Crochet Headphone Sprout: A Leaf That Uses Every Basic Stitch
One chain, worked on both sides, with every stitch height from slip stitch to treble: a little sprout leaf that ties onto a headphone band.
3 min read
If you have learned the basic stitches but never seen them side by side, this sprout is the project that makes stitch height click. The leaf is a single chain of 10, and along it you work a slip stitch, single crochet, half double, double and two trebles, then step back down. The stitches get taller towards the middle, so the leaf shape appears by itself.
Elise of lilthings ties hers onto headphones with a long chain, so the leaf pokes up like a seedling.
Video tutorial by Elise on her YouTube channel, lilthings: watch "crochet headphone sprout ♡ beginner crochet tutorial | headphone accessory" on YouTube.
The written steps below follow Elise's video tutorial. Watch it alongside if you have not made a treble crochet before.
Materials
Item | Used in the video |
|---|---|
Yarn | 5-ply milk cotton, green |
Hook | 3.0 mm |
Notions | Stitch marker, scissors, darning needle |
How the leaf is built
Read each side as a little staircase. Going from the stem to the tip:
sl st → sc → hdc → dc → 2 tr → dc → hdc → sc → sl st
That is 9 chains' worth of stitches, which is why the spine is 10 chains: the first chain from the hook is skipped.
Pattern
- Spine: make a slip knot and chain 10. Keep the chain loose; you will work into both sides of it.
- First side: starting in the 2nd chain from the hook, work 1 sl st, 1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, 2 tr in the next chain, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc, and 1 sl st in the last chain.
- Tip: chain 1.
- Second side: turn the leaf 180° and work into the unused loops on the other side of the spine, in the same order: 1 sl st, 1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, 2 tr in the centre chain, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc, 1 sl st.
- Stem and tie: without cutting the yarn, chain 40 to 60 from the base of the leaf.
- Finish: fasten off at the end of the cord. Weave the starting tail along the centre vein of the leaf so it acts as a stiffener, then loop the cord around your headphone band.
Getting a crisp leaf
- Two trebles in one chain is what widens the leaf. If your leaf looks thin, check you worked two, not one.
- Tight chains are the usual problem. If you cannot get the hook into the second side of the spine, chain the spine with a hook half a size larger, then switch back.
- The tail is useful. Weaving it up the middle of the leaf gives the sprout enough body to stand up instead of flopping.
- Make two. Two leaves on one stem look more like a seedling. Make a second leaf on a short chain and join it at the base.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a double and a treble?
A treble starts with two yarn-overs instead of one, so it is one loop taller. Our treble crochet tutorial shows it step by step, and the double crochet stitch page covers the one below it.
Which chain is the "2nd chain from the hook"?
Don't count the loop on your hook. The first chain below it is the 1st; the next one down is the 2nd, and that is where the first slip stitch goes. Our guide to counting stitches and chains has pictures.
Can I make a bigger leaf?
The easiest way is a thicker yarn with a bigger hook: the stitch sequence stays the same and the whole leaf scales up.
Questions & notes
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