Crochet Hellebore Flower

I love crocheting flowers and enjoy the creative challenge of turning yarn into seasonal floral goodness. Often my crochet flowers are created to adorn the yarny wreaths that I am a weeny bit addicted to making, it's such a fun way to celebrate the seasons as we journey through the year.

Here in the UK, Hellebores flower in winter time and they inspired me to try and make some blooms for a winter wreath. These flowers come in a variety of pretty colours ranging from pure white through delicate pinks, lilacs, dusky mauves and deep purples.

To make my hellebores, I used scraps of merino DK yarn and a 3.5 mm hook.

I am writing my pattern in UK crochet terms, using the following stitches ::

sl st [slip stitch] :: insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch, then through the loop on your hook.

dc [double crochet] :: insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (two loops on hook), yarn over and pull through both loops on hook (note :: this is equivalent to the US sc stitch)

htr [half treble] :: yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (three loops on hook), yarn over and pull through all three loops on hook (note :: this is equivalent to the US hdc stitch)

dc dec [double crochet decrease] :: insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (two loops on hook), insert hook into next stitch, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (three loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through all three loops on hook (note :: this is equivalent to the US sc dec stitch)

Flower Centre - use pale green yarn.

Chain 4, insert hook into first chain and slip stitch to form a ring.

Chain 2 (counts as 1 htr), then work 9 htr into the ring. Insert hook into 2nd chain of initial chain-2 and slip stitch to close the round. Fasten off. You should clearly be able to count 10 stitches, as in the above picture.

Flower Petal - use purple/pink yarn.

Note :: the petals are worked individually in rows, turning the work at the end of each row. It's important to keep track of the Right Side (RS) and Wrong Side (WS) of your flower, making sure you start each petal from the Right Side.

Insert hook into any stitch and pull through a loop of new colour.

:: Row 1 :: (RS) ::

Chain 1 (doesn't count as a stitch), work 2 dc's in same stitch. Work 2 dc's in next st. Chain 1 and turn [4 sts]

:: Row 2 :: (WS) ::

Work 2 dc in each stitch across. Chain 1 and turn [8 sts]

:: Row 3 :: (RS) ::

1 dc in first stitch, 1 htr in each of next 6 stitches, 1 dc in last stitch. Chain 1 and turn [8 sts]

:: Row 4 :: (WS) ::

1 dc in each stitch across. Chain 1 and turn [8 sts]

:: Row 5 :: (RS) ::

1 dc dec, 1 dc in next stitch, 1 dc dec, 1 dc in next stitch, 1 dc dec. Chain 1 and turn [5 sts]

:: Row 6 :: (WS) ::

1 dc dec, 1 dc, 1 dc dec. Chain 1 and turn [3 sts]

:: Row 7 :: (RS) ::

Work a dc dec across the remaining 3 stitches by skipping the middle stitch, as follows ::

insert hook into first stitch, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (two loops on hook). Skip the next stitch, insert hook into last stitch, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (three loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through all three loops on hook.

Fasten off.

That's your first petal made, you should have worked the last row with the Right Side facing you, and the petal should curl gently inwards as in the above photo.

To make the next petal, start in the next stitch directly to the left of the petal you just made and follow the same 7-row pattern as follows ::

:: Row 1 :: RS :: Ch 1 (doesn't count as st), 2 dc in same st, 2 dc in next st. Ch 1 and turn [4 sts]

:: Row 2 :: WS :: 2 dc in each st. Ch 1 and turn [8 sts]

:: Row 3 :: RS :: 1 dc in first st, 1 htr in each of next 6 sts, 1 dc in last st. Ch 1 and turn [8 sts]

:: Row 4 :: WS :: 1 dc in each st across. Ch 1 and turn [8 sts]

:: Row 5 :: RS :: 1 dc dec, 1 dc, 1 dc dec, 1 dc, 1 dc dec. Ch 1 and turn [5 sts]

:: Row 6 :: WS :: 1 dc dec, 1 dc, 1 dc dec. Ch 1 and turn [3 sts]

:: Row 7 :: RS :: work a dc dec across remaining 3 sts, skipping the middle st.

Fasten off.

Make sure you start each petal with the Right Side facing you. Make 5 petals in total.

To finish off, you need to darn each yarn end into the back of each petal.

Now depending on your tension, yarn and hook size, you may well find that your hellebore flower is looking rather crumpled and in need of a little spa treatment. Have a look at mine......

......oh dear! Not to worry though, it's pretty easy to relax those petals into a more open flower shape....

Take an old towel and pin each of the five petals out so that they lie reasonably flat and evenly spaced (as in the centre flower above). Now using a steam iron on a cool setting, hold the iron a few cm's above the crochet and pfffffffff some steam onto those petals. It only takes a few seconds, and please remember the iron DOES NOT TOUCH THE CROCHET! Allow the petals to dry for a few minutes before removing the pins.

