Easy Elegant Lacy Motif — Step-by-step (US terms)

Skill level: Beginner → Easy-intermediate
Finished motif (sample): ~10 cm (4″) blocked using DK + 3.5 mm hook (adjust hook/yarn for size).
Uses: panels for blouses, shawls, summer jackets, runners, blankets, tablemats.

Materials

Yarn: sport/DK cotton or cotton-blend (for summer); fingering for delicate look.
Hook: 3.0–3.5 mm for fingering/sport, 3.5–4.0 mm for DK.
Tapestry needle, scissors, blocking pins/mat, stitch markers (optional).
Optional: small beads or contrast thread for surface accents (skip for pure airy look).

Abbreviations (US)

ch = chain
sl st = slip stitch
sc = single crochet
hdc = half double crochet
dc = double crochet
tr = treble crochet
sp = space
st = stitch
rep = repeat
BLO = back loop only
JAYG = join-as-you-go

Pattern overview (how it works)

Worked in rounds from center out.
Round design: small center ring → petal/fan rounds → chain arches → a “squareing” round to make a square motif.
Final round is a sc round used for joining (join-as-you-go) or finishing.
The whole motif is very repetitive and easy to memorize.

Make a test motif first

Make one motif and block it. Measure the blocked width (W). Use W to calculate how many motifs you need for your project.

Motif — full rounds

Round 1 — center ring

Make a magic ring (or ch 4 and sl st to form a ring).
ch 3 (counts as dc), work 11 dc into ring — 12 dc total. Pull ring closed. Join with sl st to top of ch-3.

Round 2 — anchor loops

ch 1, sc in next dc, ch 3 — repeat around to make 12 sc + 12 ch-3 loops.
Join with sl st to first sc.

(These ch-3 loops will anchor petals.)

Round 3 — small petals (fans)

Sl st into first ch-3 loop to sit your hook inside that loop.
Into each loop work: (sc, ch 1, hdc, 3 dc, hdc, ch 1, sc) — a tapered petal/fan.
Repeat around (12 petals). Join with sl st.

Round 4 — small connecting round

ch 1. sc in outer sc of petal, ch 3 — repeat around forming small arches between petals. Join with sl st.

(This round stabilizes petals and creates nice small arches to work larger fans into.)

Round 5 — big fans (flower blossom)

Into each ch-3 arch of Round 4 work: (sc, ch 1, hdc, 5 dc, hdc, ch 1, sc) — larger fan/petal (12 large fans).
Join with sl st.

Round 6 — tall chain arches

ch 1, sc in first sc, ch 7, sc in next sc — repeat around to make 12 ch-7 loops. Join.

Round 7 — top fans (narrow)

In each ch-7 loop work: (sc, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 2, sc) — a narrow top fan. Join with sl st.

Round 8 — squareing / corners (make 4 sides)

You have 12 top fans; group them so there are 4 sides, each with 3 fan tops, and make 4 corner ch-3 spaces.

ch 3 (counts as dc), 3 dc in next fan top space, 3 dc in next fan top space, in the third fan top space of the group work (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) to form a corner.
Repeat that [3dc, 3dc, corner] sequence 4 times so you consume all 12 fan tops and end with four corners. Join with sl st.

(If your motif looks slightly off, move the corner placement so the 4 corners are evenly spaced — it’s normal to tweak the first motif.)

Round 9 — tidy sc round (join round)

ch 1, sc evenly around motif; place 3 sc in each corner ch-3 to round them. Join with sl st. Keep yarn attached if you plan to join-as-you-go.

Optional Round 10 — small scallop

skip 2 sc, 5 dc in next sc (shell), skip 2 sc, sc in next sc — repeat for a delicate scalloped edge. Join and fasten off. Block.

Join-as-you-go (JAYG) — quick method

Best to attach motifs during Round 9 so seams are flat.

Simple JAYG rule

Make first motif completely and block it.
Begin the second motif and work through Round 8. Start Round 9 (sc round). When you reach a stitch on the side that will touch an existing motif, replace the plain sc with:
sc in your motif st, ch 1, sl st into the corresponding sc (or corner) of the finished neighbor, ch 1
Continue R9 and finish. For corners touching two neighbors, sl st into both neighbors’ corner ch-3 spaces (use ch-1 joins for spacing).
Build rows left→right. For the next row down, each new motif will join to the motif above and to the left as you progress.

Tips: pin motifs first to keep join points aligned; if joins look too tight, use ch-2 instead of ch-1.

Blocking & finishing

Wet-block each motif pinned to exact same dimensions. Blocking dramatically improves lace look and makes joining neat.
After joining, block the assembled piece again to even seams and open pattern.

Border ideas (three quick options)

1) Delicate scallop (recommended)

Round 1: sc evenly around whole piece (3 sc in each corner).
Round 2: skip 2 sc, 5 dc in next sc, skip 2 sc, sc in next sc — repeat around.

2) Clean ribbed edge (warmer)

Round 1: hdc evenly around.
Rounds 2–4: hdc in BLO to make a soft rib edge.

3) Big boho scallops

Round 1: sc around.
Round 2: ch 6 arches
Round 3: into each arch work (sc, ch 3, 9 dc, ch 3, sc) for large scallops.

Sizing & yarn estimate

Measure your motif after blocking: W (cm). Then:

motifs_across = round(desired_width_cm / W)
motifs_down = round(desired_length_cm / W)
total_motifs = motifs_across × motifs_down

Yarn estimate (accurate method):

Make and block 1 motif, weigh it in grams.
Yarn grams required ≈ (weight_per_motif × total_motifs) + 10–15% for joins & border.
Convert grams to skeins using label weight.

Rough starter estimate: one DK motif ~ 8–14 g depending on size; a throw (12×15 motifs = 180) × 10 g ≈ 1.8 kg + extras.

Variations & tiny “elegant touches”

Color pop center: work R1–R3 in a contrast color for a subtle center bloom.
Surface slip-stitch line: add a single surface slip-stitch diagonal across motifs for a stripe effect. Use a slightly darker yarn and keep stitches loose.
Picot tips: add ch 3, sl st picots on outer fan tips for delicate points.
Small bobbles: add a tiny 3-dc popcorn on every 4th petal center for texture (optional — skip if you want a smooth light garment).

Troubleshooting

Motifs different sizes? Block and if needed add one sc round to small motifs to match.
Joins puckering? Join more loosely (ch-2 joins) or sew with mattress stitch for flatter seam.
Edges ripple? Add one stabilizing sc round before shells.
Pattern misaligns? Make sure the corner placement in Round 8 yields 4 evenly spaced corners. Adjust if necessary.

Quick reference (cheat-sheet)

R1: magic ring → 12 dc
R2: sc, ch3 anchors
R3: (sc, ch1, hdc, 3dc, hdc, ch1, sc) ×12 (petals)
R4: sc, ch3 arches
R5: big fans (5 dc center) ×12
R6: ch7 loops ×12
R7: (sc, ch2, 3dc, ch2, sc) ×12
R8: [3dc, 3dc, corner(3dc,ch3,3dc)] ×4 → square
R9: sc round (3 sc in corners) → join or finish
R10 (opt): scallops

VIDEO:

Crochet, ❣️Easy, Elegant Motif Making for Summer and Spring

Easy Elegant Lacy Motif — Step-by-step (US terms)

Materials

Abbreviations (US)

Pattern overview (how it works)

Make a test motif first