This crochet sunflower pattern hangs on one number: 36. Six rounds of single crochet take the flower’s face from 6 stitches to 36, and 36 split two stitches at a time gives exactly 18 petals, with no fudge stitch and no gap at the end. Get the disc right and the petals close by themselves. Get it wrong by even one stitch and the last petal sits crooked however carefully you work it.
What follows is a free crochet sunflower pattern written out round by round from a video tutorial, with every count checked. Each step has its own photo from the tutorial. The flower is two flat discs, one brown for the face and one green for the back. The petals are worked through both discs at once, so the round that makes them also closes the flower. Stuff it just before the last petals, push a bamboo stick in, wrap the stick in green yarn, and it is ready for a vase or a bouquet.
On this page
- What you need for this crochet sunflower pattern
- Stitches and abbreviations
- The crochet sunflower pattern chart, round by round
- Crochet sunflower pattern, step by step
- Where a crochet sunflower pattern goes wrong
- Hook size and yarn for this crochet sunflower pattern
- How much yarn one flower takes
- 5 more free crochet sunflower patterns
- Frequently asked questions
- Where to go next
- Sources
What you need for this crochet sunflower pattern
The materials card in the tutorial lists everything, and none of it is special. This easy crochet sunflower uses one hook and three colours of the same yarn.
| Item | What the tutorial uses | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Yarn | 4-ply wool in yellow, brown and green | Stated. “4-ply” is not a Craft Yarn Council category; see the hook section |
| Hook | 4 mm | Stated on the materials card |
| Stuffing | Fiber fill | A small handful for one flower |
| Stem | Bamboo stick | A barbecue skewer or thin dowel does the same job |
| Tools | Scissors, hot glue gun | Glue holds the stick and the leaf |
| Finished size | Not stated | Measure your own disc after round 6 |
The tutorial states no finished diameter and no yardage, so this page gives neither. What it does fix are the stitch counts, and they are enough to plan your yarn: each disc is 126 single crochet, and the petals are 54 treble crochet plus 18 small picots.
Stitches and abbreviations
Crochet has two naming conventions for the same stitches, and this crochet sunflower pattern gives both names. Between the two, most names shift by one step, and the petal stitch is the one that catches people.
| Name used here | Abbreviation | Other convention | Used in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magic circle | MC | Magic ring | Start of each disc |
| Chain | ch | Chain | Turning chain, petals |
| Slip stitch | sl st | Slip stitch | Joining rounds, anchoring petals |
| Single crochet | sc | Double crochet (dc) | All six disc rounds, joining |
| Increase | inc | Increase | 2 sc in one stitch |
| Treble crochet | tr | Double treble (dtr) | Petals |
| Picot | ch-3 picot | Picot | Petal tip |
The on-screen captions abbreviate the petal stitch as “trp” and “trpl”, which is not a standard abbreviation. In the frames it is worked with two wraps of yarn before the hook goes in, which is a treble crochet (a double treble in the other convention). If your petals come out short and stubby, check that you are not working a double crochet by habit.
Before you start the disc, it helps to know the rule behind it. Each round adds six stitches, so every round is a multiple of 6. If you have not made a flat circle before, our crochet flower pattern builds the same kind of centre in fewer rounds.
The crochet sunflower pattern chart, round by round
Here is the whole crochet sunflower pattern on one screen, and it is short enough to copy onto a card. Each disc is worked in joined rounds: finish every round with a slip stitch into the first stitch and chain 1.
| Round | Instruction | Stitch count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 sc in magic circle | 6 |
| 2 | 2 sc in each stitch | 12 |
| 3 | (1 sc, inc) around | 18 |
| 4 | (2 sc, inc) around | 24 |
| 5 | (3 sc, inc) around | 30 |
| 6 | (4 sc, inc) around | 36 |
| Petals | (ch 3, [2 tr, ch-3 picot, 1 tr] in next st, ch 3, sl st in next st) through both discs | 18 petals |
Check it the way we check every free crochet sunflower pattern before we publish it. From round 2 onward each repeat is one stitch longer than in the round before, and the six repeats always divide the count exactly: 12 รท 6 = 2, 18 รท 6 = 3, 24 รท 6 = 4, 30 รท 6 = 5, 36 รท 6 = 6. Then 36 รท 2 = 18 petals. If every line divides cleanly, the chart has been read correctly.
