Raspberry Fan Tassel Curtain Crochet Pattern

This curtain is one of those projects that makes a plain window feel loved. It is worked in a single raspberry pink cotton, and every part of it is small and simple on its own. Along the top sits a scalloped valance made of seven half circle fans joined into one band. From the bottom point of each fan, a strand of chain links drops down, carrying little round rosettes, one large open fan and a long full tassel at the end. When the sun comes in, the light falls through all the open spaces and the whole window turns soft and rosy.

The fan is the heart of the design. You start it in a magic ring and work it flat in rows, so it grows into a half circle with spokes of double crochet and little chain spaces between them. A row of short loops comes next, and then a scalloped edge with a tiny picot on every scallop. The last row runs along the straight side to make it neat and firm. You make fourteen of these fans in total, seven for the valance and seven to hang lower down on the strands, and they are all exactly the same.

The rosettes are tiny eight petal flowers, about one and a half inches across. They take only a few minutes each, which makes them lovely to make in a spare moment. There are four on every strand, so you need twenty eight in all. The chain links are worked with the yarn held double, so they stay firm and do not stretch under the weight of the fans and tassels. I place a stitch marker where each rosette will sit, and later I sew the rosettes on right over those spots so they look like little flowers threaded on a string.

The finished curtain is about 42 inches (107 cm) wide across the valance. The four long strands reach about 33 inches (84 cm) from the top of the band to the tip of the tassel, and the three short ones about 29 inches (74 cm). The strands alternate long and short, so the big fans sit at two heights and the tassels form a gentle wave along the bottom. That little change in height is what keeps the eye moving and makes the curtain feel playful instead of stiff. It suits a kitchen window, a small bedroom window or the top half of a sunny door.

The top band is three rows deep and gives you a straight, sturdy edge for hanging. I used nine metal clip rings spaced evenly along it, and they slide easily on a wooden rod. You could also crochet small yarn loops instead if you like a softer look, and I have written that option into the pattern. Because the curtain is open and light, it does not need a heavy rod or special hardware. A normal cafe rod or a slim tension rod holds it well, even in a rented home where you cannot drill.

I call this pattern intermediate. You need to be comfortable with chains, single crochet, double crochet and working into chain spaces, and you should be happy to count. Nothing here is hard, but there are many small pieces, so it rewards patience more than skill. If you have made a shawl edge or a few simple motifs before, you will feel right at home. Plan on about 20 to 25 hours from the first fan to the last tassel, spread over evenings or weekends in whatever rhythm suits you.

Once it is blocked and hanging, the curtain feels light and a little bit romantic. The cotton holds the shape of the fans, and the tassels give it a nice swing when the window is open. It filters the light without blocking it, and it still gives you a touch of privacy near the top of the glass. I love how it looks in the morning, when the pink glows almost red against the bright sky and throws little fan shaped shadows across the table.

I love projects I can carry with me, and this curtain is made of pieces that fit in a sandwich bag. A fan takes me about forty minutes, and a rosette about ten. I made most of mine at the kitchen table with my tea, a few in a waiting room, and a handful in the car while I waited for my grandson after school. By the time I sat down to join everything, I had a little basket full of pink fans and flowers, and it felt like a treasure chest I had filled one coin at a time.

There is a quiet joy in watching something grow one piece at a time. On the first day you have one fan, and it looks like a small seashell. After a week you have seven, and you can lay them in a row on the table and see the valance coming to life. Every rosette you add makes the pile a bit brighter. I find that kind of slow progress very calming, especially in the evening when the house is quiet and the only sound is the hook moving through the cotton.

This curtain changed my kitchen more than any new paint could. The window used to be bare, and the room felt a little cold in the morning. Now the light comes in pink and warm, and the tassels move gently when the window is open. Friends always stop and touch the fans when they come over, and almost all of them ask if I can teach them. It is a small thing, but it makes the room feel cared for and lived in, the way a kitchen should feel.

It also makes a wonderful gift, because it feels personal without needing to fit anyone. Here is who I would make one for:

• a daughter or friend moving into a first home
• a new mother who wants a sweet nursery window
• a neighbor with a sunny kitchen window
• anyone who loves pink, flowers or a cottage look

I like that the whole curtain uses one color. You do not have to plan color changes or weave in a hundred ends of different shades. You just pick a yarn you love and go. If you have a few leftover balls of the same cotton in your stash, the rosettes and tassels are a great way to use them up, as long as the shade matches. And if you decide later that you want two colors, the pattern adapts easily, as you will see in the ideas below.

