6 Knitted Fall Leaves Free Patterns You’ll Want to Make This Season

There is something deeply satisfying about knitting a tiny leaf. It is small enough to finish in an evening, forgiving enough for a beginner, and versatile enough to be used a dozen different ways. A knitted leaf can become a brooch pinned to a wool coat, a scattered table decoration for a Thanksgiving gathering, a garland strung across a mantelpiece, or an embellishment sewn onto a hat or bag. And because we are heading into the most beautiful season of the year, there has never been a better time to pick up your needles and work through a collection of fall leaf patterns.

Below you will find six free knitted fall leaf patterns, ranging from the simplest garter stitch beginner option to more textured, shaped designs that give experienced knitters something to sink their teeth into. Each pattern includes a full set of instructions, notes on yarn and needle choices, and ideas for how to use the finished pieces. Whether you knit one leaf or a hundred, this collection will keep your hands busy all the way from the first cool morning of September to the last golden afternoon of November.

A Few Notes Before You Begin

Before diving into the patterns themselves, it helps to cover a few general points that apply to all six designs.

Yarn weight and needles: Most small leaf projects work beautifully in fingering, sport, or DK weight yarn. If you use a heavier worsted weight, your leaves will come out larger and chunkier, which can be charming in its own right. Adjust your needle size to match your yarn, but for the most crisp leaf definition, try going down half a size from what the yarn label recommends. A slightly tighter gauge gives leaves better structure so they hold their shape.

Yarn color: Fall leaves are your permission slip to use every single partial skein sitting in your stash. Burnt orange, deep burgundy, warm mustard yellow, chocolate brown, rust red, olive green, and golden amber are all perfect. Many knitters combine two strands of thin yarn held together to get a slightly marled, organic look that mimics the way real leaves fade and shift in color.

Finishing: All six patterns benefit from blocking. Even a quick wet block — soaking the leaf in cool water, gently squeezing out the moisture, and pinning it flat to dry — will open up the shape, flatten the edges, and bring the best out of any lace or yarn-over detail. If you are in a hurry, a spritz of water and a light press with a warm iron works too.

Stems: Several of these patterns include a knitted or crocheted stem. If you prefer, you can skip the stem entirely or add a simple twisted cord stem after the fact using a length of yarn.

With that in mind, let’s get into the patterns.

Pattern 1: The Simple Garter Leaf

This is the ideal starting point for anyone who has never knitted a leaf before. It uses only knit stitches and basic increases and decreases, so if you can cast on, knit, and bind off, you can make this leaf. Finished size is approximately 3 inches long and 2 inches wide in DK weight yarn.

Materials: One partial skein of DK weight yarn in any fall color. US size 5 (3.75mm) needles. Tapestry needle for weaving in ends.

Abbreviations: CO = cast on. K = knit. Kfb = knit into the front and back of a stitch (increase). K2tog = knit two stitches together (decrease). BO = bind off.

Pattern:

CO 3 stitches.

Row 1: K3.
Row 2: Kfb, k1, kfb. (5 stitches)
Row 3: Knit across.
Row 4: Kfb, k3, kfb. (7 stitches)
Row 5: Knit across.
Row 6: Kfb, k5, kfb. (9 stitches)
Rows 7 through 10: Knit across.
Row 11: Kfb, k7, kfb. (11 stitches)
Rows 12 through 16: Knit across.
Row 17: K2tog, k7, k2tog. (9 stitches)
Row 18: Knit across.
Row 19: K2tog, k5, k2tog. (7 stitches)
Row 20: Knit across.
Row 21: K2tog, k3, k2tog. (5 stitches)
Row 22: Knit across.
Row 23: K2tog, k1, k2tog. (3 stitches)
Row 24: Knit across.
Row 25: K3tog. (1 stitch)

Do not bind off. Instead, work a 3-inch i-cord stem as follows: Slide the remaining stitch to the right-hand needle without turning your work, pick up 2 additional stitches from the base of the leaf with a crochet hook or your needle tip, and knit an i-cord for about 1.5 inches. Cut yarn and pull through the remaining stitches to secure.

Weave in ends. Block lightly.

