Your Ivy Grows: How to Crochet an Ivy Garland for the Ultimate Evermore Swiftie Decor

There is something quietly magical about the image of ivy creeping along old stone walls, threading through iron fences, curling around the edges of something ancient and beloved. If you have spent any time in the Evermore era, you already know exactly what that feeling is — it lives in every lyric, every muted earth tone, every autumnal ache of that album. And if you are a crocheter, a Swiftie, or both, you have probably already imagined what it would look like to bring that world into your home with your own two hands.

This post is for you.

We are going to talk about crocheting your very own ivy garland — a leafy, handmade vine that captures the spirit of “ivy” in every sense. Whether you want to drape it across a bookshelf, weave it through a gallery wall, hang it above a window, or tuck it into a cozy corner of your Evermore listening room, a crocheted ivy garland is one of the most rewarding and versatile projects you can make. It is slow stitching with a story behind it. It is decor that means something.

Let’s get into it.

Why Crochet an Ivy Garland?

Before we talk yarn weights and leaf patterns, let us talk about why this project resonates so deeply with people right now. Crochet has always been a craft of intention — you cannot rush it, you cannot fake it, and the finished piece carries the hours you gave it. There is a reason the cottagecore aesthetic and crochet found each other so naturally. Both celebrate what is handmade, what is imperfect, what grows slowly and stays.

Evermore, released in December 2020, leaned hard into that same sensibility. Musically and visually, the album wrapped itself in ivy and folklore and the beauty of things left to grow wild. Taylor Swift wore cardigans and stood in autumnal forests. The imagery was full of vines, leaves, decay, and renewal. Fans responded by building entire aesthetic universes around the album — and the ivy motif became one of its most enduring symbols.

A crocheted ivy garland sits perfectly at the center of all of that. It is handmade, it is leafy, it is slow and intentional, and it transforms any space it touches into something that feels like it belongs in a log cabin in the woods or a countryside cottage with mist rolling in off the hills. You do not have to be a devoted Swiftie to love it, but if you are, you will feel it in every stitch.

What You Will Need

Getting started with a crochet ivy garland does not require a huge investment. The materials are simple, and most crocheters will have several of them on hand already.

Yarn: Look for a light worsted or DK weight yarn in a range of greens. The beauty of an ivy garland is in its variation — ivy leaves are not all the same shade. Gather two or three green tones: a deep forest green, a medium sage or moss green, and if you want to add some visual interest, a lighter yellow-green or even a dusty olive. Some crocheters also add a single cream or soft white yarn to replicate the variegated leaves of certain ivy species, which adds a lovely natural quality to the finished garland.

Crochet hook: A 3.5mm or 4mm hook works well for DK or light worsted weight yarn and gives you tidy, fairly tight leaves with good definition. If you prefer a more relaxed, draped look, you can size up slightly.

Scissors and a yarn needle: You will use these to finish off individual leaves and weave in your ends. A sharp pair of scissors makes a real difference when you are working through a large batch of small pieces.

A base cord or chain: Your leaves need something to attach to. You can crochet a long foundation chain in a neutral green or brown, use natural twine or jute rope, or even purchase a thin macramé cord. The base gives your garland structure and determines how it drapes. Jute or twine gives a very natural, earthy look that pairs beautifully with the earthy Evermore palette.

Optional: Small faux berries, dried flowers, or seed pods can be woven into the finished garland for extra texture. Tiny crocheted mushrooms or acorns are also wildly charming if you want to go full cottagecore.

Understanding the Basic Ivy Leaf

The ivy leaf is the heart of this project, so it is worth understanding how a classic crochet ivy leaf is constructed before you dive into making dozens of them.

A traditional five-point ivy leaf in crochet is worked from the tip down, creating a pointed lobe shape. Each of the five lobes is worked in sequence, and the leaf is finished with a stem. The overall effect is immediately recognizable as ivy and holds its shape beautifully even in lighter yarn weights.

The leaf is typically worked as a flat piece using chain stitches, slip stitches, single crochets, half double crochets, and double crochets — no exotic stitches required. If you are new to crochet and can work those basic stitches, you can make this leaf. It may take a few practice attempts to feel natural, but once your hands understand the pattern, you will be able to work leaves quickly and almost without thinking, which is exactly the rhythm you want when you are making forty or fifty of them.

A simpler three-point ivy leaf is also a popular option and works up faster. If you are making a very long garland or want a slightly more abstract, artistic vine rather than a botanically faithful one, the three-point version is a great choice. You can also mix both versions in the same garland for a more organic look — real ivy is not perfectly uniform, and your crocheted version does not have to be either.

A Basic Pattern Approach

While every crocheter has their preferred method, here is a general structural approach to help you understand how an ivy leaf garland comes together. This is not a line-by-line written pattern but a conceptual guide that will help you work from any ivy leaf pattern you find or adapt.

Start by making a large batch of leaves. This is the core of the project, and it is meditative work. Put on your Evermore playlist, settle into your chair, and simply make leaves. Aim for a mix of sizes if you can — a few slightly larger leaves, many medium ones, and a handful of small ones. This size variation is what will make your garland feel like a real growing vine rather than a craft store product.

Work the leaves in your range of green shades, and as you finish each one, leave a tail of yarn long enough to use when attaching them to your base cord. This saves you the extra step of rejoining yarn later.

Once you have a satisfying pile of leaves, it is time to construct your garland. Lay out your base cord or crocheted chain to the length you want. For a standard mantel or bookshelf span, somewhere between four and six feet is typical. For a larger installation across a wall or window, you might work in sections or create a longer base.

Begin attaching leaves by wrapping and knotting the yarn tails around the base cord, or by using your yarn needle to sew them on. Vary their angles — some should face upward, some should tilt to the side, some should overlap. Cluster leaves in groups of two and three along the cord rather than spacing them evenly. Real ivy grows in clusters and gaps, not in perfect intervals, and mimicking that irregularity is what gives handmade pieces their charm.

