Flower Puff Stitch Crochet Pattern: A Blooming Puff Stitch in 6 Steps

If you like your crochet with real, squeezable texture, this flower puff stitch crochet pattern was made for you. Six plump puff stitches bloom around a tiny centre ring, each petal separated by a neat chain space, and the flower is then framed, rounded out and squared off into a 4-inch (10 cm) motif you can join into coasters, table runners, cushion fronts or a whole blanket. Every round in this flower puff stitch crochet pattern has an exact stitch count, and the whole motif is built on multiples of six, so the petals always land evenly. The motif takes about 20 minutes in worsted cotton and is a friendly first puff project — far more forgiving than the delicate puff stitch doily, because there is no fine thread and no tiny hook involved.

What Makes the Puff Flower Work

A puff stitch is really a bundle of half-finished half double crochets gathered into one stitch, and that bundle is what gives the petal its plump, rounded shape. Worked around a small 6-stitch centre, six puffs lean gently outward like petals opening. The two framing rounds afterwards are the unsung heroes: the chain-loop round gives the flower a halo to sit in, and the outer round of double crochet fills the gaps so the motif lies flat and squares off cleanly. The same gather-the-loops idea, worked in rows instead of rounds, gives the lovely texture of the braid puff stitch.

Materials

• Worsted weight (weight #4) cotton yarn in 3 colours. Per motif you need roughly: Colour A mustard (centre) 4 m (4½ yd), Colour B terracotta or your petal colour 8 m (9 yd), Colour C cream or sage (framing, outer and squaring rounds) 12 m (13 yd) — about 24 m (26 yd) per motif. A set of 4 coasters uses about 95 m (104 yd) in total; a 15-motif runner about 360 m (394 yd).
• 5 mm (US H-8) crochet hook
• Yarn needle with a large eye
• Scissors
• Stitch markers (optional, for the squaring round)

Cotton is the best choice here because it holds the puffs up instead of letting them relax flat. If you substitute yarn, the Craft Yarn Council’s standard yarn weight system will help you stay in the weight #4 family so your motifs come out at the stated size.

Useful Materials from Amazon

A sturdy worsted cotton in warm, kitchen-friendly colours keeps the petals plump and makes finished coasters and runners easy to wash.

An ergonomic 5 mm hook is worth it for puff stitches, because drawing nine loops through at once, six times per motif, is the one moment your hands will notice.

Stitch markers help you keep track of the four corner stitches in the squaring round, where one misplaced corner turns a square into a kite.

A large-eye tapestry needle weaves the three colour tails per motif away neatly and does the joining when you sew motifs together.

Gauge and Finished Size

Gauge: the finished motif measures 4 in (10 cm) square after Round 6, unblocked or very lightly blocked. Checkpoints as you go: after Round 2 the flower measures about 2 in (5 cm) across, and after Round 4 the circle measures about 3¼ in (8.5 cm) across. One motif makes a generous coaster on its own; four motifs in a row make a 16 in (40 cm) runner section, and a 3 × 5 panel of 15 motifs makes a table runner of about 12 × 20 in (30 × 51 cm).

Abbreviations (US Terms)

• ch = chain
• sc = single crochet
• hdc = half double crochet
• dc = double crochet
• tr = treble crochet
• puff st = puff stitch (see below)
• sl st = slip stitch
• sp = space
• st(s) = stitch(es)
• yo = yarn over
• rep = repeat

Puff stitch: Yo, insert hook in the stitch, yo and draw up a long loop. Repeat 3 more times (9 loops on hook). Yo and draw through all 9 loops at once. Draw the loops up to a good height — about the height of a dc — or your petals will look pinched.

Pattern Notes

• The motif is built on a multiple of 6: 6 centre stitches, 6 petals, 6 chain loops, then 24 outer stitches (6 × 4), which divide evenly into 4 sides of 6 for squaring.
• Fasten off and join each new colour with a slip stitch unless a step says to continue.
• Count at the end of every round; puff petals are easy to lose behind one another.
• If you want a flat flower without the square, stop after Round 4 and use the motif as an appliqué — it sits happily beside the flat 8-petal crochet flower on bags and hats.

Flower Puff Stitch Crochet Pattern: Step by Step

Step 1: The Six-Stitch Centre Ring

With Colour A, make a magic ring. Ch 1, then work 6 sc into the ring. Pull the tail to close the ring completely and join with a sl st to the first sc. Count: 6 sc. Keep this ring small and tight — it is the eye of the flower, and a loose centre makes the petals wobble. Fasten off A.

