Halloween Crochet Pennant Garland – Free Pattern
A Halloween crochet garland is the decoration that does the most for the least effort. String it across a mantelpiece, a window or a doorway, and the whole room says October. Unlike paper bunting, it survives being packed in a box and comes out looking exactly the same every year.
This garland is made from long, pointed pennants in orange, black, purple and lime green, each one a flat triangle of single crochet shaped with regular decreases. The pennants are joined along one continuous chain with long tails at each end for hanging.
You need single crochet and a simple decrease. If you have made the Christmas tree ornament on this site, the pennants use the same method with a slower slope.
Why this Halloween crochet garland works
A triangle in crochet is a row that gets shorter. Decrease one stitch at each end and the row loses two. How often you decrease decides the angle. The Christmas tree decreases every other row for a wide shape; these pennants decrease every third row, which makes a longer, more elegant point — the classic bunting shape.
Because the stitch count only changes on known rows, every row is checkable: 15 for three rows, then 13 for three rows, then 11, and so on down to a single stitch.
The honest trade-off: single crochet pennants tend to curl slightly at the edges. A quick steam or a light blocking flattens them completely, and they stay flat.
Materials you will need
- Yarn: worsted weight in orange, black, purple and lime green, about 15 yards per pennant
- Joining yarn: about 20 yards of black for the chain
- Hook: 4.0 mm (G-6)
- Notions: tapestry needle, scissors, pins for blocking
Cotton gives the crispest, flattest pennants. Acrylic is lighter, which is useful for a long garland that will sag under its own weight.
Finished size
Each pennant is about 3¾″ wide and 5½″ long. Eight pennants spaced 1″ apart, with hanging tails, make a garland about 4 feet long.
Abbreviations
- ch = chain.
- sc = single crochet: insert hook, yarn over and pull up a loop (2 loops), yarn over and pull through both.
- sc2tog = decrease: pull up a loop in each of the next 2 sts (3 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through all 3.
- sc3tog = as sc2tog, over three stitches (4 loops on hook).
- sl st = slip stitch.
Pattern notes
- Worked flat in rows, turning at the end of each.
- The ch 1 at the start of a row does not count as a stitch.
- Decreases happen on Rows 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19 and 22, at both ends of the row.
- Make as many pennants as you need, alternating colours.
Step by step
Part 1: The pennant (make 8 or more)
Row 1: Ch 16. Sc in the 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn. (15)
Rows 2 and 3: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn. (15)
Row 4: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc to the last 2 sts, sc2tog. Turn. (13)
Rows 5 and 6: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn. (13)
Rows 7 to 21: Continue in the same rhythm: a decrease row, then two plain rows. (11, 11, 11, 9, 9, 9, 7, 7, 7, 5, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3)
Row 22: Ch 1, sc3tog. (1) Fasten off and weave in the end.
Check: the two long sides should be straight and equal, meeting in a sharp point. A lopsided pennant means a decrease was worked at one end only.
Part 2: Blocking
Lay the pennants on a towel, spray them lightly with water and pin the three corners out. Let them dry fully. They will stay flat and crisp from then on.
Part 3: Joining
With black, ch 25 for the first hanging tail.
Hold the first pennant with its foundation edge at the top. Work 1 sc into each of the 15 stitches along the foundation edge.
Ch 6 for the gap between flags, then work 15 sc along the top of the next pennant. Repeat until all pennants are joined.
After the last pennant, ch 25 for the second hanging tail. Turn, and sl st back along the chain to the pennant to firm it up. Do the same on the first tail. Fasten off.
Decorating the pennants
The flags look lovely plain, but they are also a canvas. Embroider a simple ghost outline in white on a black pennant, a tiny jack-o’-lantern face on an orange one, or a small spider web on purple. Or sew a small crochet appliqué to every other flag — a heart, a bat, or a candy corn from this Halloween collection shrunk in fine yarn.
For a lettered garland, work each letter as a chain and sew it onto a pennant, spelling out BOO or HAPPY HALLOWEEN.
Choosing colours
The classic Halloween order is orange, black, purple, lime, repeated. For a softer look, try rust, cream, plum and sage. A garland in only orange and black looks bold and traditional. Whatever you choose, alternate a light and a dark colour so each flag stands out from its neighbour.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
The pennants are different lengths
Rows were miscounted. Keep a tally, or mark the decrease rows with a stitch marker.
The edges curl
Normal for single crochet. Block them flat with steam or water.
The garland sags in the middle
It is too heavy for its length. Use a lighter yarn, or add a small loop in the middle and hang it from a third hook.
Finishing and care
Store rolled around a piece of card to stop the pennants creasing. A quick steam before hanging freshens them up each year.
Frequently asked
Can I use the same pattern for other holidays?
Yes. Change the colours and it becomes Christmas, spring or birthday bunting.
How long does it take?
About twenty minutes per pennant, so an evening or two for a full garland.
Planning your garland length
Measure the space before you start. A mantelpiece garland usually looks best when it droops gently in the middle, so allow about a third more length than the straight distance. Each pennant with its gap takes up roughly 4¾″, so divide your planned length by that to know how many flags to make, then add the two hanging tails.
For a window, a garland hung in a gentle swag from corner to corner looks lovely. For a doorway, run it straight across the top. For a staircase, weave it through the banister spindles.
Making pennants faster
Pennants are a perfect project for batch working. Make all the pennants of one colour in a row before switching yarn. You quickly learn the decrease rhythm and stop needing to count. Weave in each end straight away, since leaving them for later turns a quick project into a tedious one.
If you want to save time, make pennants from the Christmas ornament pattern instead. They are shorter and wider, which gives a chunkier, more playful look and takes about half the rows.
A reversible garland
Make each pennant in two colours by working the first half of the rows in one colour and the rest in another. The flag then has a colour-block stripe. Alternating the direction of the stripe from flag to flag adds movement without any extra effort.
Using leftover yarn
A pennant garland is one of the best ways to use up Halloween-coloured leftovers. A small ball of each colour goes a long way, since each flag only needs around fifteen yards. Keep your scraps from pumpkins, candy corn and trick-or-treat bags, and by the end of the season you will have enough for a whole garland.
Storing it between seasons
Crochet bunting lasts for years if it is stored well. Roll it around a piece of stiff card or a cardboard tube, with the pennants lying flat against each other, and wrap it in tissue. Keep it in a box rather than a plastic bag, so the yarn can breathe and does not trap damp. A dried lavender sachet in the box keeps moths away from any wool. Each October, unroll it, give it a quick steam, and it is ready to hang again.
If a pennant gets damaged, it is easy to replace: unpick its fifteen joining stitches, make a new one, and sew it back on the chain.
Adding a tassel at each end
A small tassel at each end of the garland gives it a finished, shop-bought look. Wrap yarn around three fingers twenty times, tie the top tightly, wrap a short length around the neck of the loops, and cut the bottom loops open. Trim the ends level and tie one tassel to each hanging tail. In orange or lime they add a final pop of colour.
Before you start
Make one pennant and count every row to learn the rhythm: decrease, plain, plain. After that, you will not need the pattern. More spooky makes are in Halloween.
