Christmas Tree Hanging Curtain Crochet Pattern

This curtain is a little forest hanging in a window. It is made of seventy crochet Christmas trees, strung into ten long columns that hang from a lacy valance band across the top. The trees alternate pale sage cream and deep forest green down every column, and the columns are offset by half a tree, so each tree sits neatly between the trees beside it. From across the room it reads like falling snow and pine branches at the same time. When I hung mine in the dining room, it changed the whole feeling of the house overnight.

Every tree is built from three small tiers and a trunk. Each tier starts with a row of little scallops made from three double crochet shells, which become the soft, wavy hem you see on every layer. Above that, rows of double crochet and short chain spaces narrow quickly to a point, so each tier is a lacy triangle with plenty of holes for the light. The large, medium and small tiers are stacked so each scalloped hem overlaps the tier below. A tiny square trunk worked in single crochet sits under the bottom tier and finishes the shape.

The trees are joined trunk to tip with short chain links. I work each link as four chains and then slip stitch back along it, which makes a neat, firm cord about one inch long. Seven trees make one column. The odd columns hang from a short link and start with a cream tree, while the even columns hang from a longer link and start with a green tree, which creates the half drop that makes the pattern feel so full. There are no tassels on this design, because the last trunk makes such a sweet ending on its own.

The valance band across the top is worked in one long piece in pale sage cream. It has rows of double crochet, two rows of open mesh and a scalloped lower edge with thirty little shells. Along the top edge, a row of chain loops slides over a wooden curtain rod. Every third shell along the bottom carries one column of trees, so the columns are evenly spaced about five inches apart. The finished curtain measures about 51 inches wide and about 56 to 60 inches long, depending on the column, which fits a standard window or a glass door panel nicely.

Each finished tree is about 5 inches wide and 6.5 inches tall. I used worsted weight cotton with a 5 mm hook, because cotton keeps the points sharp and the scallops crisp, and it does not stretch much when the trees hang. The stitches are simple: chain, slip stitch, single crochet and double crochet. The only skills beyond that are sewing the tiers together and keeping your chain links even. If you can make a shell and a turning chain, you can make this whole curtain.

This is a good project for a confident beginner with a little patience, and a relaxing one for anyone who loves small, repeatable pieces. Seventy trees sounds like a lot, but each one is finished in about half an hour, and they fit in a small bag. Daylight comes through the open tiers and throws little tree shadows across the table, and in the evening the room lights glow softly through the cream trees. It is a cozy way to dress a window for the whole holiday season.

I love a project that grows quietly in the background of a busy season, and this curtain does exactly that. I started mine in early autumn and made two or three trees almost every evening. Each tree is finished in one sitting, so there is no complicated place to remember and no long row to lose. By the time the first cold mornings came, I had a basket full of little cream and green trees, and the holidays felt a lot closer. I also loved that the trees used up the odd half balls of green and cream cotton left from older projects. A tree only needs about fourteen yards, so even small leftovers turned into something useful, and nothing went to waste in my yarn basket.

I also love how much it changes a room. Before, my dining room window was just glass and a wooden frame. Now the trees fill the whole window like a soft winter forest, and every meal at that table feels a little more special. It gives privacy from the street without blocking the light, and when friends come for dinner, it is always the first thing they notice and ask about.

Here is why this pattern is special to me:

• Each tree is small, quick and easy to carry anywhere.
• Only basic stitches, repeated in a calm, happy rhythm.
• It uses up spare green and cream cotton beautifully.
• It works in a window, a door or as a holiday room divider.
• It comes out every year and feels like an old friend.

There is a slow joy in watching the forest grow. I kept my finished trees in two baskets, one for each color, and every Sunday I laid them out on the bed in their columns. Seeing the columns grow longer each week, with the cream and green trading places all the way down, was more motivating than any to-do list. When the day came to join everything, the curtain came together in one long, happy afternoon.

This curtain makes a lovely gift too, and it is the kind of handmade present people keep for years. I can picture it in a grandchild's first apartment, in a holiday cabin or in a friend's kitchen window. You can match the colors to their home, and because the valance slides onto any standard rod, it fits almost anywhere. A few single trees also make sweet gift tags or ornaments if you want to share a little piece of it.

I learned a few things while making it. I learned to make all the tiers of one size in a batch, because my tension stays more even that way. I learned to block every tree before joining, because a blocked tree hangs straight and an unblocked one twists. And I learned that the half drop is worth the extra chains on the even columns, because it is what makes the curtain look full instead of striped. I hope these small lessons save you a little time on your own forest.

This pattern is easy to change, because every tree is small and the layout is just columns. My first idea is always color. Pale sage cream and forest green feel like a snowy pine forest, but red and white trees look cheerful and classic in a farmhouse kitchen, and green and cream in brighter shades feels fresh and modern. Blue and white gives you a frosty winter look that can stay up from December to February. For a little girl's room, pink and white trees are pure sweetness.

For an elegant table setting, try white with golden details. Make every tree in white or ivory cotton and carry a fine gold metallic thread together with your yarn in Row 1 of each tier, so only the scalloped hems sparkle. It catches candlelight beautifully on Christmas Eve. You could also work the trunks in a warm brown for a more natural look, while keeping the tiers in one or two colors. Lay a few test trees on the windowsill before you buy all the yarn, because colors look different with light behind them.

Changing the size is simple. Each column adds about 5 inches of width, and each tree with its chain link adds about 7.5 inches of length. The valance band grows by 18 stitches for every extra column. Here are the sizes I use, measured at the longest column:

• Narrow window, about 26 by 38 inches: 5 columns of 4 trees, 20 trees.
• Standard window, about 51 by 60 inches: 10 columns of 7 trees, 70 trees.
• Door, about 31 by 83 inches: 6 columns of 10 trees, 60 trees.
• Room divider, about 77 by 90 inches: 15 columns of 11 trees, 165 trees.

A short cafe curtain is one of my favorite variations for a kitchen. Hang it on a rod halfway up the window and make each column only 2 or 3 trees long. Three trees per column gives a drop of about 30 inches, which covers the lower half of the glass and keeps the top open for light and a view of the snow. It is also a great way to test the pattern before you make the full forest, and it only needs 30 trees.

For a doorway, hang the columns a little farther apart, on every fourth shell instead of every third, so the trees no longer overlap and the strands part easily when someone walks through. Make the columns 10 or 11 trees long so they reach almost to the floor, and keep the chain links firm, because they will be brushed every day. A doorway forest between the kitchen and the hall is such a happy surprise for guests. You can take it down after the holidays and roll it up in a pillowcase until next year.

The ending of each column can change the mood too. I love the clean finish of the last trunk, but you can add a small tassel of 3 or 4 inches under the bottom tree for a softer look, or a tiny white pompom like a snowball. Small wooden beads on the chain links add a rustic touch, and a single crocheted star at the top of each column feels very festive. Keep any additions light, because extra weight at the bottom pulls on the links.

Finally, you can change the yarn weight. In DK cotton with a 4 mm hook, each tree comes out about 4 inches wide and 5.2 inches tall, so you will need about 13 columns of 9 trees to cover the same window. In chunky cotton with a 6.5 mm hook, each tree grows to about 6.5 inches wide and 8.5 inches tall, and 8 columns of 5 trees cover a standard window. Always make and block one test tree before you plan your layout and buy yarn.