Fall Leaf Garland

I LOVE deciduous trees. Their lush green leaves in summer. Their hopeful blossoms in spring. Even their bold, bare branches in winter (aka "dead stick season," aka "the worst"). But nothing leaves me in awe quite like their brilliant leaves in fall. Now those are swoon-worthy, even for the less arboreally-minded among us; I'm pretty sure it's impossible not to see the beauty in vibrant fall foliage. And since it's officially fall now, it only seemed right to pay homage to my favorite feature of one of my favorite things using my favorite medium. This leaf garland was exactly what I needed. With a little bit of yarn magic, I now have a tiny piece of endless fall indoors. What could be better? 

The leaf pattern for this garland actually began its life as the center of a granny square I was designing for an afghan a couple years ago. I managed to make it into a decent looking square, but the process of squaring it off was somewhat fiddly and I wasn't feeling confident that I could make the pattern clear enough for people to follow with consistent results. So it was banished to the pile of unpublished patterns (dun dun DUN). But I heard the leaf calling to me this year, so I rescued just the center of the square and repurposed it to make this lovely garland. 

Of course, the leaf could be handy for all sorts of things, so feel free to get creative with it! It would make an adorable appliqué, keychain, or just an adorable little leaf. You could even get cutesy and stitch a face on it, make a leaf buddy! (Or maybe would that be creepy? Probably depends on the facial expression...) Anyway, this leaf pattern is definitely a winner. Especially since it's all worked in one piece! That's right, no sewing. (Lazy crocheter over here, remember?) And it uses only the smallest amount of yarn, so it's a perfect stash buster. I made all of mine from scrap yarn. 

Let's take a look at the pattern. I've included both a stitch chart and written instructions (along with step-by-step photos) for the leaf, so you can use whichever method works best for you. If you'd like an ad-free printable PDF version of this pattern, you can find one on Ravelry. 

Stitch Glossary:
st(s) = stitch(es)
ss = slip stitch
ch = chain
sc = single crochet
hdc = half double crochet
dc = double crochet
tr = treble (triple) crochet

Materials:

• Worsted weight scrap yarn for the leaves (about 3.5 yds per leaf)
• A little bit of worsted weight yarn for the garland string
• Size H (5.0 mm) crochet hook
• Tapestry needle for weaving ends

Leaf Base:
Follow the stitch chart as shown, or follow the written instructions for the base.

Ch 10. We're going to work stitches down one side of the chain and then back up the other side, so I recommend working into just one loop of the chain as you go to make it easier to keep track of all your stitches; I've marked the first one you'll be using with an arrow in the picture below. 

Ss in the 2nd ch from the hook, sc in the next st, hdc in the next 2 sts, dc in the next 2 sts, tr in the next 2 sts, [dc, dc, hdc] in the last ch. Now we're going to work back up the chain using the remaining loops. I've marked the first one on this side with an arrow. 

Working on the other side of the ch: [hdc, dc, dc] in the first st, tr in the next 2 sts, dc in the next 2 sts, hdc in the next 2 sts, sc in the next st, ss in the last st, ss to the first ss to join.

Don't fasten off yet. Now we're going to add the stem. 

Stem:​
Insert your hook into the center of the leaf, just below the tip. Yarn over and pull through the leaf and the loop on your hook (first surface crochet made). Continue to surface crochet down the center of the leaf until you get to the far end. 

At the far end of the leaf, ch 4.

Ss in the 2nd ch from the hook and in the next 2 sts, ss to the leaf base to join. Fasten off and weave in ends. 

You did it! Hopefully the pictures, chart, and written instructions together will be enough to make it easy to follow, but if you get stuck at any point, feel free to contact me and I'll do my best to help you out. 

Once you've made as many leaves as you'd like, we're going to attach the leaves to the garland string. The more leaves you use, the longer your finished garland will be.  

Garland String:
Ch 20 (or more or fewer depending on how long you want the ends to be). Take one of your leaves and insert your hook through the end of the stem (or in another point of the leaf if you want a different orientation). Yarn over and pull through the stem and the loop on your hook. The leaf should now be attached. Ch 10 and repeat with the next leaf. Make sure that your leaves all have the right side facing you while you're slip stitching through the stem so that they all face the same way on the finished garland. Once you've attached all of your leaves, ch 20 and fasten off. Weave in ends. (Note: in the picture below, the leaves are 5 ch apart, but it was too close together so I frogged it and switched to 10 ch apart for the final version.) 

And there you have it: a gorgeous fall leaf garland. I hope that it brings a little bit of fall leaf magic indoors for you! 

If you have any questions or comments about this pattern, you can reach me in the comments section below, by email, or on social media. And if you end up making one or using the leaves for something else, I'd love to see! This pattern has a ton of potential for customization and I love seeing your beautiful makes. Your creativity always inspires me. In honor of fall, I'll leave you now with the words of Albert Camus: 

I hope you enjoy your autumn flowers! Happy hooking!
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***You're welcome to do whatever you'd like to with finished products made from this pattern but if you do sell them, I ask that you link back to my page. You may not copy this pattern, repost it anywhere (either altered or in its original form), or claim it as your own. You may not use any photos on this site for your own use. ***