This week in northern Virginia, fall finally hit its highly anticipated peak. The foliage reached those elusive shades of crimson, gold, and vermilion seldom seen outside of a scenic photograph or Bob Ross painting. It took only one excessively gusty day to pluck the striking leaves from their branchy homes reminding us that Autumn is quickly being left behind winter is being ushered in.

If you’re anything like me, a cold windy Sunday equals only one thing: a Downton Abbey marathon coupled with a simultaneous crochet marathon. Drawing inspiration from a (believe it or not) kitchen utensil holder, I threw together this swirly chart which will forever remind me of my cozy, lazy fall day. I’m hoping it will make a pretty tapestry or maybe even a pillow. Stay tuned for more!

This chart may be used for either crocheting or knitting, however as a self-proclaimed crochet addicted I’ve chosen crochet by using a tapestry crochet technique.

This pattern is worked from bottom to top, is 29 stitches wide x 37 rows tall, and two yarn colors are required: a background color (pictured as the white squares) and a main color (pictured as the black squares). I chose gold and maroon, but you may choose whichever two colors you would like!

Follow chart for necessary color changes (click here for more information on color changing techniques). After you have completed the last row and before finishing off, create a single crochet border around each side as follows: work 37 sc stitches on each side and 29 sc crochet stitches on both the top and bottom while adding an extra sc to create each corner. Fasten off, weave in ends, and voila! You have a beautiful decorative crocheted accent.