Autumn leaves never last long enough. They turn, they glow for a week, and then they're gone — raked up, rained on, forgotten. But this pair? These leaves stay. In about thirty minutes, with a scrap of cotton yarn and a hook, you can make a pair of crochet autumn leaf earrings that carry the whole season with you: rust, mustard, olive, right there at your ears.
If you made our Fall Leaf Coasters earlier this month, think of this as their mini-me — the same leaf idea, shrunk down to jewellery scale with finer yarn and a finer hook. Nothing about the coaster pattern is repeated here; this leaf is designed from the ground up to be small, light, and comfortable to wear.
What You'll Need
- Yarn: DK or sport-weight cotton yarn in 1–3 autumn colours (rust, mustard and olive are shown here). You need only about 5 g per colour — this is a true scrap-buster.
- Hook: 3.0 mm crochet hook.
- Findings: 2 fish-hook earring findings and 2 small jump rings. These are standard jewellery findings you can buy in any craft shop or bead section — I buy the hypoallergenic/nickel-free kind, since these sit against skin.
- Tools: jewellery pliers (two pairs make opening jump rings much easier), a stitch marker, a tapestry needle, and small scissors.
- Optional: fabric stiffener, if you want the leaves to hold a perfectly flat shape. Completely optional — the leaves look lovely soft, too.
Stitches You'll Use
Chain (ch), slip stitch (sl st), single crochet (sc), half double crochet (hdc), double crochet (dc). If you can chain and single crochet, you can make this leaf — the taller stitches just give it its shape. US terms are used throughout.
The Leaf Pattern (Make 2)
Worked in one piece, around a foundation chain. Each finished leaf measures about 4–5 cm long; the whole earring drops about 7 cm once the finding is on.
Foundation: Ch 11.
Side A (starting in the 2nd ch from the hook): sc in the next ch, hdc in the next ch, dc in the next 2 ch, hdc in the next ch, sc in the next 3 ch, then in the last ch work (sc, ch 2, sc) — this is the pointed tip of the leaf.
Side B (turn and work back down the other side of the foundation chain): sc in the next 3 ch, hdc in the next ch, dc in the next 2 ch, hdc in the next ch, sc in the next ch, then sl st into the first sc of Side A to join. Fasten off, leaving a 15 cm tail for assembly.
You now have a pointed little leaf. Make a second one before you touch any findings — this is the secret to a matching pair, and I'll say more about it in the troubleshooting section below.
The vein: With the right side facing you, rejoin your yarn at the stem end (where you started Side A) and work a line of surface slip stitches straight down the centre of the leaf, following the line of the foundation chain, ending at the tip. Fasten off and weave in the end. This one line of stitches is what turns a flat shape into a leaf — don't skip it.
Assembly
- Open one jump ring with your jewellery pliers: twist the ends sideways (never pull them apart), just enough to slip things on.
- Thread the jump ring through the stem-end stitches of the leaf — centre it so the leaf will hang straight.
- Thread the same jump ring onto the small loop at the bottom of a fish-hook finding.
- Close the jump ring completely by twisting the ends back together until they meet. Squeeze gently so there is no gap.
- Repeat with the second leaf and finding.
Hold both earrings up side by side. If one hangs crooked, reopen the jump ring and shift it one stitch over until it sits centred.
Three Ways to Wear Them
The three-colour set. Make one pair in rust, one in mustard, one in olive — nine leaves total, one evening of happy crocheting. This is the set photographed here, and it's my favourite way to wear them: a different colour for every autumn outfit.
The pendant version. Work a single leaf (the same pattern, nothing changes), attach it to a longer jump ring or a short chain, and you have a necklace that matches the earrings. A one-leaf pendant with the rust pair is a lovely matched set.
The brooch. Sew a small pin back to the back of a single leaf instead of adding an earring finding. It sits beautifully on a scarf, a coat lapel, or a tote bag.
Where These Little Leaves Shine
These are the earrings you reach for all autumn: with a chunky cardigan, a wool scarf, a denim jacket. They make wonderful teacher jewellery and market-day jewellery — light enough to forget you're wearing them, noticeable enough to start conversations. They are a perfect handmade gift, especially paired with our Fall Leaf Coasters as a matched autumn set (one evening of work covers both). And if you sell at craft fairs, small jewellery like this is exactly the kind of low-price, high-charm item that moves quickly off the table.
Troubleshooting
My leaf curls at the edges. Very common with small flat pieces. Block it: dampen the leaf, pin it flat on a towel in the right shape, and let it dry completely. If you want it permanently crisp, brush on a little fabric stiffener (the optional item from the materials list) and let it dry flat.
My two earrings don't match. This is why the pattern says to make both leaves before attaching any findings. Crochet leaf one, crochet leaf two, lay them on top of each other — then count the stitches on Side A and Side B of each and compare. Fix it now, while the findings are still in the packet.
The finding twists or the leaf slips off. The jump ring isn't fully closed. Open your pliers, twist the ring's ends until they meet with no gap, and double-check the ring sits centred on the stem end of the leaf.
Your Weekend Challenge
Make the three-colour set — rust, mustard, olive — this weekend. It takes one relaxed evening, uses up three scraps, and gives you a full week of autumn earrings. Then hang them on our Halloween garland for a photo, the way we did here. Tag the set, gift the set, keep the set: leaves this pretty were never meant to fall.