This garland is nine identical six-petal flowers in soft butter yellow, threaded onto a natural cotton cord between round, unfinished wooden beads. Each flower has a small solid center and six open, rounded petals, so light shows through every petal. The look is calm, warm and Scandinavian, and it works well in a window, on a mantel or on a nursery wall.
The pattern uses US crochet terms throughout. Each flower measures 3.5 in (8.9 cm) from one petal tip to the opposite petal tip. With the beads added, the beaded part of the garland measures 57.5 in (146.1 cm), plus a 12 in (30.5 cm) tie tail at each end.
Each flower takes only three rounds: a ring of double crochet, a round of chain loops, and a petal round worked into those loops. The loops make the open window inside each petal. Because the petals are open, the flowers stay light and hang well from a thin cord.
The flowers are not crocheted together. Once all nine are made and blocked, you thread them onto the cord with five wooden beads between each pair and six beads at each end.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished flower size: 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tip to tip
- Garland beaded length: 57.5 in (146.1 cm), plus two 12 in (30.5 cm) tails
- Skill level: Easy
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Light (DK / weight 3) cotton
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
- Number of pieces: 9 identical flowers
- Layout: 1 row of 9 flowers on a beaded cord
- Piece size: 3.5 in (8.9 cm)
- Size before border: 3.5 in (8.9 cm); there is no separate border
- Border depth: none; the petal round is the finished edge
Materials
Choose a smooth or slightly matte DK cotton or cotton blend. Cotton keeps the open petals crisp and blocks flat. Avoid fuzzy acrylic, which fills in the petal windows and makes the flowers curl.
- Butter yellow (pale cream-yellow) DK cotton: 50 g, about 100 m. Each flower uses about 3.5 g (7 m), so 9 flowers need about 32 g (63 m).
- Natural cotton cord, 3 mm: 90 in (228.6 cm) in one piece.
- Natural wooden beads, 12 mm (1.2 cm): 52 beads, with holes of at least 4 mm so the cord fits through.
These quantities include a margin for a gauge swatch, tails and one spare flower.
Tools:
- 3.5 mm (E-4) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Stitch marker
- Ruler or tape measure
- Blocking mat, rust-proof pins and a spray bottle
- A small piece of tape to stiffen the cord end for threading
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sk – skip
- sp – space
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- MR – magic ring
- ( ) – work everything inside the parentheses into the same stitch or space
- * * – repeat the instructions between the asterisks as directed
Special stitch – Magic ring (MR): Wrap the yarn around two fingers to make a loop. Insert the hook, pull up a loop and ch 1 to secure it. Work the round over the ring and both strands, then pull the tail to close the center. Leave a small hole about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) across, like the one in the finished flower.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Before anything else, make one complete flower and measure it. This first flower is your gauge swatch.
Base gauge: 20 dc and 10 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm) in DK cotton with a 3.5 mm hook.
Checkpoints:
- After Round 1: the solid center measures 1.25 in (3.2 cm) across.
- After Round 2: with the loops laid flat, the flower measures about 2.75 in (7.0 cm) from one loop tip to the opposite loop tip.
- After Round 3: each petal is about 1.1 in (2.8 cm) long from the edge of the center to the tip. The full flower measures 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tip to tip. The numbers add up: 1.25 in + 1.1 in + 1.1 in = 3.35 in (8.5 cm), and blocking opens it to 3.5 in (8.9 cm).
If your flower is too big (over 3.75 in / 9.5 cm), go down to a 3.25 mm hook or chain more tightly. If it is too small (under 3.25 in / 8.3 cm), go up to a 3.75 mm hook. Change the hook, not the stitch counts, because the petal shape depends on the counts.
Measure every third flower against the first one. All nine should be within 0.125 in (0.3 cm) of each other so the garland looks even.
Flower Pattern (Make 9)
Work in the round with the right side facing you. Do not turn. The ch 3 at the start of Round 1 counts as a dc.
Round 1 – Center
MR, ch 3 (counts as dc), work 11 dc in the ring. Pull the tail to close the ring, leaving a small center hole. Sl st in the top of the beginning ch 3.
Stitch count: 12 dc.
The center should lie flat. If it cups, your dc are too short. If it ruffles, close the ring a little more.
Round 2 – Petal Loops
Ch 1, sc in the same st as the join, ch 8, sk next st, *sc in next st, ch 8, sk next st*; repeat from * to * 4 more times. Sl st in the first sc.
Stitch count: 6 sc and 6 ch-8 loops (48 ch).
Each loop starts at one sc and ends at the next sc, two stitches along, so it skips one dc. The skipped dc and the slack in the 8 chains leave an open space between the center and the loop. That space becomes the window inside the petal.
Put a stitch marker in the first sc so the final join is easy to find.
Round 3 – Petals
*Work (sc, hdc, 14 dc, hdc, sc) in the next ch-8 sp, sl st in the next sc*; repeat from * to * 5 more times. The last sl st goes into the marked first sc of Round 2.
Stitch count: 18 sts per petal; 108 petal sts + 6 sl st = 114 sts total.
As you work, push the stitches along the loop so all 18 sit evenly around the chain. The sc and hdc at each end keep the petal narrow and smooth where it meets the center. The 14 dc make the tall, rounded outer edge. The sl st between petals pulls each petal back to the center, which gives the clear gap between petals.
Fasten off, leaving a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail. Weave in all ends along the back of the center ring so they don’t show through the open petals.
