12.2 cm) wide and 79.2 in (201.2 cm) long, not counting the straps. Nine strips hung edge to edge make a curtain 43.2 in (109.7 cm) wide.
Construction is simple. You work each strip flat in filet rows from the bottom up, then add one round of single crochet around the edge and two straps at the top. Once the first strip is done, the rest are repeats.
Finished Size and Construction
- Strip size (bordered): 4.8 in x 79.2 in (12.2 cm x 201.2 cm)
- Size before border: 4.4 in x 78.8 in (11.2 cm x 200.2 cm)
- Border depth: 1 round of sc, about 0.2 in (0.5 cm) on every side
- Skill level: Easy–Intermediate
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: DK / light worsted cotton (weight 3)
- Hook: 4.0 mm (G-6)
- Number of pieces: 9 separate strips (5 rust, 4 cream)
- Layout: 9 strips in one row, alternating colors, starting and ending with rust
- Curtain width: 43.2 in (109.7 cm) with the strips hung edge to edge
- Strip grid: 11 filet squares wide, 197 rows long
Materials
Use a smooth mercerized or matte cotton, about 220 m per 100 g. Cotton gives crisp squares and hangs straight. Avoid fuzzy or very stretchy yarn, because long strips will grow under their own weight.
- Rust (Color A): 550 g / 1,210 m (5 strips)
- Cream (Color B): 450 g / 990 m (4 strips)
These quantities include a margin of about 10% for your gauge swatch and for differences in tension.
Tools:
– 4.0 mm (G-6) crochet hook
– Tapestry needle
– Stitch markers
– Tape measure
– Rust-proof pins and a long blocking surface (towels on the floor work)
– Spray bottle
– Wooden curtain rod, 1–1.5 in (2.5–3.8 cm) in diameter
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sc – single crochet
- dc – double crochet
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- sp – space
- sl st – slip stitch
- RS – right side
Special stitches:
– Open square (OS): ch 2, skip 2 sts (or the next ch-2 sp), dc in next dc.
– Block (BL): dc in each of the next 3 sts. Work 2 dc into a ch-2 sp, then 1 dc in the next dc.
At the start of every row, ch 3. This counts as the first dc, which is the first post. Every row has exactly 34 sts: 1 starting post plus 11 squares of 3 sts each.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 5 filet squares and 5 rows = 2 in (5.1 cm), so each square is 0.4 in (1.0 cm) wide and tall.
Make one full strip before you start the others. Compare it with these checkpoints:
- After Row 1: width 4.4 in (11.2 cm)
- After Row 4: height 1.6 in (4.1 cm)
- After Row 20 (first diamond done): height 8 in (20.3 cm)
- One diamond: 2.8 in (7.1 cm) wide x 5.2 in (13.2 cm) tall
- One repeat (16 rows): 6.4 in (16.3 cm)
- After Row 100: height 40 in (101.6 cm)
- After Row 197: 4.4 in x 78.8 in (11.2 cm x 200.2 cm)
If your squares are too big, go down to a 3.75 mm hook. If they’re too small, go up to a 4.5 mm hook. If the width is right but the rows are too tall, wrap the yarn a little more snugly on each dc. A small error adds up: being off by 0.1 in (0.3 cm) on every row changes the strip length by almost 20 in (50.8 cm).
Strip Pattern
Each row is described as squares from right to left on RS rows. The chart is symmetrical, so WS rows read the same.
Foundation: Ch 36.
Row 1 (solid edge): Dc in 4th ch from hook (the skipped 3 ch count as the first dc) and in each ch across. Turn. (34 sts)
Row 2: Ch 3, 11 OS. Turn. (34 sts: 12 dc posts + 11 ch-2 sps)
Rows 3–4: Ch 3, 11 OS, working each OS over the ch-2 sp below. Turn. (34 sts each row)
Diamond Repeat (Rows 5–20)
Every row starts with ch 3 and ends with a dc in the top of the turning ch. Every row has 34 sts.
- Row 5: 5 OS, 1 BL, 5 OS.
- Row 6: 5 OS, 1 BL, 5 OS.
- Row 7: 4 OS, 3 BL, 4 OS.
- Row 8: 4 OS, 3 BL, 4 OS.
- Row 9: 3 OS, 5 BL, 3 OS.
- Row 10: 3 OS, 5 BL, 3 OS.
- Row 11 (widest): 2 OS, 7 BL, 2 OS.
- Row 12: 3 OS, 5 BL, 3 OS.
- Row 13: 3 OS, 5 BL, 3 OS.
- Row 14: 4 OS, 3 BL, 4 OS.
- Row 15: 4 OS, 3 BL, 4 OS.
- Row 16: 5 OS, 1 BL, 5 OS.
- Row 17: 5 OS, 1 BL, 5 OS.
- Rows 18–20: 11 OS.
Working an OS over a block: ch 2, skip the next 2 dc, dc in the next dc.
Because each step of the diamond is two rows tall, the diamond is 13 rows tall and only 7 squares wide. That gives the long, narrow shape. Two open squares stay on each side of the widest row, so the mesh border down each side of the strip is never interrupted.
Rows 21–196: Repeat Rows 5–20 eleven more times. That makes 12 diamonds in total, and Row 196 is the last open row.
Check the count: Rows 5–196 = 192 rows = 12 repeats x 16 rows. ✓
Row 197 (solid edge): Ch 3, 2 dc in ch-2 sp, dc in next dc; repeat from * across. (34 sts: 1 + 11 x 3)*
There are 3 open rows above the top diamond and 3 below the bottom one, so the strip is balanced at both ends. Don’t fasten off.
