A crochet lotus flower is a flat disc with three tiers of petals worked on top of it, and a small yellow ball sewn into the middle. The whole flower is six short rounds plus a two-round centre, so it is a good first flower once you can make a magic ring and a double crochet. This page follows the designer’s written pattern, with a photo for every step and the arithmetic shown for every count.
This free crochet lotus flower pattern is written for crocheters who can make a magic ring, a single crochet, an increase and a double crochet. The designer calls the same flower a lotus and a water lily, so the two names mean one flower here. Where the designer’s text leaves something open, the step says so instead of guessing.
Key numbers. Round 1: 6 stitches (stated) · round 2: 12 (stated) · round 3: 18 (stated) · petals: 9 + 6 + 4 = 19 (derived) · double crochet in the petals: 19 × 2 = 38 (derived) · chains in the petals: 19 × 5 = 95 (derived) · centre bulb: 6 + 6 = 12 stitches (derived).
On this page
- What you need for this crochet lotus flower
- Stitches and abbreviations in the crochet lotus flower pattern
- The crochet lotus flower pattern at a glance
- Make the flat disc first
- Work the three petal tiers
- Make the yellow centre and finish the crochet lotus flower
- Where the crochet lotus flower goes wrong
- 5 more free lotus crochet patterns
- FAQ
- Where to go next
- Sources
What you need for this crochet lotus flower
You need smooth white yarn for the petals, a little yellow yarn for the centre, one small hook and a yarn needle. The designer also tints the petal tips with a soft brush and eyeshadow powder, which is optional.
| Item | Used in the photos | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Petal yarn | Smooth white yarn | Weight not stated |
| Centre yarn | Smooth yellow yarn | A few metres at most |
| Hook | A fine hook with a green handle | Size not stated |
| Yarn needle | Yes | For sewing the centre and hiding ends |
| Tint | Pink eyeshadow powder and a small brush | Optional |
| Yardage | Not stated | One flower is a scrap-sized project |
| Finished size | Not stated | It depends on your yarn and hook |
The designer does not name the hook or the yarn weight, so take the hook from your own yarn label. The Craft Yarn Council’s yarn weight standard lists crochet hooks of 2.25 to 3.5 mm for fine yarn, 3.5 to 4.5 mm for light yarn, 4.5 to 5.5 mm for medium-light yarn and 5.5 to 6.5 mm for medium yarn. The flower in the photos is small, so a fine or light yarn gives a flower about the size of the one shown, and a thicker yarn gives a bigger one.
Stitches and abbreviations in the crochet lotus flower pattern
The pattern uses six short abbreviations. This table gives each one and where it appears.
| Abbreviation | Stitch | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| MR | Magic ring | Start of the disc and of the centre |
| sc | Single crochet | Rounds 1 to 3 and the centre |
| inc | Increase: 2 sc in one stitch | Rounds 2 and 3 |
| BLO | Work in the back loop only | Rounds 2 and 3 |
| ch | Chain | Petals |
| dc | Double crochet | Petals |
The designer writes in the naming convention where sc is the short stitch and dc is the tall one. In the other naming convention dc means what we call sc, so check which one your own pattern uses before you start.
The disc has a stitch multiple of 6: each round adds 6 stitches, from 6 to 12 to 18. A petal is the five-part line ch 2, dc, ch 1, dc, ch 2, so one petal holds 2 dc and 5 chains. The designer repeats that same line for all three petal rounds and only changes the number of petals.
The crochet lotus flower pattern at a glance
Here is the whole flower in one table, with the arithmetic in the last column.
| Part | Instruction | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | MR, 6 sc | 6 stitches (stated) |
| Round 2 | BLO, 6 inc | 6 × 2 = 12 stitches (stated) |
| Round 3 | BLO, (sc, inc) 6 times | 6 × 3 = 18 stitches (stated) |
| Round 4 | Petal line 9 times | 9 petals (stated), 9 × 2 = 18 stitches covered (derived) |
| Round 5 | Petal line 6 times | 6 petals (stated) |
| Round 6 | Petal line 4 times | 4 petals (stated) |
| Centre, round 1 | MR, 6 sc | 6 stitches (stated) |
| Centre, round 2 | 6 sc | 6 stitches (stated) |
The owned figure: the flower has 9 + 6 + 4 = 19 petals, which is 19 × 2 = 38 double crochet and 19 × 5 = 95 chains in the petal rounds, on top of a 6 + 12 + 18 = 36 stitch disc.