Making it taught me a few things too. I learned how much a good blocking can do for a fan, turning a slightly curled shell into a crisp half circle. I learned to hold the yarn double for the chains after my first test strand stretched almost two inches overnight. And I learned that tassels look best when you are generous with the wraps, because a skinny tassel looks lost under a big fan. These are the little lessons I have written into the pattern for you, so you can skip the frustrating parts and go straight to the happy ones.

Most of all, I love it because it feels like something my mother would have made. It has that old fashioned charm of crochet hanging in a window, but the bright raspberry color makes it feel fresh and cheerful. Every time I see the sun come through it, I am glad I took the time to make every fan by hand.

This curtain is easy to change, because it is built from small pieces and a simple layout. Here are the variations I have tried or planned, with the numbers you need for each one. Read through them before you buy yarn, since a new size or color plan changes how much you need. The stitch counts of the fan and the rosette never change, so once you know them, every version feels familiar.

Red and white. Make the seven valance fans and the top band in white, and the strands, rosettes, hanging fans and tassels in a bright red. The white band frames the window like a lace edge, and the red strands pop against the glass. It looks wonderful in a farmhouse kitchen and makes a cheerful choice for the winter months. Green and cream works the same way, with cream fans and sage or leaf green rosettes and tassels, and it feels calm and fresh next to a row of houseplants.

Blue and white, or pink and white. For a seaside look, try cornflower or navy blue fans with white rosettes and white tassels. For a nursery or a little girl's room, a soft baby pink with white rosettes is very sweet. In both cases I keep the chain links in the darker color so the strands stay visible against the light. White with golden details is my choice for a dining room: make everything in white and add golden mustard tassels and a few golden rosettes for a warm, elegant finish.

A narrow window. For a window about 30 inches (76 cm) wide, make five valance fans and five strands instead of seven. The top band then has 149 stitches (5 x 29 sc plus 4 ch-1 spaces), and five clip rings fit evenly at every 37th stitch. Keep the long and short strands alternating, starting and ending with a long one, so the bottom wave still looks balanced. You will need about 360 yards of DK cotton for this smaller version.

A standard window or a door. The pattern as written, with seven fans, covers a standard window of about 38 to 42 inches (97 to 107 cm). For the glass panel of a door, keep the seven fans but add a second hanging fan to every strand, with 18 more chains and 2 more rosettes below it. That makes each strand about 8 to 9 inches longer, so the curtain covers most of the glass while the tassels still swing gently. Plan on about 670 yards of yarn for the door version.

A doorway curtain or a room divider. For an open doorway, make nine valance fans and nine strands, and give each strand three hanging fans with 27 chains and 2 rosettes between them. The top band has 269 stitches (9 x 29 sc plus 8 ch-1 spaces), and eleven rings spaced about every 27 stitches work well. Each strand then hangs about 50 inches (127 cm), so lengthen the first link until the tassels end where you want them. For a room divider, hang two of these doorway panels side by side from one long rod.

A shorter cafe curtain. If you only want a little frill at the top of the window, make the valance and top band, then skip the hanging fans. Work each strand as 18 chains, a rosette, 9 chains, a rosette and 9 chains, and finish with a 4 inch (10 cm) tassel. The whole curtain is then only about 16 inches (41 cm) deep, and it takes about half the time. Shorter or longer tassels change the mood too: wind 25 wraps on a 4.5 inch (11.5 cm) card for a neat 4 inch tassel, or 40 wraps on an 8.5 inch (21.5 cm) card for a dramatic 8 inch (20 cm) tassel.

A different yarn weight. The fans grow or shrink with your yarn, so you can change the size without changing a single stitch count. Here is roughly what to expect for the width of the seven fan version:

• Size 10 cotton thread with a 1.75 mm hook: about 24 in (61 cm) wide
• Sport weight cotton with a 3 mm hook: about 36 in (91 cm) wide
• DK cotton with a 3.5 mm hook, as written: about 42 in (107 cm) wide
• Worsted cotton with a 4.5 mm hook: about 52 in (132 cm) wide

Remember that a thicker yarn also makes a heavier curtain, so use a sturdy rod for the worsted version and buy about a third more yarn. Thread, on the other hand, makes a very delicate curtain that looks lovely in a small bathroom or above a kitchen sink.