Make All Strips
- Color A (rust): 5 strips
- Color B (cream): 4 strips
Layout from left to right, as seen from the room:
| A | B | A | B | A | B | A | B | A |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Check that every strip has 197 rows and 12 diamonds before you add the border. Lay the strips side by side. Their lengths should match within 0.4 in (1.0 cm), which is one row.
Joining: Hanging the Strips
The strips are never sewn to each other. They join the curtain only at the rod, through two straps per strip, and this lets each strip hang and move freely.
Strap placement: After the border (below), the top edge has 38 sc from corner to corner, counting both corner sts. Each strap is worked over 6 sts:
– Right strap: the corner sc plus the next 5 sc (sts 1–6)
– Left strap: sts 33–38, ending at the other corner
– Between the straps: 26 sc (sts 7–32) stay free. This edge sags slightly between the straps, as in the photo.
Strap: With RS facing, join yarn in st 1.
– Row 1: Ch 1, sc in sts 1–6. Turn. (6 sc)
– Rows 2–24: Ch 1, sc in each sc across. Turn. (6 sc each row)
At 4 sc rows per inch, the strap is 6 in (15.2 cm) long and 0.8 in (2.0 cm) wide. Fasten off, leaving a 10 in (25.4 cm) tail.
Fold the strap to the back of the strip to make a loop 3 in (7.6 cm) tall. Whipstitch the last row to the back of the border and Row 197, matching st to st across all 6 sts. Make sure the loop isn’t twisted. Repeat for the left strap.
Tension: Work the strap sc firmly, because they carry the whole weight of the strip. Whipstitch through both loops without pulling, so the top edge doesn’t pucker.
Checkpoint: Slide all 9 strips onto the rod in layout order. Hung edge to edge, they measure 43.2 in (109.7 cm) across. You can space them farther apart for a wider, airier curtain.
Border
Border gauge: Along the top and bottom, 1 sc goes in each st, so 34 sc span 4.4 in (11.2 cm). Along the sides, work 2 sc into each dc row end. That gives 5 sc per inch, which matches the 0.4 in (1.0 cm) row height.
Round 1: Continuing from Row 197, ch 1 and work around the strip:
– Top edge: 3 sc in the first st, sc in the next 32 sts, 3 sc in the last st. (38 sc; 36 sc from corner to corner counting both corner sts)
– Side 1: 2 sc in each of the 197 row ends. (394 sc; 396 sc counting both corner sts)
– Bottom edge: working into the 34 foundation loops, 3 sc in the first loop, sc in the next 32, 3 sc in the last. (38 sc)
– Side 2: 2 sc in each of the 197 row ends. (394 sc)
Sl st to the first sc. Fasten off. (864 sc in total)
Why the math works: Each corner is the center sc of a 3-sc group. Counting only the non-corner sts gives 4 corners + 2 x 36 + 2 x 394 = 864. ✓ Each short side is 34 sts worked one-to-one, plus 2 extra sts per corner group. Each long side matches the row height exactly, so the edges lie flat without ruffling or cupping.
The border adds 0.2 in (0.5 cm) on each side, so the strip grows from 4.4 x 78.8 in (11.2 x 200.2 cm) to 4.8 x 79.2 in (12.2 x 201.2 cm).
Add the straps after the border is done.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all the tails along the solid edges, not through the mesh.
- Lay each strip flat, RS up, on towels.
- Pin the four corners to 4.8 x 79.2 in (12.2 x 201.2 cm).
- Pin along both long edges every 4 in (10.2 cm), keeping them straight.
- Use a pin or a blunt needle to square up the mesh holes, especially where they meet a diamond.
- Spray until the strip is damp but not soaked.
- Let it dry completely, at least 24 hours.
- Hang the strip for a day and measure again. Cotton may drop by about one row.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Every row has 34 sts and 11 squares.
- Every strip has 197 rows and 12 diamonds.
- Each diamond is 7 blocks wide on its middle row.
- There are 2 open squares on each side of every widest diamond row.
- The border has 864 sc with 3 sc at each corner.
- Each strap has 6 sc and 24 rows and is untwisted.
- All 9 strips match in length within 0.4 in (1.0 cm).
- The colors run A–B–A–B–A–B–A–B–A.
Troubleshooting
Diamonds are off-center: Count the open squares on both sides of each block group. Both sides must have the same number.
Mesh looks slanted: You may be missing the last dc in the turning ch. Count the posts in each row: an all-open row has 12.
Side border ruffles: Use 2 sc per row end, not 3. If it still waves, use a smaller hook for the border only.
Strip is getting much longer once hung: Your row height is loose. Block it again, or take out one 16-row repeat (6.4 in / 16.3 cm).
Straps stretch out: Add a second row of whipstitching, or work the straps with a hook one size smaller.
Top edge cups between the straps: Loosen the whipstitches, or check that you skipped exactly 26 sts between the straps.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap and press out the water in a towel. Lay the strips flat to dry, re-pin them to size, and don’t hang them while wet.
Final Notes
Everything depends on one measurement: a 0.4 in (1.0 cm) square. Eleven squares make a 4.4 in (11.2 cm) row, 197 rows make 78.8 in (200.2 cm), and a 0.2 in (0.5 cm) border brings each strip to 4.8 x 79.2 in (12.2 x 201.2 cm). Nine strips side by side make a 43.2 in (109.7 cm) curtain. Get the first strip right and the rest will follow.
Happy crocheting!