The Winter Pinwheel Flower is a single lacy motif built around a thick, padded center ring. Four fan-shaped petals swirl out from that ring in the same direction, like a pinwheel. A frame of rope-like chain rings runs around the outside edge. Worked in one soft cream yarn, it looks textured and sculpted like Irish crochet, but it is all one piece.
This pattern makes one motif. It is worked in the round from the center out, all in a single color, and ends with a scalloped edge of sc-covered loops. The finished motif measures about 5 in (12.7 cm) across from scallop to scallop.
All instructions use US crochet terms. The motif uses a padded ring, sc, hdc, dc, tr, and dtr. The swirl comes from one simple trick: each petal is a lopsided fan, short on one side and tall on the other, and every petal leans the same way.
Here is how it’s built. You wrap a padding ring and cover it with 32 sc, then chain four base loops and work a 16-stitch lopsided fan into each loop. Next comes a round of chain arches and corner loops, and a border that covers every loop in sc finishes it.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 5 in (12.7 cm) across, scallop to scallop
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK (light #3) cotton
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
- Number of pieces: 1 motif
- Layout: single motif, no joining
- Piece size: 5 in (12.7 cm)
- Size before border: 4.5 in (11.4 cm) after Round 4
- Border depth: 0.25 in (0.6 cm) on each side, adding 0.5 in (1.3 cm) to the total width
Materials
Yarn advice: Choose a smooth, tightly plied DK cotton or cotton blend. Mercerized cotton shows the radiating strands of the petals best and keeps the padded ring firm. Avoid fuzzy or very splitty yarn, because the tall dtr stitches need clear stitch definition.
- Cream (main color): 15 g, about 36 m
This amount includes the padding wraps plus a margin of about 30 percent, enough for a test swatch or for ripping back a round.
Tools:
- 3.5 mm (E-4) crochet hook
- A dowel, marker barrel, or thick pencil about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) in diameter, for the padding ring
- Tapestry needle
- 2 stitch markers
- Scissors
- Rust-proof pins and a blocking mat or folded towel
- Spray bottle with clean water
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- tr – treble crochet (yarn over 2 times)
- dtr – double treble crochet (yarn over 3 times)
- sk – skip
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- sp – space
- rep – repeat
- standing sc – with a slip knot on the hook, insert into the stitch and work a sc as normal
Special stitch – Padded ring: Wrap the yarn 10 times around the 0.75 in (1.9 cm) dowel. Slide the bundle off carefully and pinch it so it stays a ring. In the first round you work sc over all the strands at once, which turns the bundle into a thick circle with the strands hidden inside.
Gauge and Checkpoints
You check gauge on the motif itself. Make one complete motif and measure it before you plan any larger use of the design.
- After Round 1: the covered ring measures 1.25 in (3.2 cm) across the outside, with a center hole of about 0.5 in (1.3 cm).
- After Round 3: petal tip to opposite petal tip measures 3.75 in (9.5 cm).
- After Round 4: the motif measures 4.5 in (11.4 cm) across.
- After Round 5: the motif measures 5 in (12.7 cm) across after blocking.
If your motif is too big: go down to a 3.25 mm hook, or pull the dtr loops slightly shorter as you work them. Oversized petals usually come from loose yarn-overs.
If your motif is too small: go up to a 3.75 mm hook. If only the ring is small, wrap the padding around a slightly thicker object, but keep 32 sc in Round 1.
Pattern
Round 1: Padded Center Ring
Make the padded ring as described above. Hold it between your thumb and middle finger.
Make a slip knot on the hook, insert the hook through the center of the ring, and pull up a loop. Ch 1. Work 32 sc over the ring, pushing the stitches together as you go so they cover the strands completely. If the wraps feel loose, pull the yarn tail gently to snug the ring. Sl st to the first sc. (32 sc)
The ring should sit flat and look like a smooth, rounded donut. This is the raised center of the motif.
Round 2: Base Loops
Ch 1. Sc in the same st as the join. Ch 10, sk 7 sc, sc in next sc; rep from * 2 more times. Ch 10, sk 7 sc, sl st to the first sc. (4 sc anchors, 4 ch-10 loops)*
Check the math: each repeat uses 1 anchor sc plus 7 skipped sc. Since 4 x 8 = 32, the loops sit evenly around the ring. Place a marker in the first anchor sc.
Round 3: Swirl Petals
Sl st into the first ch-10 loop. In the same loop, work the petal:
Petal: sc, hdc, dc, 2 tr, 9 dtr, 2 tr. (16 sts)
Sl st into the next anchor sc, then sl st into the next ch-10 loop and work the next petal the same way. Rep until you have 4 petals, ending with a sl st in the marked anchor sc. (4 petals of 16 sts each, 64 petal sts total)
Work all stitches around the chain loop, not into individual chains. Push them together so they crowd the loop and fan out. Each petal starts short and gets taller toward its end, so the tall side of one petal sits beside the short side of the next. Repeating that lean on all four petals creates the pinwheel swirl.
For counting in Round 4, number the petal stitches 1 to 16:
- st 1 = sc
- st 2 = hdc
- st 3 = dc
- sts 4–5 = tr
- sts 6–14 = dtr
- sts 15–16 = tr
Fasten off and weave in the end.
Round 4: Chain Arches and Corner Loops
Join with a standing sc in st 4 of any petal (the first tr).
