Here’s a crochet pattern inspired by your photo, designed to make a beautiful, large maple leaf with pointed edges, openwork veins, textured stitches, and a long stem.
The pattern is written in US crochet terms. Because I can’t see the original maker’s instructions, this is a recreation inspired by the picture rather than the exact original pattern.
Finished piece
- Shape: Canadian maple leaf
- Texture: Raised central veins
- Details: Small openwork holes
- Yarn: Cotton or mercerized cotton
- Skill level: Intermediate
Approximate finished size: 30–40 cm (12–16 inches), depending on yarn and hook.
Materials
- Purple cotton yarn, approximately 100–150 g
- 2.5–3.5 mm crochet hook, suitable for your yarn
- Scissors
- Yarn needle
- Stitch markers (optional)
Abbreviations (US terms)
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ch | Chain |
| sl st | Slip stitch |
| sc | Single crochet |
| hdc | Half double crochet |
| dc | Double crochet |
| tr | Treble crochet |
| inc | 2 stitches in the same stitch |
| sk | Skip stitch |
| picot | Ch 3, sl st in first chain |
Step 1: Make the central vein
- Ch 35 for the main central vein.
- Starting in the second ch from the hook, sl st across to create a firm, narrow cord.
- Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.
- Mark the center of the cord. This will be the backbone of your maple leaf.
Step 2: Crochet the main top lobe
Work around a foundation chain to form a long, pointed leaf.
- Ch 24.
- Starting in the second ch from the hook, work:
- 3 sc
- 3 hdc
- 5 dc
- 5 tr
- 4 dc
- 2 hdc
- 1 sc
- At the tip, make a picot.
- Turn and work back along the opposite side of the foundation chain, mirroring the stitch heights.
- At the base, sl st to secure.
This creates a pointed central lobe. Sew or crochet its base to the top of the central vein.
Step 3: Make the side lobes
Make six smaller lobes: three on each side of the center. Angle them outward and slightly downward, like the points of a maple leaf.
For each lobe:
- Ch 16–20, depending on its position.
- Work a combination of sc, hdc, dc and tr stitches, increasing stitch height toward the outer tip.
- At the tip, make a picot.
- Work back along the opposite side of the chain with mirrored stitch heights.
- Add small picots or short chain loops along the outer edge to create the jagged maple-leaf outline.
- Sew each lobe to the central vein, arranging the upper lobes higher and the lower lobes wider.
For a shape closer to the photograph, make the upper side lobes slightly smaller than the broad middle and lower lobes.
Step 4: Add the openwork veins
This detail gives the leaf its delicate, lacy appearance.
- Join yarn along the central vein.
- Work chains diagonally toward the outer lobes.
- Attach each chain with a sl st to the lobe edge.
- Work sc stitches back along selected chains to make raised veins.
- Leave occasional chain spaces unworked to create small decorative holes.
Keep the veins symmetrical on both sides.
Step 5: Crochet the stem
- Ch 18.
- Sl st back along the chain.
- Work a second row of sc if you want a thicker stem.
- Attach the stem to the base of the leaf and weave in the ends.
Step 6: Finish the leaf
- Work a round of sc around the entire outside edge.
- At each sharp point, make a picot or ch 2, sl st in the same stitch.
- At inward corners, sl st or skip a stitch to help define the notch.
- Block the leaf gently on a flat surface, pinning each point into shape.
Important: The side-lobe and vein placement is what creates the maple-leaf silhouette. Arrange the lobes first and check the shape before sewing them permanently.
If you want, I can also write a more precise, row-by-row pattern with stitch counts for every point, designed to look as close as possible to your photograph.
