The Winter Sage Leaf Star is a five-petal ornament made of soft cream leaves. Each leaf has a raised sage-green vein running from tip to center. The veins meet in the middle like the spokes of a snowflake, so the star looks both botanical and festive. Hang it on a tree, tie it to a gift, or put it in a window.
The palette is kept quiet on purpose, with warm cream for the petals and muted sage for the veins and hanging loop. The texture comes from mixing short and tall stitches inside each leaf, plus a neat single crochet rim that gives every petal a clean, slightly rounded edge.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished star is about 5.25 in (13.3 cm) wide and 5 in (12.7 cm) tall. The hanging loop adds about 1.75 in (4.4 cm).
The construction is simple. You crochet five identical pointed leaves in the round around a foundation chain and finish each one with a cream edging round. Then you surface slip stitch a sage vein down the center of each leaf. Finally, you sew the leaves together at their base points, cover the center with a small sage knot, and add a sage loop to the top petal.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: about 5.25 in (13.3 cm) wide x 5 in (12.7 cm) tall, plus a 1.75 in (4.4 cm) loop
- Skill level: Easy / advanced beginner
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK (light worsted, category 3), cotton or cotton blend
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
- Number of pieces: 5 identical leaf petals, joined into one star
- Layout: 5 petals radiating from a shared center, spaced evenly, with one petal pointing straight up
- Piece size (one finished petal): 2.75 in (7.0 cm) long x 1.5 in (3.8 cm) wide
- Petal size before border: 2.5 in (6.4 cm) long x 1.25 in (3.2 cm) wide
- Border depth: about 0.125 in (0.3 cm) on each edge
Materials
Choose a smooth, combed or mercerized cotton in DK weight. Cotton holds the pointed tips crisply and shows the stitch shaping clearly. Avoid fuzzy yarn for the sage color, because the vein sits on the surface and should look clean and braided.
- Cream (Color A): 15 g, about 35 m, for the petals and edging
- Sage green (Color B): 5 g, about 12 m, for the veins, center knot, and hanging loop
These amounts are for one star and include a comfortable margin for a gauge swatch and sewing tails. For a set of ornaments, multiply by the number of stars.
Tools:
- 3.5 mm (E-4) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Stitch marker
- Rust-proof pins and a blocking mat or folded towel
- Spray bottle with water
- Ruler or tape measure
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch: chain
- sl st: slip stitch
- sc: single crochet
- hdc: half double crochet
- dc: double crochet
- st(s): stitch(es)
- sp: space
- RS / WS: right side / wrong side
Special stitch: surface slip stitch (surf sl st). Hold the yarn behind the work. Insert the hook from front to back through the fabric, yarn over, and pull a loop up to the front and through the loop already on the hook. Each surf sl st makes one V on the surface, and a line of them looks like a raised chain.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 20 sc and 22 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm), or 5 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm).
Gauge matters because all five petals must match, and the edge count is designed to lie flat. Make one complete petal first and measure it before you make the other four.
Checkpoints for one petal:
- After Round 1: 2.25 in (5.7 cm) long x 1 in (2.5 cm) wide
- After Round 2: 2.5 in (6.4 cm) long x 1.25 in (3.2 cm) wide
- After the border: 2.75 in (7.0 cm) long x 1.5 in (3.8 cm) wide
If your petal is too big, switch to a 3.25 mm hook. If it is too small, switch to a 3.75 mm hook. Change the hook size instead of the stitch counts, because the counts control the shape of the tips.
Petal (Make 5)
Each petal is worked in the round along both sides of a foundation chain. The stitches get taller toward the middle of the leaf and drop back to sc at each end, which creates the pointed oval shape.
With Color A, ch 12.
Round 1 (RS): Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook, hdc in the next 2 ch, dc in the next 5 ch, hdc in the next 2 ch, and 3 sc in the last ch (top tip). Rotate the work so you can crochet along the opposite side of the foundation chain. Hdc in the next 2 ch, dc in the next 5 ch, hdc in the next 2 ch, and 2 sc in the last ch (the same ch as the first sc). Sl st to the first sc to join.
Stitch count: 24 sts. That is 9 sts along each side (2 hdc, 5 dc, 2 hdc) plus a 3-sc group at each tip.
Place a marker in the middle sc of the top 3-sc group, which is stitch 12 of the round. The base group is stitch 1 plus stitches 23 and 24, and stitch 24 is its middle point.
Checkpoint: 2.25 in (5.7 cm) x 1 in (2.5 cm).
Round 2 (conversion round): Ch 1 (does not count as a st). Sc in the first 2 sts, hdc in the next 7 sts, sc in the next 2 sts, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the marked st, sc in the next 2 sts, hdc in the next 7 sts, sc in the next 2 sts, and (sc, ch 2, sc) in the last st. Sl st to the first sc to join.
Stitch count: 24 + 2 = 26 sts and 2 ch-2 sps. Each Round 1 stitch gets 1 stitch, and each of the two tip stitches gets 1 extra sc. That makes 13 sts per side, counted from one ch-2 sp to the next.
The (sc, ch 2, sc) at each end sharpens the tips. The hdc section widens the middle of the leaf without making it ruffle.
Checkpoint: 2.5 in (6.4 cm) x 1.25 in (3.2 cm). Do not fasten off. Go straight on to the border round in the Border section below, working on this same petal.