This leaf looks wonderful scattered across a table runner, glued onto wreath forms, or clustered into a small fall bouquet alongside pinecones and dried seed pods. Make them in batches of ten or twenty and you will have enough for every decorating project of the season.

Pattern 2: The Maple Leaf

The maple leaf is the most recognizable of all fall foliage shapes, and this pattern captures those distinctive lobes beautifully. It is worked in sections and requires comfort with short rows and picking up stitches, making it a great intermediate project. Finished size in worsted weight is approximately 4 inches wide and 4.5 inches tall.

Materials: Worsted weight yarn in a rich orange or red. US size 7 (4.5mm) needles. Stitch markers. Tapestry needle.

Abbreviations: CO = cast on. K = knit. P = purl. Kfb = knit into the front and back of a stitch. K2tog = knit two stitches together. Ssk = slip, slip, knit (left-leaning decrease). W&T = wrap and turn (short row). PU = pick up and knit. BO = bind off.

Pattern:

The maple leaf is worked by creating five lobes, then joining them at the base.

Lobes (make 5):

CO 2 stitches.
Row 1 (WS): Purl.
Row 2: Kfb, kfb. (4 stitches)
Row 3: Purl.
Row 4: Kfb, k2, kfb. (6 stitches)
Row 5: Purl.
Row 6: Kfb, k4, kfb. (8 stitches)
Row 7: Purl.
Row 8: K2tog, k4, ssk. (6 stitches)
Row 9: Purl.

Leave stitches on a holder or spare needle. Work all five lobes the same way.

Joining:

Transfer all five lobes to one needle, placing them side by side. You will have 30 stitches. Knit one row across all stitches, then purl back. Work 4 more rows in stockinette. Then begin decreasing on every right-side row as follows: K2tog at the beginning and ssk at the end of each RS row until 10 stitches remain. Work a final k2tog across to reduce to 5 stitches. Cut yarn and draw through all 5 stitches.

Add a stem by picking up 3 stitches from the center base and working an i-cord for 2 inches. Bind off and weave in ends. Block thoroughly to open up the lobes and define the maple shape.

Pattern 3: The Veined Oak Leaf

This pattern creates a wide, rounded oak leaf shape with a center vein created by a column of yarn-overs and decreases running straight up the middle. The veined effect is subtle and lovely, giving the leaf a realistic, delicate quality. Finished size in fingering weight is about 3.5 inches long.

Materials: Fingering weight yarn in deep burgundy or brown. US size 2 (2.75mm) needles. Tapestry needle.

Abbreviations: CO = cast on. K = knit. P = purl. Yo = yarn over. K2tog = knit two stitches together. Ssk = slip, slip, knit. Kfb = knit into the front and back. BO = bind off.

Pattern:

CO 3 stitches.

Row 1 (WS): Purl.
Row 2: Kfb, k1, kfb. (5 stitches)
Row 3: Purl.
Row 4: Kfb, k1, yo, k2tog, k1, kfb. (8 stitches — note the yo creates the start of the center vein)
Row 5: Purl.
Row 6: Kfb, k2, yo, k2tog, k2, kfb. (10 stitches)
Row 7: Purl.
Row 8: Kfb, k3, yo, k2tog, k3, kfb. (12 stitches)
Row 9: Purl.
Row 10: Kfb, k4, yo, k2tog, k4, kfb. (14 stitches)
Rows 11 through 15: Continue in stockinette, maintaining the yo/k2tog center vein on every RS row.
Row 16: K2tog, k4, yo, k2tog, k4, ssk. (12 stitches)
Row 17: Purl.
Row 18: K2tog, k3, yo, k2tog, k3, ssk. (10 stitches)
Row 19: Purl.
Row 20: K2tog, k2, yo, k2tog, k2, ssk. (8 stitches)
Row 21: Purl.
Row 22: K2tog, k1, yo, k2tog, k1, ssk. (6 stitches)
Row 23: Purl.
Row 24: K2tog, yo, k2tog, ssk. (4 stitches)
Row 25: Purl.
Row 26: K2tog, k2tog. (2 stitches)
Row 27: P2tog. (1 stitch)

Work an i-cord stem for 1.5 inches and fasten off.