Ch 5, sk 3 sts, sc in st 8; ch 5, sk 3 sts, sc in st 12; ch 5, sk 3 sts, sc in st 16; ch 7, sk sts 1–3 of the next petal, sc in st 4 of that petal; rep from * around. On the last repeat, replace the final sc with a sl st to the first sc. (16 sc, 12 ch-5 arches, 4 ch-7 loops)*
Count check: in each petal you skip sts 5–7, 9–11, and 13–15 (9 stitches) and work into sts 4, 8, 12, and 16. The ch-7 loop bridges the gap between petals, passing over the anchor sc and the first 3 stitches of the next petal. Each petal gives 4 sc, 3 ch-5 arches, and 1 ch-7 loop, and 4 petals give the totals above.
The ch-7 loops become the round openings between the petals. The ch-5 arches frame the curved top of each petal.
Checkpoint: the motif should measure 4.5 in (11.4 cm) across. Lay it flat. The arches should sit just outside the petal edges without pulling them inward.
Border
The border is Round 5. It covers every chain loop with sc, so the outline becomes a chain of firm, rope-like rings.
Border gauge: 8 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm), measured along the curved outer edge after blocking.
Round 5: Rope-Ring Border
Sl st into the first ch-5 arch. Ch 1.
Work 7 sc in each of the next 3 ch-5 arches. In the next ch-7 loop, work (5 sc, ch 3, 5 sc); rep from * 3 more times. Sl st to the first sc. (124 sc, 4 ch-3 picots)*
Fasten off and weave in the end.
Counts per side: treat each petal plus the loop after it as one side.
- 3 arches x 7 sc = 21 sc
- 1 corner loop x 10 sc = 10 sc
- 21 + 10 = 31 sc per side, plus 1 ch-3 picot
- 4 sides x 31 = 124 sc
Do not work into the sc of Round 4. Those stitches stay hidden between the scallops.
Why the math works: putting 7 sc over 5 chains and 10 sc over 7 chains overfills the loops on purpose. The extra stitches push each loop outward into a rounded scallop, so it doesn’t lie flat as a straight chain. At 8 sc per 1 in (2.5 cm), 124 sc make an outer edge of about 15.5 in (39.4 cm). A 5 in (12.7 cm) circle has a circumference of about 15.7 in (39.9 cm). Because the edge length matches the finished size, it lies flat without ruffling or cupping. The border adds about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) on each side, taking the motif from 4.5 in (11.4 cm) to 5 in (12.7 cm).
Final Blocking
- Weave in any remaining tails through the backs of sc stitches so they don’t show through the lace.
- Mist the motif lightly with water until it feels damp but not dripping.
- Lay it face up on your blocking mat or folded towel.
- Pin the center ring first, gently, so it sits round and flat.
- Pin the tip of each petal so the four petals are evenly spaced, about 3.75 in (9.5 cm) tip to tip.
- Pin each ch-3 picot outward so the corner rings open into clear circles.
- Ease each scallop into a smooth curve with your fingers. Pin it only if it keeps flipping.
- Check the size: 5 in (12.7 cm) across in both directions.
- Let it dry completely before unpinning, usually 4 to 6 hours.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- The center ring is fully covered with 32 sc and no padding strands show.
- There are exactly 4 petals, each with 16 stitches.
- All four petals lean the same way, giving a clear pinwheel swirl.
- Round 4 has 16 sc, 12 ch-5 arches, and 4 ch-7 loops.
- Round 5 has 124 sc and 4 ch-3 picots, 31 sc per side.
- The motif lies flat with no cupping or ruffling.
- The finished size is 5 in (12.7 cm) across.
- All tails are woven in securely and trimmed.
Troubleshooting
The padding shows through Round 1. The sc are spaced too far apart. Push them firmly together. Or add 1 to 2 extra sc, then skip that many extra sc in Round 2 so the loops still land evenly.
The petals don’t swirl. Check that every petal starts with the sc and ends with the 2 tr after the dtr group. A petal worked in reverse order will lean the wrong way.
The petals look thin and gappy. Push the 16 stitches tightly together on the ch-10 loop. If gaps remain, shorten the loop to ch 9.
The motif cups like a bowl. The border is too tight. Go up a hook size for Round 5 only, or check that you have 7 sc, not 6, in each arch.
The edge ruffles. The border is too loose or overfilled. Go down a hook size for Round 5, and make sure you haven’t worked extra sc into the Round 4 stitches.
The corner rings close up. Pin the ch-3 picots firmly outward during blocking so the loops open.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with a mild soap, press the water out in a towel, and dry flat. If the petals and picots lose their shape, pin them again while damp.
Final Notes
The whole motif depends on a short chain of measurements:
- Round 1 makes a 1.25 in (3.2 cm) padded ring with 32 sc.
- Round 2 divides that ring into 4 equal sections of 8 stitches each.
- Round 3 turns each loop into a 16-stitch lopsided fan, reaching 3.75 in (9.5 cm).
- Round 4 frames the petals with 16 sc, 12 arches, and 4 corner loops, reaching 4.5 in (11.4 cm).
- Round 5 covers every loop with 124 sc and 4 picots, bringing the motif to 5 in (12.7 cm).
If each checkpoint matches, the finished motif will match too. One motif works well as an appliqué, a coaster, or a test piece before you decide on anything larger.
Happy crocheting!