Make the flat disc first
The disc is rounds 1 to 3. It stays flat, and the two back-loop rounds leave a ring of free front loops behind them, which matters later.
Step 1: Pick up the white and yellow yarn
Lay out the white yarn and the yellow yarn. You start with the white, and the yellow waits until the petals are finished.
Step 2: Make a magic ring
Loop the white yarn round your fingers and make a magic ring. The ring is the middle of the crochet lotus flower, so it needs to close tightly later.
Step 3: Round 1, work 6 single crochet
Work 6 single crochet into the ring and pull the tail to close it. Round 1 holds 6 stitches.
Step 4: Round 2, increase in the back loops
Work in the back loop only and make 6 increases, 2 single crochet in each stitch. That is 6 × 2 = 12 stitches. Because you used only the back loops, the front loops of round 1 stay free.
Step 5: Round 3, single crochet and increase
Still in the back loops, work 1 single crochet and then 1 increase, and repeat that pair 6 times. Each pair adds 3 stitches, so 6 × 3 = 18. The designer states 18 for round 3, and the arithmetic agrees.
Step 6: Check that the disc lies flat
Count the stitches: 6, then 12, then 18. If the disc ruffles or cups, you have too many stitches in one of the rounds, and it is easier to fix now than after the petals. The flower sits flat only if the disc does.
Work the three petal tiers
Rounds 4, 5 and 6 use the same petal line. Only the number of petals changes: 9, then 6, then 4.
Step 7: Round 4, start the first petals
For each petal of the crochet lotus flower work ch 2, dc, ch 1, dc, ch 2. The two double crochet and the single chain between them form the point of the petal. Round 4 makes 9 petals.
Step 8: The 9 petals make a star
When the first petal round is done, the disc has become a star of pointed petals. The 18 stitches of round 3 divide into 9 petals of 2 stitches each, which is why 9 is the right count. The designer states 9, and 9 × 2 = 18 confirms it.
Step 9: Round 5, make 6 petals
Work the same petal line 6 times. The second tier sits inside the first and rises a little above it. The designer does not say which loops carry round 5, and none of the five other lotus patterns below describes this exact method. The 12 front loops that round 2 left free divide into 6 petals of 2 stitches, which fits the count of 6, but that reading is ours and not the designer’s, so follow your own photo of the piece if it differs.
Step 10: Look at the piece from above
Turn the piece over and look down on it. Each tier should sit inside the one before, with its petals between the petals underneath, so the flower opens like a lotus. Two tiers are done; one small tier is left.
Step 11: Round 6, make 4 petals
Work the petal line 4 times for the top tier. This is the smallest tier, so the flower now has 9 + 6 + 4 = 19 petals. The designer does not say how the 4 petals are spaced, so space them as evenly as the photo shows.
Step 12: Fasten off the white yarn
Cut the white yarn, pull the end through and sew in the ends with the needle. The white flower is done; the centre and the colour come next.
Make the yellow centre and finish the crochet lotus flower
The centre is a small ball made from two rounds. After it is sewn in, the tips can be tinted.
Step 13: Make a yellow magic ring
For the middle of the crochet lotus flower, take the yellow yarn, make a magic ring and work 6 single crochet into it. Pull the ring closed.
Step 14: Round 2 of the centre
Work 6 single crochet, one in each stitch. The small ball now has 6 + 6 = 12 stitches. Cut the yarn and leave a long tail for sewing.
Step 15: Sew the bulb into the middle
Thread the yellow tail on the needle and sew the bulb into the middle of the white flower, taking the stitches through both pieces. The bulb should sit in the centre of the smallest tier.
Step 16: Tie off at the back
Turn the flower over, tie the yarn ends together at the back and trim them. The back stays flat, so the flower can be sewn or glued onto a base.
