Leaves

On my walk home from work before half term I collected some gorgeous autumn leaves in a delicious array of colours. Once home, I arranged them on a sheet of white paper to photograph them (my family are used to this now, and no longer raise an eyebrow when I set up my little photo-shoots!). Then I looked at them more closely.

Just look at the sunset colours in this acer leaf. I like the shape too, with its seven points (I think it's called a palmate leaf in botanical terms).

This one is a deep crimson.

Here's a bright, buttery yellow leaf in vivid contrast.

Out in the garden these strawberry leaves have turned a lovely dark pink.

And while not strictly autumnal, these sage leaves are a rich, muted purple.

Back in this post I had started to crochet some little leaves in autumn colours and had bought some Sirdar Crofter yarn, without a definite plan for them. I considered a few different ideas while I was making the leaves, but none really grabbed me until I remembered an Easter wreath I'd made a year and a half ago. I took a look at crocheted autumn wreaths on Pinterest, and found some very inspiring ideas. That's what I would make!

So I bought a 17cm polystyrene half-ring and, using Sirdar Crofter dk in 'Bria' and a 3.50mm hook, started to crochet the strip which would cover it. I made a chain of 16 stitches with one extra for turning and then crocheted rows of double crochet until it fitted snugly around the ring.

Once I was happy with the length I sewed the ends together ...



... then over-sewed all around the back to make a snug fit.

Now for the decorations. I used a variety of cotton dk yarns from Rowan and Debbie Bliss, among others. This is where my habit of buying individual balls of wool comes in useful, as I never have them ear-marked as part of a larger project. I'd already made a few leaves from a pattern in Nicky Epstein's Crocheted Flowers, and improvised a couple more.



To make an acer-type of leaf, I crocheted three small and two very small leaves and sewed them together, adding a chain stitch stalk.

 I didn't just want to have leaves on my wreath, and I had been inspired by my purple callicarpa berries, as well as the yellow pyracantha berries which I photographed in London, and the orange rowan berries which are growing in our garden. To make the berries I crocheted tiny triangles and then sewed them up after sort of scrumpling them (a technical term I just invented).



Flowers were needed next, Michaelmas daisies for their soft mauve shades from Lucy's pattern.



I didn't want to overload my little wreath so I pinned the leaves, berries and flowers into place to see how they looked.



A quick crochet of more leaves and a flower and lots of sewing in place, and finally here it is - ta-dah!



I'm happy with the colour combinations ..

... and the shapes of the leaves, flowers and berries together.

I'm delighted with it and have hung it in pride of place on the door to my living room.

It makes me smile every time I go into the room, and looks very seasonal. It's a much-needed dose of colour, now that it's getting dark earlier and things are looking a bit drab - some of the best bits of autumn put together into a little wreath.