Mint and Plum Ginkgo Leaf Hanging Curtain Crochet Pattern

This curtain is a cascade of mint green ginkgo leaves hanging on fine plum chain strands. Each leaf is a little fan with ribbed stitches, a scalloped plum edge and a few plum vein lines running down from the stem. Round mint beads sit between the leaves like tiny buds, and the strands hang slightly staggered, so the leaves overlap and seem to tumble down the window. When the light comes in from behind, the mint glows and the plum outlines stand out crisp and dark. It looks like a branch of leaves frozen in the middle of a breeze.

At the top sits a plum lace valance made of twelve small lacy triangles. Each triangle is a little granny triangle worked from the point up, finished with a shell edge along its two sloped sides. The triangles are joined across their tops with two rows of single crochet, and a third row wraps the band around twelve wooden curtain rings, one above each triangle. The rings slide easily along the rod, so you can open and close the curtain or straighten it in seconds.

Below the valance hang twelve strands, one from the point of each triangle. Every strand holds eight leaves, four large ones near the top and four small ones lower down, which gives the curtain that natural look of bigger leaves up high and smaller ones toward the tips. A mint bead sits above the first leaf, between every pair of leaves and at the very end, so each strand carries nine beads. The odd strands start a little higher than the even ones, which makes the leaves fall into a gentle zigzag instead of lining up in rows. A short mint tassel finishes every strand.

The leaves are worked in rows from a magic ring at the stem, so the fan opens outward with every row. Large leaves have three rows of double crochet and one row of treble crochet, and small leaves stop after the double crochet rows. Then you switch to plum for a scalloped shell edge along the bottom curve and sew a few straight stitches from the stem for the veins. The beads are tiny stuffed balls worked in single crochet, and the chains, triangles and band use only basic stitches.

The finished curtain measures about 120 cm wide and 150 cm long (47 by 59 inches) from the top of the rings to the tips of the tassels. That fits a standard window, a wide single window or a cozy reading nook. The strands are built by chaining down from the valance, adding a bead, joining a leaf at its stem, carrying the chain behind the leaf and chaining on to the next bead. Nothing is sewn between the strands, so each one hangs and moves on its own.

I love how alive it feels when it hangs. The cotton gives the strands enough weight to fall straight, but the leaves still turn a little when the window is open. In the morning the light shines through the gaps and the leaf shapes throw soft shadows on the floor. In the evening the mint looks almost silver. It gives a window privacy without hiding the trees outside, so it feels like the garden comes right into the room.

I rate this pattern Intermediate. The stitches are simple, but you will make ninety-six leaves and over a hundred beads, change colors on every leaf and keep track of which strand starts higher. If you have made a few small motifs and you can follow a row with a stitch count, you can make this. Plan on about fifty-five to sixty-five hours. It suits a patient maker who enjoys small, cheerful pieces and loves watching a big project come to life one leaf at a time.

I fell in love with ginkgo leaves on a walk in the park one autumn, when a whole tree dropped its little fans onto the path at once. I took a few home, pressed them in a book and kept thinking about how to make them in yarn. When I hung my first test strand of mint leaves in the window, it looked just like those branches I had seen. The plum edge was my favorite surprise. It frames each leaf like a drawing and makes the mint look even fresher.

The thing I love most is how portable this project is. A leaf takes a short sitting, a bead takes only a few minutes, and you can carry everything in a small bag with two balls of yarn, a hook, scissors and a needle. I made dozens of beads while waiting at appointments and stitched leaves on the porch in the evenings. By the time I was ready to build the strands, I had a whole bowl of leaves and beads waiting, and it felt like gathering a little harvest.

Making ninety-six leaves taught me a lot about consistency. My first few leaves came out slightly different sizes, because my treble crochet was looser on some days than others. I learned to lay every new leaf on top of my first one before adding the plum edge. I also learned to stuff the beads firmly and evenly, since a soft bead looks flat on the strand and a hard one looks lumpy.