Checkpoint: six petals, each with an open window and each 1.1 in (2.8 cm) long. The flower measures 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tip to tip.
Make All Pieces
Make 9 flowers, all in butter yellow.
- Butter yellow: 9 flowers, about 3.5 g (7 m) each, 32 g (63 m) in total
Layout from left to right (F = flower, B = wooden bead):
LEFT END: B B B B B B
ROW 1: F BBBBB F BBBBB F BBBBB F BBBBB F BBBBB F BBBBB F BBBBB F BBBBB F
RIGHT END: B B B B B B
That makes 9 flowers, 8 gaps of 5 beads (40 beads) and 6 beads at each end (12 beads), for 52 beads in total.
Joining
The flowers are not crocheted together. You join them by threading them onto the cord between the beads.
Prepare the cord: Wrap one end of the 90 in (228.6 cm) cord tightly with tape to make a stiff point. Tie a loose overhand knot 12 in (30.5 cm) from the other end as a temporary stop.
Thread in this order:
- Thread 6 beads for the first end.
- Hold the first flower with the right side facing you and choose one petal to be the top. Pass the cord from back to front through that petal’s window, then over the petal tip and down the back. The cord now rests against the inside of the top petal’s 14 dc, and the flower hangs below the cord.
- Thread 5 beads.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until all 9 flowers are on the cord, ending with the ninth flower.
- Thread the last 6 beads.
Stitch-to-stitch logic: The cord always rests on the 14 dc of the top petal, centered between the 7th and 8th dc. This keeps each flower hanging straight, with the opposite petal pointing down.
Tension advice: Push the beads together snugly, but don’t crush the petals. Leave about 2.5 in (6.4 cm) between flower edges. Five 12 mm beads fill 6.0 cm, so the little bit of slack lets the garland drape.
Size checkpoint: flower span = 9 × 3.5 in + 8 × 2.5 in = 51.5 in (130.8 cm). Add 3 in (7.6 cm) of beads and slack at each end for 57.5 in (146.1 cm) of beaded garland. The flower centers sit 6 in (15.2 cm) apart.
Border
The flower has no separate border round. Round 3 is the finished edge. An extra round of sc would close up the soft rounded outline and make the petals stiff.
Edge gauge: 18 sts per petal around one ch-8 loop.
Edge count per petal: 1 sc + 1 hdc + 14 dc + 1 hdc + 1 sc = 18 sts, then 1 sl st.
Edge count around the flower: 6 petals × 18 sts = 108 sts, plus 6 sl st = 114 sts.
Why the math works: Round 1 has 12 dc. Round 2 uses them in pairs (1 sc + 1 skipped st), so 12 ÷ 2 = 6 loops, which means 6 petals. Each petal is symmetrical: the sc and hdc on one side mirror the sc and hdc on the other side of the 14 dc. That puts the 7th and 8th dc exactly at the top of the petal, which is where the cord rests during joining.
To finish the garland ends, untie the temporary knot. Tie a firm overhand knot right against the last bead at each end, then tie a small loop at the end of each tail for hanging.
Final Blocking
Block the flowers before you thread them. It is much easier that way.
- Mist each flower lightly with water until it is damp but not soaked.
- Lay it right side up on the blocking mat.
- Pin the center flat with 1 pin through the center hole.
- Pin each petal tip outward so the flower measures 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tip to tip.
- Put a second pin inside each petal window to open it into a rounded teardrop shape.
- Check that the six petals are evenly spaced, about 60 degrees apart.
- Let the flowers dry completely, for at least 6 hours, before you unpin them.
- After threading, hang the garland for a day so the cord relaxes.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- 9 flowers, each 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tip to tip
- 12 dc in Round 1 of every flower
- 6 open loops in Round 2 of every flower
- Exactly 18 sts in every petal
- All six petal windows open and about the same size
- All ends woven into the back of the center
- 52 beads used: 6 + (8 × 5) + 6
- Beaded section measures 57.5 in (146.1 cm)
- Each flower hangs from the center of its top petal
- End knots tight against the last beads
Troubleshooting
Petals look wavy. There are too many stitches for your loop. Make the ch-8 loops a little looser, or go up half a hook size.
Petals cup. The loop is too long for 18 sts. Chain more tightly.
A petal window closed up. You may have missed the skipped st in Round 2, or your yarn is too fuzzy. Check that the 6 sc are in every other stitch.
The center hole is too big. Pull the magic ring tail more firmly before you weave it in.
Flowers twist on the cord. The cord is off-center on the petal tip. Slide it so it sits between the 7th and 8th dc.
Beads slide too freely. Use a thicker cord, or tie a small knot on each side of every flower.
Flowers are different sizes. Re-block the larger ones pinned to exactly 3.5 in (8.9 cm), or remake any that are more than 0.25 in (0.6 cm) off.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, press out the water in a towel and dry flat. If the beads are unsealed wood, take the flowers off the cord before washing.
Final Notes
Here is the measurement chain. Round 1 gives a 1.25 in (3.2 cm) center. Round 2 adds six loops and brings the flower to about 2.75 in (7.0 cm). Round 3 finishes each flower at 3.5 in (8.9 cm). Nine flowers with 2.5 in (6.4 cm) beaded gaps span 51.5 in (130.8 cm). The end beads bring the garland to 57.5 in (146.1 cm), plus two 12 in (30.5 cm) tails.
If your first flower matches the checkpoints, the rest of the garland will too.
Happy crocheting!