A standing tree built from four wavy skirts in green, red, cream and green, each one outlined in a cream scallop, with pearls scattered through and a twisted red spike on top under a big satin bow.
The tiers here are chevrons rather than shells. Every skirt has peaks and valleys worked into it, and the cream edging follows that zigzag all the way round, which is what gives the tree its scalloped silhouette instead of a flat frilled one.
Two things make or break it. The peaks have to stack directly above each other from round to round, and the cream edge has to be worked loosely. Both are covered below.
What you’ll need
Worsted or aran weight yarn in dark green, deep red and cream. About 40 g of green, 25 g of red and 40 g of cream, since the cream does every edge as well as its own tier.
A 4 mm hook, worked tight for the cone and relaxed for the edging.
You’ll also want polyester fibrefill, around 20 pearl beads in white, red and pale green, and a wide cream satin ribbon about 60 cm long for the bow.
Finished height is about 16 cm without the bow.
Abbreviations are US terms. ch is chain, sl st is slip stitch, sc is single crochet, hdc is half double crochet, dc is double crochet, inc is two stitches in one, dec is an invisible decrease, MR is magic ring, FLO is front loops only, BLO is back loops only.
How the chevron works
Each skirt is worked over a repeat of ten stitches. Within that repeat you put three stitches into one stitch, which pushes the fabric outwards into a peak, and you take two stitches away, which pulls it inwards into a valley. The stitch count stays the same but the edge goes up and down.
The rule for the second chevron round is that your peak increase must land in the middle stitch of the previous peak, and your decreases must sit directly over the previous decreases. If they drift by even one stitch, the waves flatten out and you get a soft ruffle instead of a zigzag. Count the first repeat carefully and the rest will follow.
The cone
Increases go up in fives so that every skirt round is a multiple of five, which is what makes the chevron repeats come out even.
Round 1. 5 sc in MR (5)
Round 2. Inc five times (10)
Round 3. Sc around (10)
Round 4. Sc, inc, repeated five times (15)
Work skirt 1 into round 4, in dark green.
Round 5. Sc around (15)
Round 6. Sc twice, inc, repeated five times (20)
Skirt 2 into round 6, in deep red.
Round 7. Sc around (20)
Round 8. Sc three times, inc, repeated five times (25)
Skirt 3 into round 8, in cream.
Round 9. Sc around (25)
Round 10. Sc four times, inc, repeated five times (30)
Skirt 4 into round 10, in dark green. Stuff the cone firmly now, pushing filling right up into the point.
Rounds 11 and 12. Sc around (30)
Now close the base flat.
Round 13. Sc three times, dec, repeated six times (24)
Round 14. Sc twice, dec, repeated six times (18)
Round 15. Sc, dec, repeated six times (12). Top up the stuffing so the tree is dense.
Round 16. Dec six times (6). Close and fasten off.
Work the cone in whichever colour the next skirt will be, so the body never shows a mismatched sliver between tiers.
Stuff this hard. A soft cone leans, and once a tree leans it never sits straight again.
The skirts, worked four times
Join the skirt colour at any stitch of the round you have been sent to, working into the front loops only.
Round A. Work 2 sc into every front loop around, which doubles your count. Round 4 gives 30, round 6 gives 40, round 8 gives 50 and round 10 gives 60. All four divide by ten.
Round B. The first chevron round. Dec, sc in the next 3, work 3 sc into the next stitch, sc in the next 3, dec. Repeat that to the end of the round. Your count stays the same.
Round C. The second chevron round, and the one that matters. Dec directly over the previous decrease, sc in the next 3, work 3 sc into the middle stitch of the previous peak, sc in the next 3, dec over the previous decrease. Repeat around.
Change to cream.
Round D. The edging. Work sl st, ch 2, sl st into the same stitch, repeated into every second stitch, all the way around, following the zigzag up over each peak and down into each valley. Fasten off.
Work this last round loosely. A tight cream edge cups the whole skirt upwards and the wave disappears. If yours is pulling, go up a full hook size for the edging only.
When all four are done, press each skirt downwards with your finger so it lies over the one below.
The twisted spike
In deep red, worked from the base up so the ridges spiral.
Round 1. 8 sc in MR (8)
Rounds 2 to 4. Sc in BLO around (8)
Round 5. Sc twice, dec, repeated twice (6)
Rounds 6 to 8. Sc in BLO around (6)
Round 9. Sc, dec, repeated twice (4)
Rounds 10 to 12. Sc in BLO around (4)
Round 13. Dec twice (2). Close.
Working every round in back loops only leaves a ridge on the surface, and because you are working in a continuous spiral those ridges wind round the cone rather than sitting in flat rings. That is where the twisted look comes from.
Stuff it lightly as you go and sew it upright to the tip of the tree.
Finishing
Sew the pearls into the green, red and cream fabric between the tiers, mixing the colours and scattering them unevenly. Cluster two or three in one spot and leave a bare patch somewhere else. Evenly spaced beads read as a machine did it.
Pass your thread through each pearl twice. Single pass beads work loose within a season.
Tie the satin ribbon into a wide bow and stitch it to the tree just below the red spike, with the loops spread out sideways rather than standing up. The bow in the photo is almost as wide as the tree and that is deliberate. A small neat bow disappears against four tiers of pattern.
Notes and variations
An all cream version with silver pearls is very elegant and reads as winter rather than Christmas.
A pink, plum and cream version works beautifully as a bedroom piece.
Add a fifth tier by continuing the increase pattern to 35 stitches before the base rounds. Each extra tier adds roughly 3 cm.
For a weighted version that will not tip, put two tablespoons of dried rice in a small fabric pouch and push it in at round 14.
Questions I get asked
Why are my waves flattening out? Round C is drifting. Your peak increase has to go into the exact middle stitch of the previous peak. Count the first repeat stitch by stitch and mark it before you carry on.
Why is my skirt cupping upwards? The cream edging is too tight. It is the single most common problem on this pattern and going up a hook size for that round alone fixes it.
Can I use cotton? Yes, and the chevrons come out crisper, though the tree gets heavier and needs firmer stuffing.
Why does mine lean? Understuffing. It should feel solid and slightly hard when you squeeze it.
How long does it take? About five hours, plus an hour of beading.
Crochet Chevron Tier Christmas Tree Pattern
