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Horse Chestnut Leaf (F4)

two horse chestnut leaves in different greens

To go with the ODDknit conker design, we offer this knitted horse chestnut leaf design. The horse chestnut has a compound leaf with 5 to 7 leaflets, each knitted in the flat. These are then combined by attaching to an i-cord covered wire frame.

A printable version of this pattern is available.

You will need:

  • green yarn (double knit)
  • covered thin gauge wire (e.g. garden twist tie)
  • 2 x double ended knitting needles (3mm)
  • tapestry needle
  • scissors

Pattern:

(A list of standard abbreviations is available.)

This pattern also uses the abbreviation 3TOG. This means work 3 sts together using the method sl1, k2tog, psso.

Large Leaflet:

Cast on 7 stitches.

  1. Row 1: kfb, k1, 3TOG, kfb, k1 (7)
  2. Row 2: k3, p1, k3 (7)
  3. Rows 3 to 4: as Rows 1 and 2
  4. Row 5: kfb, kfb, 3TOG, kfb, kfb (9)
  5. Row 6: k4, p1, k4 (9)
  6. Row 7: kfb, k2, 3TOG, k1, kfb, k1 (9)
  7. Row 8: k4, p1, k4 (9)
  8. Rows 9 to 10: as Rows 7 and 8
  9. Row 11: kfb, kfb, k1, 3TOG, kfb, kfb, k1 (11)
  10. Row 12: k5, p1, k5 (11)
  11. Row 13: kfb, k3, 3TOG, k2, kfb, k1 (11)
  12. Row 14: k5, p1, k5 (11)
  13. Row 15: kfb, kfb, k2, 3TOG, k1, kfb, kfb, k1 (13)
  14. Row 16: k6, p1, k6 (13)
  15. Row 17: kfb, k4, 3TOG, k3, kfb, k1 (13)
  16. Row 18: k6, p1, k6 (13)
  17. Row 19: kfb, kfb, k3, 3TOG, k2, kfb, kfb, k1 (15)
  18. Row 20: k7, p1, k7 (15)
  19. Row 21: kfb, k5, 3TOG, k4, kfb, k1 (15)
  20. Row 22: k7, p1, k7 (15)
  21. Row 23: kfb, kfb, k4, 3TOG, k3, kfb, kfb, k1 (17)
  22. Row 24: k8, p1, k8 (17)
  23. Row 25: kfb, k6, 3TOG, k5, kfb, k1 (17)
  24. Row 26: k8, p1, k8 (17)
  25. Row 27: kfb, kfb, k5, 3TOG, k4, kfb, kfb, k1 (19)
  26. Row 28: k9, p1, k9 (19)
  27. Row 29: kfb, k7, 3TOG, k6, kfb, k1 (19)
  28. Row 30: k9, p1, k9 (19)

Repeat rows 29 and 30 five more times each.

  1. Row 41: k8, 3TOG, k8 (17)
  2. Row 42: k8, p1, k8 (17)
  3. Row 43: k7, 3TOG, k7 (15)
  4. Row 44: k7, p1, k7 (15)
  5. Row 45: k6, 3TOG, k6 (13)
  6. Row 46: k6, p1, k6 (13)
  7. Row 47: k5, 3TOG, k5 (11)
  8. Row 48: k5, p1, k5 (11)
  9. Row 49: k4, 3TOG, k4 (9)
  10. Row 50: k4, p1, k4 (9)
  11. Row 51: k3, 3TOG, k3 (7)
  12. Row 52: k3, p1, k3 (7)
  13. Row 53: k2, 3TOG, k2 (5)
  14. Row 54: k2, p1, k2 (5)
  15. Row 55: k1, 3TOG, k1 (3)
  16. Row 56: k1, p1, k1 (3)
  17. Row 58: k1, p1, k1 (3)

Thread yarn through remaining stitches and pull tight.

Make three large leaflets.

Small Leaflet:

Cast on 7 stitches.