The yo/k2tog column creates a beautiful eyelet vein down the center of the leaf. When blocked, this detail becomes even more pronounced and the leaf takes on a wonderfully realistic quality.

Pattern 4: The Elongated Birch Leaf

Birch leaves are slender and oval, quite different from the broad maple or deeply lobed oak. This pattern creates that narrow, graceful shape and works up very quickly — you can likely finish one in under an hour. Finished size in sport weight is about 4 inches long and 1.5 inches wide.

Materials: Sport weight yarn in golden yellow or pale green. US size 4 (3.5mm) needles. Tapestry needle.

Abbreviations: CO = cast on. K = knit. P = purl. M1L = make 1 left (lift bar between stitches, knit through back loop). M1R = make 1 right (lift bar between stitches, knit through front). K2tog = knit two stitches together. Ssk = slip, slip, knit. BO = bind off.

Pattern:

CO 1 stitch using the backward loop cast-on.

Row 1: Kfb. (2 stitches)
Row 2: Purl.
Row 3: Kfb, kfb. (4 stitches)
Row 4: Purl.
Row 5: K1, M1R, k2, M1L, k1. (6 stitches)
Row 6: Purl.
Row 7: K1, M1R, k4, M1L, k1. (8 stitches)
Rows 8 through 20: Work in stockinette without increasing.
Row 21: Ssk, k4, k2tog. (6 stitches)
Row 22: Purl.
Row 23: Ssk, k2, k2tog. (4 stitches)
Row 24: Purl.
Row 25: Ssk, k2tog. (2 stitches)
Row 26: P2tog. (1 stitch)

Work i-cord stem for 1 inch. Fasten off and weave in ends. Block flat.

The birch leaf is perhaps the most versatile of the six designs. Its slender shape makes it ideal for garlands, where you want a mix of leaf sizes and silhouettes. It also works beautifully as a bookmark knitted in a crisp cotton yarn.

Pattern 5: The Textured Fall Leaf with Raised Ribs

This pattern takes the basic leaf shape and adds real visual interest through a series of raised ribs that radiate from the stem toward the edges, much like the veins on a real leaf. It uses a combination of knit and purl stitches on both sides to create the raised texture. This is the most detailed pattern in the collection and is best suited to knitters comfortable with reading a stitch chart or following multi-row texture instructions. Finished size in DK weight is approximately 4 inches long.

Materials: DK weight yarn in a rich autumn rust or deep amber. US size 6 (4mm) needles. Tapestry needle.

Abbreviations: K = knit. P = purl. Kfb = knit into front and back. K2tog = knit two stitches together. Ssk = slip, slip, knit. CO = cast on. BO = bind off.

Pattern:

CO 3 stitches.

Row 1 (WS): P3.
Row 2: Kfb, k1, kfb. (5 stitches)
Row 3: P2, k1, p2.
Row 4: Kfb, p1, k1, p1, kfb. (7 stitches)
Row 5: P2, k1, p1, k1, p2.
Row 6: Kfb, k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, kfb. (9 stitches)
Row 7: P3, k1, p1, k1, p3.
Row 8: Kfb, k2, p1, k1, p1, k2, kfb. (11 stitches)
Row 9: P4, k1, p1, k1, p4.
Row 10: Kfb, k3, p1, k1, p1, k3, kfb. (13 stitches)
Row 11: P5, k1, p1, k1, p5.
Rows 12 through 16: Continue established rib pattern without increasing.
Row 17: Ssk at beginning, maintain rib through center, k2tog at end. (11 stitches)
Row 18: Work rib as established.
Row 19: Ssk, rib to last 2, k2tog. (9 stitches)
Row 20: Work rib.
Row 21: Ssk, rib to last 2, k2tog. (7 stitches)
Row 22: Work rib.
Row 23: Ssk, rib to last 2, k2tog. (5 stitches)
Row 24: Work rib.
Row 25: Ssk, k1, k2tog. (3 stitches)
Row 26: P1, k1, p1.
Row 27: K3tog. (1 stitch)

Work stem i-cord for 2 inches. Fasten off. Block with a firm press to bring out the raised ribs.

Pattern 6: The Large Decorative Statement Leaf

This final pattern is designed to be bold. Where the other five patterns produce relatively small leaves suited for accessories and