Sunflower Granny Square: Textured Center and Pointed Petals
A six-round sunflower granny square with a brown puff-stitch center, twelve pointed yellow petals and a solid green frame, written out with stitch counts for every round.
Tutorial at a glance
Materials
- Yarn needle
- Scissors
A sunflower granny square needs three things to read as a sunflower: a center with visible texture, petals that come to a point, and enough contrast between the yellow and the frame. This six-round pattern builds the center from a ring of puff stitches, shapes each petal by stepping the stitch height up to a treble and back down, and finishes with a solid green border that squares the circle.
Materials
- Worsted weight (4) yarn in brown, golden yellow and green (or another frame color).
- Crochet hook US H-8 (5 mm).
- Yarn needle and scissors.
With this yarn and hook the finished square is likely to measure about 6 in (15 cm). That figure is an estimate that shifts with tension and fiber, so measure your first square before counting how many you need.
Abbreviations and Special Stitches
The pattern uses US crochet terms. UK equivalents: US sc = UK dc, US dc = UK tr, US tr = UK dtr.
- ch = chain
- sl st = slip stitch
- sc = single crochet
- dc = double crochet
- tr = treble crochet (yarn over twice before inserting the hook)
- st(s) = stitch(es)
- sp = space; ch-sp = chain space
- yo = yarn over
- rnd = round; rep = repeat
Puff stitch: [yo, insert hook in the st, yo, pull up a loop to the height of a dc] 3 times in the same st. Seven loops are on the hook. Yo and pull through all 7 loops. The ch 1 that follows each puff in the pattern locks it closed and forms the space for the next round.
Sunflower Granny Square Pattern
Brown Center
- Rnd 1 (brown): Ch 4 and join with a sl st in the first ch to form a ring. Ch 3 (counts as dc), 11 dc in the ring. Join with a sl st in the top of the beginning ch-3. (12 dc)
- Rnd 2 (brown): Ch 2 (does not count as a st), puff in the same st as the join, ch 1. [Puff in the next dc, ch 1] 11 times. Join with a sl st in the top of the first puff. Fasten off. (12 puffs, 12 ch-1 sps)
Yellow Petals
- Rnd 3 (yellow): Join yellow with a sl st in any ch-1 sp. Work (sc, dc, tr, dc, sc) in the same sp and in each of the next 11 ch-1 sps. Join with a sl st in the first sc. Fasten off. (12 petals, 60 sts; the tr is the tip of each petal)
Each petal is five stitches in one space. The low sc at each edge pulls the fabric down between petals, and the tall tr in the middle makes the point.
Green Frame
- Rnd 4 (green): Join green with a sl st in the tr at the tip of any petal. Ch 1, sc in the same tr. [Ch 4, sc in the tr of the next petal] 11 times. Ch 4. Join with a sl st in the first sc. (12 sc, 12 ch-4 sps)
- Rnd 5: Sl st into the next ch-4 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-4 sps, (3 tr, ch 2, 3 tr) in the next ch-4 sp; rep from * 2 more times. 3 dc in each of the last 2 ch-4 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)
- Rnd 6: Ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in each of the next 2 tr. (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the corner ch-2 sp. *Dc in each of the next 12 sts, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the next corner ch-2 sp; rep from * 2 more times. Dc in each of the last 9 sts. Join with a sl st in the top of the beginning ch-3. Fasten off. (64 dc, 4 ch-2 corner sps; 16 dc on each side)
Checking Your Counts
Rnd 5 uses the twelve ch-4 sps in the order corner, side, side, so four corners and eight sides use all of them. In Rnd 6 the round begins three stitches before a corner, which is why the first and last stretches look uneven: 3 sts at the start plus 9 at the end make the same 12 as the other sides. Every side of Rnd 6 has 12 dc worked into stitches and 2 more from each corner, for 16.
Watch out
In Rnd 6, work into the tops of the stitches only. Do not add stitches in the gaps between the 3-st groups of Rnd 5, or each side gains three extra dc and the border will ripple.
Getting the Center and Petals Right
Even Puffs
Puff stitches look best when every loop is pulled up to the same height. Draw each loop up generously, about as tall as the ch-2 at the start of the round, and keep the yarn overs relaxed so the hook can pass through all seven loops. If the hook sticks, tilt its head downward and pull through slowly instead of forcing it.
Petals That Lie Flat
Sixty stitches is a lot to fit around a small center, so the petals may overlap slightly or wave before Rnd 4 is added. The chain round holds the tips apart and normally settles them. Lay the piece flat after Rnd 4 and look at it:
- If the center domes upward, the chains are too short. Redo Rnd 4 with ch 5 between tips.
- If the chain loops sag between petals, redo Rnd 4 with ch 3.
Neither change alters the counts in Rnd 5, because that round is worked into the spaces.
Tip
For a darker, seed-like center, use dark brown for Rnd 1 and a lighter brown for the puff round. The join then needs a fasten-off after Rnd 1; attach the second brown in any dc and begin Rnd 2 there.
Color Choices and Uses
Green is the obvious frame, but it is not the only one. Sky blue suggests a summer field, cream gives a farmhouse look, and black makes the yellow glow. Whichever frame you pick, keep it clearly darker or lighter than the petals so the points stay visible.
Because the last round is solid double crochet, this square has a firm, even edge that is easy to seam. It sits well next to a solid granny square in the same frame color, and a set of four makes a quick front panel for a granny square pillow cover. If the puff stitch is new to you, the textured granny square tutorial compares puffs, bobbles and popcorns in more depth.
For a smaller, simpler bloom with long white petals, the daisy granny square is the natural companion in a floral blanket.
Frequently asked questions
What stitch makes the textured sunflower center?
A round of twelve puff stitches worked over a base round of double crochet. Each puff gathers three tall loops in one stitch, which gives a raised, seed-like surface.
How are the pointed petals made?
Each petal is five stitches worked into one space: single crochet, double crochet, treble crochet, double crochet, single crochet. The treble in the middle forms the point.
Why does my sunflower square dome in the middle?
The chains linking the petal tips are probably too short for your tension. Rework round 4 with chain 5 between tips; the later rounds are worked into the spaces, so their counts do not change.