  1. Row 1: kfb, k1, 3TOG, kfb, k1 (7)
  2. Row 2: k3, p1, k3 (7)
  3. Rows 3 to 4: as Rows 1 and 2
  4. Row 5: kfb, kfb, 3TOG, kfb, kfb (9)
  5. Row 6: k4, p1, k4 (9)
  6. Row 7: kfb, k2, 3TOG, k1, kfb, k1 (9)
  7. Row 8: k4, p1, k4 (9)
  8. Row 9: kfb, kfb, k1, 3TOG, kfb, kfb, k1 (11)
  9. Row 10: k5, p1, k5 (11)
  10. Row 11: kfb, k3, 3TOG, k2, kfb, k1 (11)
  11. Row 12: k5, p1, k5 (11)
  12. Row 13: kfb, kfb, k2, 3TOG, k1, kfb, kfb, k1 (13)
  13. Row 14: k6, p1, k6 (13)
  14. Row 15: kfb, k4, 3TOG, k3, kfb, k1 (13)
  15. Row 16: k6, p1, k6 (13)
  16. Row 17: kfb, kfb, k3, 3TOG, k2, kfb, kfb, k1 (15)
  17. Row 18: k7, p1, k7 (15)
  18. Row 19: kfb, k5, 3TOG, k4, kfb, k1 (15)
  19. Row 20: k7, p1, k7 (15)

Repeat rows 19 and 20 three more times each.

  1. Row 27: k6, 3TOG, k6 (13)
  2. Row 28: k6, p1, k6 (13)
  3. Row 29: k5, 3TOG, k5 (11)
  4. Row 30: k5, p1, k5 (11)
  5. Row 31: k4, 3TOG, k4 (9)
  6. Row 32: k4, p1, k4 (9)
  7. Row 33: k3, 3TOG, k3 (7)
  8. Row 34: k3, p1, k3 (7)
  9. Row 35: k2, 3TOG, k2 (5)
  10. Row 36: k2, p1, k2 (5)
  11. Row 37: k1, 3TOG, k1 (3)
  12. Row 38: k1, p1, k1 (3)
  13. Row 39: k1, p1, k1 (3)

Thread yarn through remaining stitches and pull tight.

Make two small leaflets.

Veins and Stalk:

We need to knit a vein for each leaflet. The length of the vein depends on the size of the leaflet, so take each leaflet in turn and make a vein specifically for it.

For each vein:

  • Cast on 2 sts
  • i-cord 5 rows.
  • Working as for i-cord, kfb, k1 (3)
  • i-cord 5 rows.
  • Working as for i-cord, kfb, k2 (4)
  • i-cord until the vein is same length as the leaf.
  • Thread yarn through remaining sts.

For the stalk:

  • Cast on 5 sts and i-cord 4cm.
  • Thread yarn through remaining sts.

Making Up:

Use a single piece of wire to make a frame for the leaf as shown in the diagram below.

wire frame set up

Begin at the bottom of the stalk. Fold the end of the wire over to make a blunt end. Working away from this point make the first bend of the frame after 4cm to form one side of the stalk

Bend the wire so that the first spoke of the frame is half the length of a small leaflet. The next three spokes should be half the length of a large leaflet, and the final spoke the same length as the first.

Make a final fold in the wire to match the first side of the stalk. Trim the wire.

Cover each spoke with an i-cord vein (smallest veins on smallest spokes, cast off end at the centre) and the wire stalk with its knitted counterpart. Sew all six pieces of knitting together at the centre.

Sew each leaflet to a suitable vein. The vein should not reach all the way to the tip of the leaf as we shift each leaf outward slightly from the centre. It doesn't really matter which side of the leaflet is attached to the vein, but making sure all the leaflets are the same way up will give a neater finish.

leaflet arrangement

Sew in any remaining loose ends.

Notes:

Needle/Yarn Size

As with most ODDknit patterns the yarn and needle sizes in the "you will need" section are just a guide. Feel free to improvise with whatever needles and yarn you have lying around - that's half the fun!