Crochet Autumn Leaf Napkin Rings

When we think of autumn, we think of crisp air, cozy sweaters, and the leaves turning orange, yellow, and gold. Bring that cozy fall feel to your dining table and crochet a set of autumn leaf napkin rings with a rustic wood button.

image of three crocheted autumn leaf napkin rings on 3 white linen napkins - an orange maple, a yellow oak, and a green ash

Find the free crochet patterns below for the basic napkin ring base as well as the English oak leaf. The patterns for the sugar maple and mountain ash are included in the Autumn Leaf Napkin Rings PDF that you can download from our Patterns & Printables library, which is free for Creativebug subscribers.

Autumn Leaf Napkin Rings – PDF

Materials List

Worsted weight yarn – pictured are Lion Brand Heartland in Canyonlands (mustard for the English oak), Yosemite (burnt orange for the sugar maple), Joshua Tree (olive green for the mountain ash)
H8/5mm crochet hook
Scissors
Tapestry/yarn needle
¾” or 1” wood buttons – 1 for each napkin ring

Finished Size

Napkin ring base: approx. 1” wide x 7” long
English oak leaf: approx. 2 1/1” wide x 4 ½” tall

Abbreviations in U.S. Terms

Ch(s): chain(s)
Dc: double crochet
Hdc: half double crochet
Rnd(s): round(s)
Sc: single rochet
Sk: skip
Sl st: slip stitch
St(s): stitch(es)
( ): work everything inside the parentheses into the next stitch, e.g. (2 sc)= 2 sc in the next st
[ ]: work everything inside the brackets the number of times indicated

Gauge

Exact gauge isn’t necessary. The napkin ring base is easy to adjust in length. Additionally, your crocheted leaves can be slightly smaller or larger than mine without affecting the outcome of the project.

Basic Napkin Ring Crochet Pattern

2 images of a brown crocheted napkin ring with a wood button, photo on the left without a napkin, and photo on the right with a napkin

The average napkin ring is about 1 ¾” – 2” in diameter. However, if you’re making your own ring, you can customize the length to your own napkins. Since we’ll be making a loop-and-button closure, there’s even more room to customize.

Button Loop: Ch 8. Sl st to 1^st ch to form ring. This ring should fit easily over and around your button. Feel free to adjust the length of the chs.

image of a brown crochet shape that is the beginning of a napkin ring

Row 1: Ch 1, sc into ring. – 1 st

Row 2: Ch 1, turn. (2 sc) into sc from Row 1. – 2 sts

Row 3: Ch 1, turn. (2 sc), sc. – 3 sts

Row 4: Ch 1, turn. (2 sc), 2 sc. – 4 sts

Rows 5-29: Ch 1, turn. 4 sc. – 4 sts

Aim for 5 ¼”-5 ½” between Row 5 and Row 29. For a 2” napkin ring, adjust the number of rows and aim for about 6”.

You can make this longer or shorter by increasing or decreasing the number of rows.

Break off and weave in ends.

image of a tweedy brown crocheted rectangle with a loop on one end and a wood button on the other

Sew the button on the side of the rectangle opposite of the loop. I place my button 3 rows away from the edge which is about ¾” away from the edge. The ends of the napkin ring overlap when buttoned so you can’t see the angles of the increase rows. There’s an illusion that the ring is just 4 sc’s wide all the way around.

English Oak Leaf Crochet Pattern

image of a mustard yellow crocheted oak leaf on a brown crocheted napkin ring on a white linen napkin

You’ll form the rounded lobes of the English oak leaf with elongated scallop shapes. As a result of these scallops, there are a lot of stitches in Rnd 2, so your leaf might look ruffled when you’re finished, but a quick press with your hand will smooth most of those out.

image of a mustard yellow crocheted shape and a crochet hook - the start of a crocheted leaf

Begin with ch 10.

Rnd 1: Sk 1^st ch, 6 sc, 2 hdc, in last ch work (6 dc). Now working on other side of foundation ch, 2 hdc, 6 sc. Sl st to 1^st sc to join. – 22 sts

image of a golden yellow crocheted oak leaf

Rnd 2:

Ch 2, hdc in same st, (3 hdc, ch 2, sl st).

Sl st, sc, hdc, (2 dc, ch 3, sl st).

Sc, hdc, (2 dc, ch 3, sl st).

Sl st, (hdc, 2 dc).

Now working on the other side of the leaf:

(2 dc, hdc), sl st.

(Sl st, ch 3, 2 dc), hdc, sc.

(Sl st, ch 3, 2 dc), hdc, sc, sl st.

(Sl st, ch 2, 3 hdc), hdc, sl st to 1^st hdc to join.

To make a stem: ch 4, sk 1^st ch from hook, 3 sl st evenly, sl st to 1^st hdc of Rnd 1 to join.

Break off and weave in ends.

Assembling Crocheted Leaf Napkin Rings

Button a napkin ring. Center the button. Then, mark the center spot on the side of the ring that is opposite the button. This is where your leaf will go. If you have a napkin handy, it can be nice to put the napkin ring on the napkin to find your center points.
You could use FabriTac fabric glue to attach your leaves to your napkin ring. I prefer to sew.
I found that pinning before sewing wasn’t helpful, and that my pieces shifted anyway, so I just used my fingers to keep things in place, and I kept checking placement as I stitched.
Use the same color of yarn as your leaf. Your stitches will show on the back of the napkin ring, but I prefer that to being able to see stitches on the front of the leaf.
I stitched in a small rectangular shape, making sure to only pick up 1-2 strands of yarn from the back of the leaf with each stitch, to ensure that my needle was not piercing through the top of the leaf. If you stitch in just one line, your leaf might not have enough stability. If you stitch over too large of an area, your leaf will wrap around your napkin, or you might be able to see the stitches pulling at the sides.

image of 5 crocheted autumn leaf napkin rings: one maple, one ash, one oak, and 2 plain with a wood button

To crochet the sugar maple and mount ash leaves, don’t forget to download the PDF from the Pattern & Printables library.

The leaf patterns also make delightful garlands as well as fun accents to scatter across your tablescape.