Crochet sunflower pattern, step by step
Step 1: Start with a magic circle
Using the green yarn, make a magic circle. You will make two discs, one green and one brown, and the colour you start with does not matter.
Step 2: Round 1, six single crochet
Chain 1 and work 6 sc into the circle. Pull the tail to close the hole, then slip stitch into the first sc and chain 1. Count: 6.
Step 3: Round 2, twelve single crochet
Work 2 sc in every stitch. Slip stitch to join, chain 1. Count: 12. This round doubles the circle, so it is the one most likely to look lumpy. It flattens out in round 3.
Step 4: Round 3, eighteen single crochet
Work (1 sc, inc) six times. Slip stitch, chain 1. Count: 18. From here on, a stitch marker in the first stitch of the round saves a lot of recounting.
Step 5: Round 4, twenty-four single crochet
Work (2 sc, inc) six times. Slip stitch, chain 1. Count: 24.
Step 6: Round 5, thirty single crochet
Work (3 sc, inc) six times. Slip stitch, chain 1. Count: 30. Lay the disc flat now. If it cups into a bowl your tension is tight; if it ripples, it is loose. Fix it here, not after round 6.
Step 7: Round 6, thirty-six single crochet
Work (4 sc, inc) six times. Slip stitch, chain 1 and cut the yarn. Count: 36. That 36 is the number the whole crochet sunflower pattern depends on, so count it twice.
Step 8: Make a second disc in brown
Repeat steps 1 to 7 in brown. The brown disc is the face of the sunflower and the green one is the back. Weave in the tails of the green disc, but leave the brown one flat and ready.
Step 9: Join the yellow yarn through both discs
Place the two discs wrong sides together, brown facing you, with the stitches lined up. Attach the yellow yarn and insert the hook through both pieces, under the matching stitch of each disc. Every stitch of the petal round goes through both layers, which is what seals the flower.
Step 10: Work the first petal
Chain 3. In the next stitch work 2 treble crochet, then chain 3 and slip stitch back into the top of the last treble to make the picot. Work 1 more treble in the same stitch, chain 3, and slip stitch into the next stitch.
Step 11: Check the first petal
One petal used exactly 2 stitches of the disc: one for the treble group and one for the slip stitch. The picot should sit at the tip, pointing outward. If it points sideways, the picot went in before the second treble instead of after it.
Step 12: Work the petals around the edge
Repeat the petal 17 more times, always through both discs. At 2 stitches a petal, 18 petals use all 36 stitches. If you reach the end with one stitch left over or one short, a disc is off by a stitch somewhere.
Step 13: Stuff before the last few petals
When only a few petals are left, push fiber fill into the gap between the discs. The tutorial fills it at this point because the opening is still wide enough for fingers. Use enough to give a soft dome, not a ball.
Step 14: Close the last petals
Complete the remaining petals. After the last slip stitch, chain 3, cut the yarn and join it to the base of the first petal so the ring closes without a step. Weave in the ends on the green side.
Step 15: Add the stick and the leaf
Push the bamboo stick into the bottom of the flower between two petals, into the stuffing. Add a dab of hot glue where it enters so the head cannot spin. The tutorial also shows a small green leaf; it is not demonstrated in the video, so use any small leaf motif you like, and glue it to the stem.
Step 16: Wrap the stem in green yarn
Put a line of glue at the top of the stick and wind green yarn tightly down its length, adding glue every few centimetres so the wraps cannot slide. Glue the end at the bottom and trim.
Where a crochet sunflower pattern goes wrong
Three problems cause most failed attempts at a crochet sunflower pattern, and all of them show up before the petals.
The disc is not 36. A 35 or 37 stitch disc leaves a half petal or a squashed one. Count after every round, not only at the end. A marker in the first stitch of each round catches most mistakes.
The discs do not match. If the green and brown discs are worked at different tensions, one ends up larger and the edge will not line up for the join. Make both in one sitting, with the same hook, and lay one on the other before you attach the yellow.
Too much or too little stuffing. Overfilled, the face domes, the stitches open and the white fill shows between them. Underfilled, the flower goes flat and the stick wobbles. Stop when the centre feels firm but you can still press it in with a finger.