Here is what keeps me coming back to this design:

• Small leaves and beads that fit in any project bag
• Two colors that make each leaf look hand drawn
• Strands that move and catch the light on their own
• A curtain that looks like a living plant in the window

It is also one of my favorite gifts to make. I made a shorter cafe version for a friend who loves gardening, and she hung it over her kitchen sink where she can see her herbs through it. A handmade curtain is something a person sees every single day, so it really feels like a piece of you lives in their home. It suits a cottage kitchen, a sunroom or a calm bedroom equally well.

This curtain also uses up yarn beautifully. The beads take only a few meters each, so all those small leftover balls of mint can go straight into them, and the scraps make perfect stuffing. The plum leftovers become tassel wraps and vein stitches. When I finished, I had only a few short ends left, and nothing felt wasted.

Most of all, I love what it does to a room. A plain window suddenly feels like the edge of a garden. The leaves soften the light, the plum lines add a little drama, and the whole curtain looks different as the sun moves across the sky. Every time I walk past it, I feel the same quiet joy I felt on that autumn path, and that is why I keep making them.

The easiest change is the color. Mint and plum is fresh and a little dramatic, but ginkgo leaves look lovely in many pairs. Golden yellow leaves with a brown edge look just like autumn. Green leaves with a cream edge feel calm and natural, and white leaves with a soft golden edge look elegant in a bedroom. Pink leaves with a white edge are sweet for a nursery, and red leaves with a white edge bring a cheerful touch to a farmhouse kitchen.

You can change the width to fit your window. Each valance triangle adds about 10 cm (4 inches) of width and one more strand. For a narrow window, make 6 triangles and 6 strands, about 60 cm wide, with 24 large leaves, 24 small leaves and 54 beads. For a wide window, keep adding triangles and strands in the same way. The number of strands always matches the number of triangles and rings.

Length is just as easy to change. Each extra leaf, with its bead and links, adds about 12 cm (5 inches). For a door about 200 cm tall, keep 12 strands and work 12 leaves per strand, 5 large and 7 small, which is 144 leaves and 156 beads in all. For a room divider about 160 cm wide and 230 cm tall, make 16 triangles and 16 strands with 14 leaves each, 6 large and 8 small, for 224 leaves and 256 beads.

• Narrow window: 6 strands of 8 leaves, about 60 by 150 cm
• Standard window: 12 strands of 8 leaves, about 120 by 150 cm
• Door: 12 strands of 12 leaves, about 120 by 200 cm
• Room divider: 16 strands of 14 leaves, about 160 by 230 cm

A short cafe curtain is a lovely first version. Keep the 12 triangles and 12 strands, but work only 4 leaves per strand, 2 large and 2 small, which is 48 leaves and 60 beads. It hangs about 75 cm (30 inches) long and covers the lower half of a kitchen window, so you get privacy at the sink and plenty of light at the top. It is also a quick way to test your tension and colors before a full curtain.

For a doorway curtain that people walk through, leave off the valance and work each strand straight from its own wooden ring. Hang the strands closer together, about 6 cm apart, so the opening looks full, and use the small leaves only, since they swing less and tangle less. Skip the tassels and end each strand with a bead. The strands part easily as someone passes and fall right back into place.

The tassels are easy to change too. For a neat finish, wrap the yarn around a 5 cm piece of cardboard. For a more flowing look, use a 10 cm piece. You can also make plum tassels for more contrast, or leave the tassels off and end each strand with a small leaf instead, so the curtain finishes with leaves at the tips like a real branch.

Finally, you can change the yarn weight. A sport or DK cotton with a 3.5 mm (E-4) hook gives leaves about 9 cm wide, and the curtain shrinks to about 85 by 110 cm with the same counts, perfect for a small window or a cabinet door. A bulky cotton with a 6 mm (J-10) hook makes big leaves that cover a large window with fewer strands. Whatever you choose, make one large leaf and one bead first and measure them before you plan the rest.