May
Basic Flat Flower Pattern
So the easiest one to start with is just a basic flat flower, like the kind you’d put on a headband or whatever. You chain 4, slip stitch to make a ring, then chain 1 and do like 8 single crochets into that ring. For the petals I usually chain 3, do 2 double crochets into the same stitch, chain 3 again, then slip stitch into the next single crochet. Do that around and you get 8 petals that look kinda wonky at first but they settle.
I made a bunch of these in summer 2024 when I was supposed to be organizing my closet but kept getting distracted. Used Red Heart Super Saver in that bright yellow color because it was literally the only yarn I had left after my last project. The thing that annoyed me so much was how the petals would curl up weird if you pulled the yarn too tight, and then you’d have to like… block them? But I never actually block anything so they just stayed curly and I pretended that was intentional.
Rose Pattern With Spiral
Okay so roses are actually easier than they look which is nice. You’re basically making a long rectangle and then rolling it up. Start with a foundation chain, maybe 30 stitches or so depending how big you want it. Then you do rows of double crochet but here’s the thing – you increase on one side to make it ruffle. Like every other stitch gets 2 double crochets in it.
Do maybe 4 or 5 rows of this and it’ll start looking like a ruffled scarf almost. Then you just roll it from one end and stitch the bottom together as you go. The ruffled edge becomes the rose petals and it actually looks pretty convincing if you squint.
I remember making these during that whole period in spring 2022 when everyone was still weird about going outside, and I was watching that baking show with the tent – you know the one – and I made like 15 roses in different colors. Caron Simply Soft worked really well for these because it’s got that slight sheen that makes them look less craft-project-y.
Sizing The Rose Right
If you want a tiny rose do like 20 chains and 3 rows. Medium is 30 chains and 4-5 rows. Big dramatic ones need 40+ chains and you just keep going until your hand hurts. There’s no actual pattern for this honestly, you just gotta feel it out.
Granny Square Flower Variation
This one’s weird because it’s technically a granny square but you make it look like a flower by doing the first round in yellow or whatever color you want for the center, then changing colors for the petals. Chain 4, join, then do chain 3 and 2 double crochets, chain 2, then 3 double crochets chain 2, keep going til you have 4 groups.
Second round you change to your petal color and work into those chain-2 spaces but instead of doing the normal granny square thing you do like… 5 double crochets in each space? Something like that. It makes these chunky petal shapes in the corners.
The annoying part about this one is joining the new color without it looking messy. I never figured out a clean way to do it and there’s always these little tails hanging around that you have to weave in later.
Layered Flower With Button Center
For this you make two flat flowers in different sizes – use the basic pattern from earlier but do one with 6 petals and one with 8, or just make the chain-3 spaces longer on one of them so it’s bigger. Stack them on top of each other with the smaller one on top, stitch through the center to hold them together, then sew a button right in the middle.
I used this pattern to make flowers for a baby blanket I was working on and it was actually during a really bad breakup in 2023, which sounds dramatic but honestly the repetitive stitching was helpful, just sitting there making tiny flowers while my cat knocked my yarn ball off the couch every ten minutes. Lily Sugar’n Cream worked good for this because you can throw the whole thing in the wash.
The button thing is key though because without it the center just looks like a hole and it’s weird. You can also use a bead if you’re feeling fancy but buttons are easier to sew on.
Color Combinations That Work
Purple and yellow looks good. Pink and cream. Red and white if you’re into that but it might look too Christmas-y depending on the shade. Navy and white is surprisingly nice and doesn’t look too nautical if you use the right – wait, I’m getting off track.
Puffy Flower Pattern
This one uses popcorn stitches or bobbles to make it look three-dimensional. Chain 4 to make your center ring, then instead of regular stitches you’re gonna do 5 double crochets in the same stitch but don’t finish the last pull-through on any of them. So you have like 6 loops on your hook, then you yarn over and pull through everything at once.
That makes one bobble. Chain 1 between each bobble, and do maybe 6 or 7 bobbles around the ring. It puffs up and looks kinda like a dahlia or something.
