I made this little flower after scrolling past a short video of a pink-and-white puff petal motif and thinking, “I need to hold that in my hands.” The petals looked so squishy that I couldn’t leave it alone. When I sat down to hook it up, I changed a few things so it would be easier to repeat and stay flat.
The petals look complicated, but they aren’t. Each one is just one round of puff stitches and one round of simple scallop stitches. There’s no joining of separate pieces and no sewing, so you finish with a single flat, neat motif. I’ve made three so far, and the third one took me about 50 minutes.
It works as a coaster, a mug rug, a bag charm, a gift topper, or an appliqué for a tote bag. For a bigger table mat, see the size-up notes at the end.
Confident Beginner. You should already know magic ring, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet, and increases. The only slightly new stitch is the puff stitch, and I’ve explained it step by step below.
Yarn (DK weight mercerized cotton, #3):
Hook: 3.0 mm
Notions:
A quick word on yarn: I strongly recommend mercerized cotton. It has a slight sheen, and the puffs show up crisp and round. With soft acrylic, the puffs tend to blur together. Pick a vivid raspberry or fuchsia pink so the white pops, as in the photo.
Gauge
Gauge doesn’t matter much for this motif. What matters is dense fabric. You want the center rounds firm, so the flower stays flat. If the center ruffles or bowls up, go down a hook size.
Puff stitch: Yarn over, insert hook into the stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop (3 loops on hook). Repeat from * 3 more times in the same stitch (9 loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through all 9 loops. Ch 1 to close. The puff and its closing chain count together as 1 stitch.
Notes: Every round is joined with a sl st to the first stitch, and the starting ch 1 does not count as a stitch. Don’t turn your work. Always keep the right side facing you.
The Center: White & Pink Rings
Rnd 1 (Color B): Make a MR. Ch 1, work 8 sc in the ring. Don’t pull the ring completely closed. Leave a small hole about 5 mm wide. Sl st to join. (8 sts)
Rnd 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in each st around. Sl st to join. (16 sts)
Rnd 3: Ch 1, (sc 1, inc) x 8. When you make the final sl st to join, switch to Color A. (24 sts)
Rnd 4 (Color A): Ch 1, (sc 2, inc) x 8. Sl st to join. (32 sts)
This is your thin pink ring. Don’t cut Color B. Just drop it, or cut it and rejoin later.
Rnd 5 (Color B): Join white with a sl st. Ch 1, (sc 3, inc) x 8. Sl st to join. (40 sts)
Rnd 6: Ch 1, (sc 4, inc) x 8. Sl st to join. (48 sts)
Rnd 7: Ch 1, sc in each st around. When you make the final sl st to join, switch to Color A. (48 sts)
Look at your piece now. You should see a white center with a small hole, a thin pink ring, and a wider white band, all lying perfectly flat. If the piece curls, you’ve probably crocheted a bit too tightly in the increase rounds. Rip back one round and relax your hand on the increases.
Here comes the fun part. You have 48 stitches, and that divides into 8 petals of 6 stitches each.
Rnd 8 (Color A): Ch 1. Sc in next st, puff in each of next 4 sts, sc in next st. Repeat from * around 8 times. Sl st to join. (48 sts)
Each petal now has 1 sc, 4 puffs, then 1 sc. The two sc at the ends of each group sit next to each other and form the small valley between petals.
Rnd 9 (Color A): Ch 1. Sc in next sc, hdc in first puff, 2 dc in second puff, 2 dc in third puff, hdc in fourth puff, sc in next sc. Repeat from * around 8 times. Sl st to join. (64 sts)
Work every stitch of this round into the ch-1 that closes each puff. This round gives each petal its rounded, scalloped edge. The 2 dc in the middle puffs are what make the petal fan out.
Rnd 10 (Color A): Ch 1, sc in each st around. Sl st to join. Fasten off, leaving a 4 in tail. (64 sts)
Weave in all ends with a yarn needle. For the tail from the center, sew it neatly behind the white rounds.
Blocking (Don’t Skip This!)
Honestly, this step changes everything. Right after finishing my first flower, the petals curled up like a shy tulip and I almost gave up. Then I pinned it flat on a towel, spritzed it with water, and let it dry overnight. The petals relaxed, the puffs plumped up, and it looked like the photo I’d been chasing.
Pin each petal edge outward, like a sun. Don’t press the puffs flat. Let them stay round. If you use 100% cotton, it will dry fast, usually within a few hours.
Keep your puff loops even. The most common mistake I see is puffs of different heights. Pull each loop up to the same height, about the height of the first loop on your hook. A tiny finger on the hook while you pull helps a lot.
Don’t go too tight on the closing chain. If your ch 1 pulls too tightly, the puff becomes small and hard to work into in the next round. I chain loosely, then tug it gently.
Keep your white clean. White cotton picks up pink fuzz and hand oils quickly. I wash my hands before I switch to white and keep the white skein in a small zip bag between sessions.
Count at the end of Rnd 7. If you have 48 stitches, the petals will work out perfectly. If you have 47 or 49, you’ll get one odd petal. Counting takes ten seconds, and fixing it later takes twenty minutes.
Want it bigger? Use worsted yarn and a 4.0 mm hook, with the same stitch counts. You’ll get a coaster about 6–6.5 in wide, which sits nicely under a mug.
Different colors? Try a lime green center ring with white petals, or a lavender and cream version. Just keep strong contrast between the thin ring and the white bands so the bullseye effect shows.
Making a garland? Make 8–10 flowers and chain a short string between them, or sew a loop on the back for hanging.
Using it as an appliqué? Skip the heavy blocking and sew the flower onto a tote with matching pink thread, working under each petal.
This flower started as a “let me just try the puffs” experiment and turned into my favorite quick project of the month. It uses small amounts of yarn, it works up in an evening, and it makes a gift that looks much fancier than it was to make. If you make one, I’d love to see it. Share a photo, tell me which colors you picked, and let me know if the petals gave you any trouble. Happy hooking!
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