Make All Pieces
Make 5 petals in total. Finish each petal with its border round and its sage vein before you start joining.
- Color A: 5 petals, each with Rounds 1–2 plus the border round
- Color B: 5 veins (one per petal), then the center knot and hanging loop after joining
Sage Vein (on each bordered petal)
Hold Color B double and leave a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail on the WS. With the RS facing, pull up a loop through the base ch-2 sp. Work 1 surf sl st into the center line at each of the 11 worked foundation chains, placing it in the groove where the stitches from both sides meet. Finish with 1 surf sl st in the top ch-2 sp. That makes 12 surf sl sts after the starting loop. Pull the end to the WS and weave it in. Leave the base tail hanging for the center.
Keep the vein loose. When it is done, it should be the same length as the petal, 2.75 in (7.0 cm), with no puckering.
Layout Grid
Lay the petals RS up with their base points touching, spaced about 72 degrees apart:
[P1] (top, hanging loop)
[P5] [P2]
( center )
[P4] [P3]
Joining
Method: Whipstitch with Color A through both loops of the border stitches, with the RS facing. Then cinch the center closed with the sage vein tails.
Stitch-to-stitch logic: Each petal side has 15 border sts. Count from the base ch-2 sp. Match sts 1–4 on the right side of Petal 1 to sts 1–4 on the left side of Petal 2. Whipstitch these 4 pairs together, one stitch to one stitch. Repeat for P2/P3, P3/P4, P4/P5, and P5/P1. That gives 5 seams of 4 sts each. The other 11 sts on each side stay free and form the open valleys between the petals.
Center: On the WS, thread one sage tail through all five base ch-2 sps. Pull it snug to close the center hole and tie the tails together. Bring one tail to the RS, wrap it 2–3 times over the spot where the veins meet to make a small knot, and then weave all the ends in on the WS.
Tension: Pull the whipstitches snug but not tight. Tight seams make the star cup instead of lying flat.
Hanging loop: Hold Color B double and join with a sl st in the top ch-2 sp of Petal 1. Ch 18, then sl st in the same ch-2 sp. Fasten off and weave in the ends. The loop hangs about 1.75 in (4.4 cm).
Size checkpoint: 5.25 in (13.3 cm) wide x 5 in (12.7 cm) tall, not counting the loop.
Border
Work this round on every petal right after Round 2, before the vein and before joining.
Border gauge: 5 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm) along the edge.
Round 3 (border): Ch 1. Sc in the first 12 sts, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the top ch-2 sp, sc in the next 13 sts, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the base ch-2 sp, and sc in the last st. Sl st to the first sc. Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Stitch count: 26 + 4 = 30 sts and 2 ch-2 sps. Each Round 2 stitch gets 1 sc, and each tip adds 2 sc. That gives 15 sts per side (13 existing + 1 tip sc at each end).
Why the math works: Each curved side of the petal is about 3 in (7.6 cm) long along the edge. At 5 sc per inch, 15 sts × 0.2 in = 3 in (7.6 cm), so the rim lies flat. The only increases are at the tips, which keeps the points sharp. The curve of the sides comes from the hdc and dc shaping inside the petal, not from the border.
Checkpoint: 2.75 in (7.0 cm) x 1.5 in (3.8 cm).
Final Blocking
- Lightly spray the joined star until it is damp but not soaked.
- Lay it RS up on a blocking mat or folded towel.
- Pin the top petal’s tip through its ch-2 sp, pointing straight up.
- Pin the other four tips evenly so the star measures 5.25 in (13.3 cm) wide and 5 in (12.7 cm) tall.
- Ease each curved edge into a smooth arc with your fingers.
- Pat the veins flat gently, without crushing their texture.
- Let it dry completely, then remove the pins.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- All 5 petals match to within 0.125 in (0.3 cm).
- Each petal has 30 border sts, 15 per side.
- Both tips on every petal are sharp.
- Each vein is centered and runs straight from tip to base.
- Each seam joins exactly 4 sts.
- The center is closed and covered by the sage knot.
- The star lies flat with no cupping.
- The loop is secure and centered on the top tip.
- All ends are woven in on the WS.
Troubleshooting
- Petals curl: The border is too tight. Work Round 3 with a hook 0.25 mm larger, or block firmly.
- Rounded tips: Make sure the ch-2 is worked at both tips in Rounds 2 and 3.
- Puckered vein: Your surf sl sts are too tight. Use a larger hook for the vein.
- Vein off-center: Work the vein exactly in the groove between the paired stitches.
- Hole at the center: Pull the sage cinch tighter before you tie it.
- Star cups: Loosen the seams, or join only 3 sts per seam.
- Uneven petals: Make all 5 in one sitting with the same hook so the tension stays consistent.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, then reshape the tips and dry flat. Store the ornament flat in tissue paper between seasons.
Final Notes
The whole star builds from one measurement chain. At a gauge of 5 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm), Round 1 measures 2.25 in (5.7 cm) x 1 in (2.5 cm), and Round 2 measures 2.5 in (6.4 cm) x 1.25 in (3.2 cm). The border brings each petal to 2.75 in (7.0 cm) x 1.5 in (3.8 cm), with 15 sts per side. Joining five petals gives a 5.25 in (13.3 cm) x 5 in (12.7 cm) star, topped by a 1.75 in (4.4 cm) loop. Check each stage and the star will come out even and flat.
Happy crocheting!