These take forever though and your hand will cramp. I made exactly three of these before I gave up and went back to easier patterns. But they do look impressive if you’re trying to make something for a gift and want people to think you worked harder than you did.
Tiny Filler Flowers
Sometimes you just need small flowers to fill in spaces on projects. Magic ring, 6 single crochets into the ring, then chain 2 and slip stitch into the next stitch, repeat around. That’s it. Takes like two minutes each.
I made a million of these to sew onto a cardigan that had gotten boring. Just scattered them randomly across the shoulders and it looked intentional. Used whatever scrap yarn was in my bin – some Bernat Premium, some random acrylic I got at a thrift store still in the wrapper.
The magic ring part always trips people up but you literally just wrap the yarn around your fingers, pull a loop through, and start crocheting into it. There’s videos online that explain it better than I can in text but once you get it you get it.
Sunflower Pattern
Okay so sunflowers need a brown or dark center and yellow petals obviously. Make a flat circle for the center – magic ring, 6 single crochet, then increase every stitch for round 2 so you have 12, then increase every other stitch for round 3 so you have 18. That’s your center.
For the petals you chain like 8, then work back down the chain with single crochet but skip the first chain. So you’re making these little pointed petal shapes. Attach each petal to the edge of your brown circle by slip stitching into the circle, then chain 8 for the next petal.
I made these for a summer wreath thing and they came out okay but not great because I used this really cheap yellow yarn from the dollar store and it was splitty and awful. Should’ve used Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Yarn which is cheap but doesn’t split as much. Live and learn.
Making Petals Pointier
If you want sharper petals do the chain longer, like 10 or 12 instead of 8. Or work back with half double crochet instead of single crochet so they’re fatter but still pointed. You can mess with it.
Layered Rose With Leaves
This is basically the spiral rose from earlier but you add leaves which makes it look way more finished. After you make and roll your rose, chain like 10 for a leaf, then work back with single crochet on one side of the chain, do 3 single crochets in the last chain to turn the corner, then work back up the other side of the chain. That makes a leaf shape.
Make 2 or 3 leaves and attach them to the base of your rose. Green obviously, unless you’re doing some artistic thing.
The leaves never quite lay flat the way I want them to and it bothers me every time. You can starch them I guess but who has time for that. I just sew them down more than I probably need to so they at least stay in place.
Daffodil Or Trumpet Flower
This one’s different because you make a cone shape for the center trumpet part. Start with a magic ring and do 6 single crochet, then just keep going in a spiral without increasing. After like 6 or 7 rounds you’ll have a little tube. That’s your trumpet.
For the petals around it, make 6 separate petal pieces – chain 6, work back with double crochet, chain 6 and work back again so you have a fat petal shape. Make 6 of these and sew them around the base of your trumpet in a circle.
I attempted this in spring 2023 and it looked insane at first, like what even is this supposed to be, but after I sewed all the petals on it actually looked like a daffodil. Used Vanna’s Choice in yellow and white which was fine, nothing special about that yarn but it works.
Simple Five-Petal Flower
Chain 4 and join. Chain 1, then do 10 single crochets into the ring. For each petal, chain 3, do 3 double crochets in the next stitch, chain 3, slip stitch in the same stitch. Skip one single crochet, slip stitch into the next one, then start your next petal.
You’ll get 5 petals this way. It’s clean and simple and doesn’t look homemade in a bad way if you use decent yarn.
These are good for using up small amounts of leftover yarn. I made like 20 of them from scraps and sewed them onto a canvas bag. People actually complimented it which never happens with my crochet stuff usually, so that was cool.
The main thing with all these patterns is tension. If you crochet really tight your flowers will be stiff and weird. If you’re too loose they’ll be floppy. You gotta find that middle ground which just comes from making a bunch of them until your hands figure it out automatically. Also weaving in ends is the worst part of all of these and I don’t have any shortcuts for that, you just have to do it or your flowers will fall apart eventually. Sometimes I use fabric glue on the ends instead of weaving them which is probably wrong but it works.