Hook size and yarn for this crochet sunflower pattern
This crochet sunflower pattern uses a 4 mm hook with 4-ply wool. “4-ply” describes how the yarn is made, not how thick it is, so the label alone does not tell you the Craft Yarn Council weight. The CYC gives 3.5 to 4.5 mm for light (DK) yarn and 4.5 to 5.5 mm for medium (worsted) yarn, so a 4 mm hook suggests something close to DK. For amigurumi-style pieces like this one, going a little smaller than the ball band says keeps the stitches tight enough to hide the stuffing.
For a bigger version of the crochet sunflower pattern, go up to worsted weight and a 4.5 to 5 mm hook; the chart stays the same and only the size changes. Our guide to yarn and hooks explains how weight categories and hook ranges fit together.
How much yarn one flower takes
The tutorial does not state yardage, and we will not invent it. What we can give you is the stitch count, which is what yardage depends on:
| Part | Colour | Stitches |
|---|---|---|
| Face disc | Brown | 126 sc |
| Back disc | Green | 126 sc |
| Petals | Yellow | 54 tr + 18 picots + 36 ch |
| Stem wrap | Green | Depends on stick length |
In any crochet sunflower pattern, treble crochet uses far more yarn per stitch than single crochet, so the yellow goes further than you would expect from the count alone. Treat the green as the colour to buy the most of, because the stem wrap uses it too. If you are unsure, crochet one disc and weigh what is left on the ball; the second disc will use the same.
5 more free crochet sunflower patterns
Once this crochet sunflower pattern is in your hands, these designs take the same flower somewhere else. All five are free on the designers’ own sites, and the details below are what each page states.
- Flat applique: Stitch by Fay, Sunflower Applique. DK cotton on a 2.5 mm hook, about 5 cm across, sized for earrings, brooches and hair clips.
- Flower wand: Ami Amour, Crochet Sunflower Flower Wand. Worsted acrylic, 5 mm hook, 38 cm tall with puff stitch petals on a covered dowel. Rated intermediate.
- Potted amigurumi: StringyDingDing, Sunflower Amigurumi. Medium weight yarn, 4 mm hook, 15 in tall in a crochet pot, with petals worked straight onto the face.
- Granny square: Annie Design Crochet, Sunflower Granny Square. DK yarn, 4.5 mm hook, 11 cm squares with popcorn stitch petals.
- Coaster: Crochet 365 Knit Too, Sunflower Coaster. Worsted cotton, 4 mm hook, about 4.5 in point to point, with bobble and puff stitch rounds.
For more flowers beyond sunflowers, our crochet flowers free pattern roundup compares seven designs checked at source.
Frequently asked questions
Is this crochet sunflower pattern good for beginners?
Yes, if you can already make single crochet in the round. The disc is six rounds of sc and increases. The only new stitch is the treble in the petals, and you work it 54 times, so you will be comfortable with it by the end.
How many petals does a crochet sunflower have?
This one has 18. The last disc round is 36 stitches and each petal uses 2 of them, so 36 รท 2 = 18. If you change the disc to 30 or 42 stitches, you get 15 or 21 petals.
How big is the finished sunflower?
The tutorial does not state a size. It depends on your yarn and tension, so measure your own disc after round 6. The petals add roughly the height of a treble crochet all the way around.
Can I make it without stuffing or a stem?
Yes. Skip the fiber fill and you get a flat, two-sided sunflower that works as an applique or a coaster. Skip the stick and sew a pin to the back for a brooch.
What is “trp” in the petal caption?
It is the tutorial’s own shorthand for the petal stitch, which is worked as a treble crochet, called a double treble in the other naming convention: yarn over twice, insert, and work off the loops two at a time.
How do I make a crochet sunflower bouquet?
Make the crochet sunflower pattern three to five times, on sticks of different lengths, add a leaf to a couple of stems, and gather them with a ribbon or a small vase. A mix of this flower with smaller daisies from our flowers category fills out the gaps.
Where to go next
- Crochet for Beginners if the magic circle or joined rounds are still new.
- Crochet Stitches for the treble crochet and the picot used in the petals.
- Crochet Flowers for the rest of the garden.
