Crochet Lamp Shade Pattern

Hi. Iuliana from Hip2thrift here. If we’re gonna be friends, you need to know that I hate baking, and if we get to hang out together, the cookies will most likely be store bought. What does this have to do with this crochet lamp shade pattern, you ask? Nothing really, except to illustrate that when you bake you have to be exact, and like one of my awesome friends told me once, it is a science. Nuh-ah. Not with crochet! You can totally wing it so much of the time, and depending on how loose or tight you crochet, on the thickness of the yarn or the size of the hook (crochet hook…not Captain Hook, in case you too are obsessed with Once Upon a Time), your work can turn out to be completely different from whatever pattern you were following, which I guess can be frustrating sometimes, but totally awesome for me. I hate following exact recipes, patterns or directions (yeah…I do get lost a lot).

That, my friends is the case with this super simple and fast project.  You’ve seen lampshades covered with flowers, paint, burlap, fabric, washi tape…you name it…blogland has seen it. This is my crochet spin on it.

Crochet Lamp Shade Pattern

crochet lamp shade pattern

What you’ll need

 – This pattern will work for any size/shape lampshade that needs a little makeover. I used a  13” diameter JÄRA Shade from Ikea that I had gotten a few years ago

– Any Super Bulky weight yarn. I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease

– Size N crochet hook

 Abbreviations

CH – chain

SC – Single Crochet

SL ST – Slip Stitch (or join)

DC – Double Crochet

Pattern & Tutorial

Round 1: Chain enough chains to go around the top rim of your lampshade minus 5 stitches. For mine it was 55 CH. Making sure not to twist, make a ring by joining with a SL ST.

Round 2: CH 1. SC all around. SL ST to join (55 SC total)

Round 3: CH 1. Work a SC in each stitch. If your lampshade is a bit concave like mine, you’ll have to  increase evenly 4 times during this round. An increase is 2 SC in the same stitch. (59 SC total)

If your lampshade is perfectly tubular, no increases are necessary in this round or any of the rest

Join with a SL ST.

Round 4: CH 3. Work DC in the back loop of each stitch to make a ledge that will fold in. SL ST in the top of the CH3 (59 DC total)

Round 5: CH 3. Work one DC in the same CH 3 stitch. This will be your increase in every row. Join. (60 DC total)

DC same stitch

Round 6-13:

Repeat Round 5 until you get to the bottom rim of the lampshade. For mine it required 8 more rows.

Round 14: CH 1. SC in the back loop all around. This is a repeat of the little ledge we created for the top brim. Join.

How to crochet a lampshade cover

Round 15: CH 1. Work 4 decreases dispersed evenly around.

How to do a Single Crochet Decrease:

Put the hook through the first stitch, wrap the yarn over and pull through. You now have 2 loops on the hook.  Leave both loops on the hook.  Put the hook through the next stitch, wrap the yarn over and pull through.  There are 3 loops on the hook. Wrap the yarn over and pull through all three loops.crochet lampshade

Round 16: CH 1. SC all around. Join. Weave in tail.

Dress  your lamp with it’s new coat making sure you use the skinnier part for the top of the lamp and match the folded edge with rims of the lamp.

lamp shade makeover

You’re done! Because of the chunky yarn and large size hook, this is a very quick project. I did it while I watched some NBA documentary with the hubs (and no…it wasn’t my choice. It was documentary night and it was between that or one about how to armor an SUV).

Also, if you’ve ever bought a lampshade from Ikea before, than you know they usually don’t work with non-Ikea lamps. Check out a tutorial over at Hip2Thrift about how to hack an Ikea lampshade in order for it to work for all lamps.

crochet lampshade @hip2thrift

Enjoy a whole new look for your lamp, added texture and character!

Hugs, Iuliana

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Comments

  1. 1

    Pretty! That’s one of the reasons I love crochet…so simple and fun without insane direction.

  2. 2

    Holy cow what a cool lamp shade! I don’t know how to crochet so this blows me away! Love it! :)Kristi

    1. 2.1

      I am so flattered you think this is cool…you know since you’re like totally one of my favorite bloggers.

  3. 3

    Seriously so pretty and fun! I love it!

  4. 4

    This is so pretty! Thanks for sharing!

  5. 5

    So lovely lamp! I have made a crochet lamp shade too for our kitchen. Like your color choice! Have a nice day!

  6. 6
    jaka

    oh nice… i wanna make it at home..

  7. 7
    Dennise

    I am a knitter, don’t have a clue about crochet. I assume that double strand of worsted would work instead of bulky? Great idea. Now is do have a reason to buy some crochet hooks!

    dennise

  8. 8
    Sara

    Just finished mine tonight! I used yarn that was a lot more forgiving (aka I can fudge holes where I missed a stitch) because I don’t quite yet have the patience to frog projects yet :) Now my 20+ year old lamp looks cooler and prevents more of the light from coming through so I can use it as a reading light. Very cool :)

  9. 9
    Amina

    How do you stick your crochet work on the lampshade. ..?thanks

  10. 10
    Kate

    Hi, this is lovely! Just wondered whether it needs spraying with anything as lampshades can get pretty hot?

  11. 11
    CAROLYN

    The problem for me is, the lampshade is tubular. it is smaller and the top and getting larger working towards the bottom. Since I am not an expert in crocheting, it would be difficult for me to use this pattern and how to figure out the decreases as I work toward the bottom of the lampshade. It is a wonderful ideal. The lampshade that I have is similar to a very hard paper that has been folded all the way around, the let out to make the shade with the folds still shown. so I might be able to do better by using a fabric and it will take a lot of fabric to cover the creases and folds. Please send me an email rather than to post here because I never see any responses