Daisy Granny Square: Yellow Center, White Petals, Step-by-Step Pattern

What makes a crochet daisy look like a daisy is the petal shape: long, narrow and separate, not rounded and packed together. In this daisy granny square each of the twelve white petals is a short chain with stitches worked back down it, attached to a yellow center at the base. The colored background then catches the tip of every petal and builds out into a square over three rounds.

Materials

• Worsted weight (4) yarn in yellow (center), white (petals) and a background color such as sky blue. Smooth yarn with a clear twist keeps the petals crisp.
• Crochet hook US H-8 (5 mm).
• Yarn needle and scissors.

Expect a finished square of roughly 5 in (13 cm) with this yarn and hook. That is an estimate only; the size depends on your tension, so make one square and measure it before starting a project with a fixed size.

Abbreviations

US crochet terms are used throughout. For UK readers: US sc = UK dc, US hdc = UK htr, US dc = UK tr, US tr = UK dtr.

The petal tip is the single chain left unworked at the far end of each petal. It forms a small loop at the top, and Rnd 3 is worked into it.

Daisy Granny Square Pattern

The Yellow Center

1. Rnd 1 (yellow): Ch 4 and join with a sl st in the first ch to form a ring. Ch 2 (does not count as a st). Work 12 hdc in the ring. Join with a sl st in the first hdc. Fasten off. (12 hdc)

The White Petals

2. Rnd 2 (white): Join white with a sl st in any hdc. *Ch 6. Working back along the chain: sc in the 2nd ch from the hook, hdc in each of the next 3 chs, sc in the last ch. Sl st in the next hdc of Rnd 1. Rep from * 11 more times; the final sl st goes into the hdc where the white yarn was joined. Fasten off. (12 petals, each with 5 sts)

Each petal starts from one stitch of the center and is anchored in the next, so twelve center stitches give exactly twelve petals. The ch 6 leaves one chain for the tip and five to work into: 1 sc, 3 hdc and 1 sc.

The Background

3. Rnd 3 (background): Join the background color with a sl st in the tip of any petal. Ch 1, sc in the same tip. [Ch 3, sc in the tip of the next petal] 11 times. Ch 3. Join with a sl st in the first sc. (12 sc, 12 ch-3 sps)
4. Rnd 4: Sl st into the next ch-3 sp. Ch 4 (counts as tr), (2 tr, ch 2, 3 tr) in the same sp for the first corner. *3 dc in each of the next 2 ch-3 sps, (3 tr, ch 2, 3 tr) in the next ch-3 sp; rep from * 2 more times. 3 dc in each of the last 2 ch-3 sps. Join with a sl st in the top of the beginning ch-4. (24 tr, 24 dc, 4 ch-2 corner sps; 12 sts on each side)
5. Rnd 5: Sl st in the next 2 tr and into the corner ch-2 sp. Ch 3 (counts as dc), (2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in the same sp. *[3 dc in the next sp between 3-st groups] 3 times, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in the next corner sp; rep from * 2 more times. [3 dc in the next sp between 3-st groups] 3 times. Join with a sl st in the top of the beginning ch-3. Fasten off. (60 dc, 4 ch-2 corner sps; 15 dc on each side)

How the Square Is Formed

Rnd 3 turns twelve loose petals into a stable ring of twelve chain spaces. Rnd 4 uses those spaces in a repeating order of corner, side, side. Four corners and eight sides account for all twelve. The corners use taller treble crochets and the sides use double crochets, and that height difference is what pushes a round shape out into four points.

From Rnd 5 onward the square behaves like a classic granny square, with groups of 3 dc worked into the spaces between the groups below. If the abbreviations or the brackets and asterisks are unfamiliar, how to read granny square patterns explains the notation.

Adjusting the Fit

The chain length between petal tips controls whether the daisy lies flat. Since tension varies, check the piece after Rnd 3 by laying it on a table:

• The petals bow upward or the piece forms a bowl: the ring is too tight. Redo Rnd 3 with ch 4 between petal tips.
• The background ring ripples and the petals have slack: the ring is too loose. Redo Rnd 3 with ch 2 between tips.
• The petals lie straight with a slight stretch: carry on to Rnd 4.

Changing the chain count in Rnd 3 does not change the stitch counts of the later rounds, because Rnd 4 is worked into the spaces and not into the individual chains.

Color and Layout Ideas

White petals need a background with some depth. Sky blue, grass green, lavender and coral all let the petals stand out; cream or pale yellow tends to swallow them. For a meadow effect, keep the daisies identical and rotate through several background colors. For a calmer look, use one background and alternate daisy squares with plain ones of the same size in a checkerboard.

The petals are attached only at the base and tip, so they have a little lift that gives the square texture. That also means these squares benefit from being pinned out, which evens the petals and opens the corners; how to block granny squares covers the options for each fiber.

If you would like a flatter motif with rounded petals worked into the fabric, try the basic flower granny square. For a larger bloom with a raised center, the sunflower granny square uses the same idea of anchoring petal tips with a background round.