Step 2: The Puff Stitch Petals

Join Colour B with a sl st in any sc. Work a puff st in the same stitch, ch 2. *Puff st in the next sc, ch 2.* Rep from * to * 4 more times, then join with a sl st to the top of the first puff. Count: 6 puff sts and 6 ch-2 spaces. The six puffs should look like plump petals standing shoulder to shoulder around the centre. If one petal is noticeably smaller, it usually means fewer loops were drawn up — push your hook through and count 9 loops before closing every puff. Fasten off B. The flower now measures about 2 in (5 cm) across.

Step 3: The Framing Round

Join Colour C with a sl st in any ch-2 space. Ch 1, then work (1 sc, ch 3) into the same space. *(Sc, ch 3) in the next ch-2 space.* Rep from * to * 4 more times, then join with a sl st to the first sc. Count: 6 sc and 6 ch-3 loops. This halo of loops holds the petals apart and gives the next round something even to grow from. Push each puff gently forward with your fingertip as you pass it, so the petals sit in front of the framing round rather than behind it.

Step 4: The Outer Round

Stay with Colour C. Ch 3 (counts as dc), work 3 dc in the same ch-3 loop, then work 4 dc in each of the remaining 5 ch-3 loops. Join with a sl st to the top of the ch-3. Count: 24 dc. Your motif is now a neat circle of about 3¼ in (8.5 cm), with the puff flower raised proudly in the middle. It should lie flat; a slight dome over the petals is fine and will settle when the motif is squared and edged. This is the same satisfying circle-to-square journey as the sunburst granny square, only with a puff flower instead of a sun.

Step 5: Squaring the Motif

Still with Colour C. Ch 4 (counts as tr), tr in the same stitch, ch 2, 2 tr in the same stitch — the first corner. Then along the side: dc in the next st, hdc in the next st, sc in the next st, hdc in the next st, dc in the next st. *Work (2 tr, ch 2, 2 tr) in the next st, then dc in the next st, hdc in the next st, sc in the next st, hdc in the next st, dc in the next st.* Rep from * to * twice more and join with a sl st to the top of the ch-4. Count: 16 tr, 8 dc, 8 hdc, 4 sc (36 sts) and 4 ch-2 corner spaces. Each side uses exactly 6 of the 24 outer stitches — one for the corner and five along the edge — so if a corner arrives early, check your count back to the last corner.

Step 6: Edging, and Joining Your Motifs

Ch 1, then sc in every stitch around the square (36 sc), working 3 sc into each ch-2 corner space (12 more sc). Join with a sl st to the first sc and fasten off. Count: 48 sc. Weave in all ends. To join motifs, place two squares wrong sides together and whipstitch through the back loops only: each side offers 9 edging stitches between the corner stitches, plus the corners themselves, so match them one for one and put an extra stitch through both corner stitches at each end. Join motifs into strips, then join the strips. A single edged motif is a coaster; add a round of the same edging to a whole panel once it is joined if you want a firmer edge.

Puff Stitch Troubleshooting

Flat, sad petals nearly always come from loops drawn up too short: exaggerate the height of each loop until it matches a double crochet, and the puff will round out. If the closing yarn-over keeps snagging on the way through the 9 loops, pinch the base of the puff with your free hand, keep the loops near the hook’s throat, and pull through in one slow, steady motion — a hook with a smooth, inline head helps too. Petals that twist sideways are usually a counting slip in Round 1: you need exactly 6 sc, no more, no fewer. And if your finished motif measures under 4 in, your tension is simply firm; go up to a 5.5 mm hook rather than adding stitches, so all the counts in this pattern stay exactly as written.

Using Your Puff Flower Motifs

A set of four in mustard, terracotta and cream makes coasters that can genuinely take a hot mug, thanks to the double thickness of cotton over the puff centre. Fifteen motifs make the table runner described above, and thirty-five or more, joined 5 × 7, make a cot blanket with wonderful squishy texture for tummy time. Sew a single motif to a plain tote or the front of a cushion for instant charm. For more puff projects, the puff stitch hat uses the same stitch in a completely different way, worked in the round from the crown down. Wash finished pieces flat and reshape the petals with your fingers while damp — they will puff straight back up.