A small crochet flower is a useful way to practise working several stitches into one place. This six-petal teaching motif uses a single-crochet centre and one repeated petal shape. Its finished size depends on your yarn and hook, so make one sample before planning a whole set.
Stitch terminology: This guide uses US names. US single crochet is UK double crochet; US half double is UK half treble; US double is UK treble. See the full US/UK reference.
Choose a yarn that shows the centre
Use smooth yarn in one colour for the first attempt. A contrasting centre can be added later, but a single strand lets you concentrate on the stitch placement. Choose a hook that makes a comfortable fabric without forcing the petals into a tight lump.
You need yarn, a hook, a yarn needle and scissors. Keep enough tail to finish the centre and outer round securely; a very short starting tail makes the small centre harder to tidy.
Make six base stitches
Make a magic ring, chain one without counting it and work six single crochets into the ring. Close the centre gently and join to the first single crochet with a slip stitch. Mark that first stitch if the join makes the tops difficult to recognise.
Count six actual stitch tops. The chain-one and joining slip stitch are setup and joining actions, not a seventh or eighth base stitch.
Work one petal in each base stitch
For each petal, work the following into one base stitch: slip stitch, chain two, two double crochets, chain two, then slip stitch back into that same base stitch. Move to the next base stitch and repeat.
Work six petals altogether. Each petal stays anchored in its own base stitch, and each contains two double crochets. That gives twelve double crochets across the petal round, plus the chains and slip stitches that shape the lobes.
Keep the bases distinct
If you make a seventh petal, check whether the joining slip stitch was mistaken for a base stitch. If there are only five, look for a hidden top beside the centre join. Count the base stitches before pulling the centre very tightly.
Do not place one petal across two neighbouring base stitches. The start and finish of each petal return to the same point in this version.
Finish the centre and petals
Fasten off after the final petal and weave both tails through suitable stitches on the reverse. Arrange the petals gently. If the centre opens, inspect how the starting tail was secured rather than simply trimming it closer.
Care for the sample according to the yarn label. Avoid applying heat or starch without checking whether the yarn and intended use suit that treatment.
Use it as a decorative sample
The motif can be sewn onto a craft project or used as an outside-page decoration on a bookmark. Decide how it will be attached before cutting every tail short. A small appliqué is a separate component whose attachment needs to suit the object it decorates.
This is a basic teaching motif, not a physically tested product pattern or a botanical replica. Keep its yarn, hook and finished diameter with your notes so additional flowers can be made to the same scale.
Continue learning
Make the adjustable centre · Review the petal stitch · Add a small decoration to a bookmark
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