How to Knit Small Flowers

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: June 8, 2020 References Tested

There are many ways to knit a flower, but knitting a small, simple flower is a good place to start. Choose your yarn and knitting needles and then use them to knit a small flower by following a simple pattern. Make a variety of different color flowers or many flowers in the same color! Give the flowers away as tokens of appreciation or sew them onto your knitting projects.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Knitting the Foundation Row

1
Choose a light to medium weight yarn and smaller needles. To create small delicate flowers, choose a light to medium weight yarn and a pair of needles on the small end of the spectrum for that yarn. Usually, a US size 5 to 7 (3.75 to 4.5 mm) would be appropriate for a lightweight yarn and a 7 to 9 (4.5 to 5.5 mm) would be appropriate for a medium weight yarn, so choose a size at the lower end of the spectrum for the yarn you select.^{[1]
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- For example, if you want to use a lightweight yarn for your flowers, then choose a US size 5 (3.75 mm) pair of knitting needles. If you want to use a medium weight yarn, then choose a US size 7 (4.5 mm) pair of knitting needles.
2
Make a slipknot and place it onto your right hand knitting needle. Loop the yarn around your index and middle finger twice. Then, pull the second loop through the first loop. Slide the loop onto your right hand knitting needle. Then, pull the tail of the yarn to tighten the loop.^{[2]
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3
Cast on 50 stitches. With the slipknot on your right hand needle, loop the yarn over the left hand needle and insert the needle through the loop. Then, pull this new loop through and let the other one fall off the right hand needle.^{[3]
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- Continue casting on stitches in this way until you have 50 total.
4
Purl across the row. Transfer the needle with all of the stitches on it to your left hand and hold the empty needle in your right hand. Use the purl stitch to work all of the cast on stitches from the left needle to the right needle.^{[4]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Creating the Petals

1
Knit the first stitch in the second row. Hold the needle with all of the stitches on it to your left hand and the empty needle in your right hand. Insert the right hand needle into the first stitch on the left hand needle. Then, yarn over the end of the left hand needle, use the right hand needle to pull this yarn through the stitch, and let the old stitch slide off.^{[5]
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2
Slip the stitch back onto the left hand needle. Insert the left hand needle through the stitch that you just transferred to the right hand needle. Let the stitch slide off of the right hand needle and onto the left hand needle.^{[6]
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3
Loop the second stitch over the first. Insert the empty right hand needle into the second stitch in the row. Then, pull it up and over the first stitch. Continue to loop the next 8 stitches up and over the first stitch in the row just as you did with the second stitch.^{[7]
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- This is similar to binding off, except you will not be knitting after each loop over. The goal is to gather all 9 loops onto 1 loop.
4
Knit the last stitch but keep it on the needle. After you loop the ninth stitch up and over the first 1, knit this stitch as you normally would, but do not let the old stitch slide off yet. Keep it on the needle.^{[8]
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5
Yarn over the needle and knit the same stitch again. Loop the yarn over the needle in the front to create an extra stitch. Then, pull this yarn through the stitch and let the old 1 slide off the left hand needle as you do so.^{[9]
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- At this point, you should have 3 stitches on the right hand needle.
6
Repeat this process all the way across the row. Continue to knit 1, loop over 9, and then knit and increase for the rest of the row. When you reach the end of the row, you should have 15 stitches on your needle instead of 50 and the stitches should look scalloped or ruffled.^{[10]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Gathering the Petals

1
Turn your work and knit across the row. Take the right hand needle with all of the stitches on it and transfer it to your left hand. Turn the work around as you do so. Then knit across the remaining stitches in this row.^{[11]
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- The stitches will be in clumps of 3 and spread out across your needles. Keep the working yarn taut as you knit to begin gathering them.
2
Cut the working yarn and thread it onto a yarn needle. Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut the yarn about 10 inches (25 cm) from the last stitch. Then, insert the end of the working yarn through the eye of a yarn needle.^{[12]
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- You can also use a tapestry needle to do this. Just make sure that the eye of the needle is large enough to fit your yarn through without damaging it.
3
Insert the threaded needle through the remaining loops. Instead of knitting through the remaining loops on the needle, insert the threaded needle through each of the loops to secure them. Then, slide the loops off of the needle and pull on the end of the yarn. This will form a circle at the center of the petals.^{[13]
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- Make sure to pull the thread enough to bring both ends of the row together. The petals should be gathered around the circle.
4
Sew through the first stitch and first and last petals to secure the flower. Once the circle is formed, sew through the first stitch at the center of the flower. Then, sew through the first and last petals to join them together. Tie off the yarn and cut the excess.^{[14]
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- You may also weave in the end of the yarn if desired by sewing around the center of the circle a few times.
- This completes your flower! Make more flowers in different colors for variety!