Step 17: Tint the petal tips
The designer brushes pink eyeshadow powder onto the petal tips with a small brush. Use a little, test it on a scrap of the same yarn first, and keep a tinted flower away from babies and small children, who may put things in their mouths.
Step 18: Admire the finished flowers
The flower is finished. Make several and they look good together, as the two in the photo do.
Where the crochet lotus flower goes wrong
Three things go wrong often, and each has a quick fix.
- A disc that ruffles. In a crochet lotus flower the disc must lie flat before the petals. Recount 6, 12 and 18 and fix it before round 4.
- The wrong number of petals. The three petal rounds are 9, 6 and 4 petals. If round 4 has 8 or 10, the 18 stitches were not covered with 2 stitches per petal, so check round 3 first.
- Petals that sit on top of each other. The tiers must sit between the petals underneath. If a tier covers the tier below, you started it in the wrong loops.
A little gap in the middle of a crochet lotus flower is not a mistake. The yellow bulb covers it.
5 more free lotus crochet patterns
Each of these is free on the designer’s own site, and each changes one thing about the flower.
- Crochet Water Lily Pattern by Kerri’s Crochet: a tiny flat appliqué in 2-ply cotton on a 1 mm hook, with 16 petals in 2 layers worked in the front and back loops of one ring and a separate yellow centre.
- Crochet Water Lily Pattern and video by Hookok: a stemmed water lily on a 2.5 mm hook with 8 middle and 8 large petals glued in two layers, and a yellow centre bulb worked in 6, 12 and 18 stitches.
- Lotus Flower by Suvi’s Crochet: a 3D lotus about 4 in (10 cm) across in 4-ply cotton on a 2 mm hook, with 8 outer, 8 middle and 4 centre petals.
- Lotus crochet by Hello Stitches: three tiers of 7 petals each on a 3.5 mm hook in 8-ply acrylic, with a separate yellow centre sewn in.
- Amigurumi Lotus by Punqa: a plush lotus about 8 to 10 in (20 to 25 cm) across with 6 inner, 6 middle and 6 outer petals made flat and sewn on.
These patterns build their petals in different ways. None of the five uses 9, 6 and 4 petals, but Suvi’s lotus also ends in a smaller 4-petal centre tier, so a shrinking top tier is a normal shape for a lotus.
FAQ
How do you crochet a lotus flower?
Make a disc of 6, 12 and 18 stitches, then work three petal rounds with the line ch 2, dc, ch 1, dc, ch 2, making 9, 6 and 4 petals. Make a yellow ball from 6 sc and 6 sc, sew it into the middle and tint the tips if you like.
How many petals does a crochet lotus flower have?
This crochet lotus flower has 19 petals in 3 tiers: 9 + 6 + 4 = 19.
What hook size do I need for a crochet lotus flower?
The designer does not say. Use the hook your yarn label suggests, and remember that the flower grows with the yarn: a fine yarn gives a small flower and a thick yarn a large one.
What is the difference between a lotus and a water lily in crochet?
In this crochet lotus flower pattern there is none. The designer uses both names for the same layered flower, so use whichever word your reader searches for.
Can I make the crochet lotus flower without tinting?
Yes. The flower works in plain white or in any colour, and the tint only adds the pink tips. If you do tint it, test the powder on a scrap first.
What can I use a crochet lotus flower for?
Sew it onto a bag, a hat or a headband, or glue it onto a card. A flat green circle under it makes a lily pad, which is the setting the designer shows it on.
Where to go next
For a flower on a wired stem, the crochet flower with stem shows a rolled rose on a skewer. For more choice, browse the crochet flowers free pattern roundup, try the crochet sunflower pattern, or make a gift with the mini crochet flower bouquet.
Sources
- Craft Yarn Council, Standard Yarn Weight System: crochet hook ranges by yarn weight.
- Each of the five patterns above, on its designer’s own site: Kerri’s Crochet, Hookok, Suvi’s Crochet, Hello Stitches and Punqa.
Design credit: this crochet lotus flower design comes from the crochet channel Gina Arts Gallery.