As you attach leaves, weave in your ends as you go. There is nothing more dispiriting than finishing a beautiful garland and then facing a mountain of loose ends, so dealing with them in batches keeps the project enjoyable from start to finish.

Color and Texture: Getting the Evermore Palette Right

One of the things that makes Evermore so visually distinctive is its color palette. Warm browns, muted golds, deep forest greens, dusty burgundies, creamy whites — it is autumn distilled into a mood board. When you are building your ivy garland for an Evermore-inspired space, leaning into that palette will make the piece feel cohesive with the rest of your decor.

For the leaves themselves, deep green is your anchor. Think the green of old library books or moss on a stone wall. Layer in a sage or eucalyptus green for variation, and do not be afraid to include a leaf or two in a slightly yellowed or golden green to suggest a turning season. Autumn ivy is not uniformly dark — it catches the light and holds the change.

If you are displaying your garland in a space with warm wood tones, cream textiles, or amber candlelight — all very Evermore — a brown or dark tan twine base will look beautiful and ground the piece in that earthy world. If your space is cooler or more neutral, a dark green cord that blends into the leaves will give the garland a more seamless, flowing appearance.

Consider the light in your space as well. Crochet picks up light differently depending on the yarn’s fiber content and twist. A matte cotton yarn will give you a soft, diffused look. A slightly shinier acrylic or blend will catch the light and make individual stitches more visible. For this kind of naturalistic, cottagecore project, most people prefer the matte look — it reads as more handmade and organic — but there is no wrong answer.

Where to Display Your Ivy Garland

This is one of the most enjoyable parts of the whole project: deciding where your garland will live.

A fireplace mantel is the classic choice, and for good reason. A crocheted ivy garland draped across a mantel, perhaps alongside some candles in earthy tones, a few dried flowers, and some well-worn books, looks genuinely stunning. It is warm and moody and deeply cozy in a way that feels true to the Evermore world.

A gallery wall is another gorgeous option. Tuck the garland along the top edge of a collection of frames, letting it curl down one side. Mix it with botanical prints, vintage-style photographs, or any artwork with an earthy or woodland quality.

Bookshelves are a natural home for ivy garlands. Weave the vine along the front edge of a shelf, letting leaves dip down between the spines. If you have multiple shelves, run a garland along each one for a cascading effect that looks genuinely lush.

Windowsills and curtain rods are underrated display spots. A garland draped across a window frame brings a little of the outside world in and adds texture and dimension to what is often an empty or under-decorated space.

For Swifties who set up dedicated listening rooms or Evermore corners — and yes, this is a real and beautiful thing that people do — an ivy garland can define the entire space. Run it above a record player, around a cozy reading chair, along the edge of a low shelf filled with candles and folklore and Evermore memorabilia. It becomes the visual anchor that says: this space is intentional, this space is mine, this space grows.

Making the Project Your Own

One of the great joys of handmade decor is that it belongs entirely to you. No two crocheted ivy garlands will ever be exactly the same, and that is the point.

If you want to add a tiny crocheted mushroom tucked among the leaves, do it. If you want to thread a few dried rosebuds through the vine before you hang it, do it. If you want to add a small felt bird or a crocheted acorn or a delicate crocheted spider web to give it a Halloween or late autumn feel, absolutely do it.

You can also customize the length. A short garland of twelve to eighteen inches makes a beautiful wreath-like oval or a small accent for a picture frame. A very long garland of eight or ten feet becomes a statement piece for a staircase rail or an archway.

Some people add fairy lights woven through the finished garland for a glowing, ethereal effect that is particularly beautiful in the evening. Warm white lights suit the Evermore palette best — they feel like firelight filtered through leaves.

If you are making garlands as gifts — and they make extraordinary gifts for Swiftie friends, for housewarming presents, for anyone who loves slow, beautiful handmade things — consider attaching a small handwritten tag with the lyrics that inspired the project. “I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you” or “Ivy grows and I could’ve sworn I heard you singing along” woven into a tiny gift tag transforms a beautiful object into something deeply personal.

The Rhythm of Making

There is something particular about crochet projects that involve making many small repeated pieces. It is not tedious — or rather, it should not be tedious if you approach it correctly. Making fifty ivy leaves is an act of accumulation. Each leaf is small and fast and satisfying in its own right, and the pile grows quickly. There is a turning point in the project, somewhere around leaf twenty or twenty-five, where the pile suddenly looks like something. Like abundance. Like a vine beginning to take hold.

That feeling is exactly what Evermore sounds like.

Put the album on. Or put on folklore. Or put on anything that feels like autumn and old wood and the particular ache of growing things. Let your hands work while your mind wanders. Crochet has always been a form of thinking, a way of processing the world through repetitive motion and soft material.

When the garland is finished and hanging in your space, you will understand why people say handmade things carry energy. You will know the hours that are in it. You will remember which songs were playing when you made the smallest leaf and the largest one. That knowledge is woven into it as surely as the yarn is.

A Final Word

Your ivy grows. That is the thing about plants, about craft, about love — they grow when you tend them. A crocheted ivy garland is a small act of tending: tending your space, your creativity, your relationship with slow and beautiful things.

Whether you are making this because you love crochet, because you love Evermore, because you want to fill your home with handmade objects that carry meaning, or simply because the image of leafy green vines draped across a wooden shelf made something in you say yes — the reason is enough. Make the leaves. Build the vine. Hang it somewhere you will see it every day.

It will remind you that beautiful things take time, that imperfect things are the most lovable kind, and that there is a particular magic in making something with your hands and then living alongside it.

Now go make some leaves.