Ahhh that's better! You are aiming for open and slightly curling petals, just like real hellebores flowers. Time to add some stamens now.....

Choose two colours of yarn to make your stamens - shades of pale green, lime, pale yellow or cream work well. Cut one length of each colour approx 90cm (from your nose to your fingertips!), then thread both lengths of yarn onto a darning needle.

Secure the yarn at the back of the flower centre, then insert your needle up between the crochet stitches to the front. Now put your needle in between the next crochet stitches (as in above picture) and pull your yarn through to the back, but LEAVE A LOOP OF YARN AT THE FRONT........

....see? You are making loops!

After each loop, turn the flower over and make a small stitch on the wrong side, taking great care not to pull the loop tight.

Keep working your way around the centre, making loops of yarn then securing them with a small stitch on the reverse.

I made 10 x double-stranded loops in total, but depending on how thick your yarn is, you may only need to do this 5 or 6 times. I also made a couple loops in the very centre of my flower to finish.

Now take some super sharp snippety scissors and cut through each loop.

Trim the stamens down until you are happy with the finished look. The yarn strands may fray a little but I think that adds to the charm. You could also try using fine embroidery thread to make more delicate, defined stamens - have a play and see what works best.

If you'd like to add some leaves, try using the simple leaf pattern from my May Roses as I've done here. Or how about adding a slightly bigger two-colour leaf from my Triple Layer Flower?

Here is the pattern written out in an abbreviated version for you to copy and paste....

Flower Centre - using green yarn

Ch 4, sl st into first ch to form a loop.

Ch 2 (counts as 1 htr), 9 htr into the ring. Sl st in 2nd ch of initial ch-2 to close round. Fasten off. [10 sts]

Flower Petal - using purple/pink yarn. Work five petals in total.

Note :: RS = Right Side :: WS = Wrong Side

Insert hook into any st and pull a loop of purple yarn through to the front.

:: Row 1 :: RS :: Ch 1 (doesn't count as st), 2 dc in same st, 2 dc in next st. Ch 1 and turn [4 sts]

:: Row 2 :: WS :: 2 dc in each st. Ch 1 and turn [8 sts]

:: Row 3 :: RS :: 1 dc in first st, 1 htr in each of next 6 sts, 1 dc in last st. Ch 1 and turn [8 sts]

:: Row 4 :: WS :: 1 dc in each st across. Ch 1 and turn [8 sts]

:: Row 5 :: RS ::1 dc dec, 1 dc, 1 dc dec, 1 dc, 1 dc dec. Ch 1 and turn [5 sts]

:: Row 6 :: WS :: dc dec, 1 dc, dc dec. Ch 1 and turn [3 sts]

:: Row 7 :: RS :: work a dc dec across remaining 3 sts, skipping the middle st.

Fasten off and darn in end on WS of petal.

Repeat four more times to make 5 petals in total. Steam/block petals if necessary. They should be slightly curled and slightly overlapping the neighbouring petal.

Stamens - Choose 2 x yarn colours for stamens (eg pale green/lime/cream/yellow) and cut 2 lengths approx. 90cm long.

Thread both lengths onto a darning needle and make a series of short loops around the centre circle. Secure each loop on the WS with a small stitch. Make 2 loops in the centre, secure on WS and fasten off. Snip loops and trim to size with sharp embroidery scissors.

If you'd like to see where my own sweet hellebore flowers ended up, you can read all about the making of my Winter Wreath HERE.

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Comments

[sophie davidson]

Beautiful!

[Joanie]

Beautiful 🥰🥰🥰

[Kristine S]

Lucy, you are a flower persisting amongst weeds❣️❣️❣️ Love your creative spirit. Go well, stay creative, keep us all keeping on xxx🧡💙🤩😘👌

[Jacqui]

Sooo pretty !!!!!!

[barbara beere]

love it.

[Tineke]

<3 <3 <3

[Kerridwen Niner]

I had a go at this today, for some reason your pics didn't show up and my helebore has more petals but i decieded to go with it, after all flowers are unique but tommorow i'll have another go now that i can use the pictures. I think i needed to move each petal along one rather than incorporate the previous petal into the next round but it's all a learning curve :)

[carol riedel]

Fantastic really going to try new to crochet bit with this lockdown I'm going to try.Thankyou so much for taking the time to put it out keep well thanks

[Grastrimmer]

Thanks very much for these designs.

[Theresa Niven]

I’ve just made my first Hellebore, one of my favourite flowers. Thank you very much for the lovely pattern!

[Jacqui wapshott]

This is so beautiful and now in my project list

[Anne Symons (annefromsandford on Instagram)]

You are such a clever girl!! I love Hellebores and was able to follow your pattern instructions, many thanks.

Lucy I was wondering if you received my donation from 9th September 2016. I tried emailing you however your email address failed.

[Flora]

Precioso. Gracias.

[Madeleine de Beer]

Thank you very much for the pattern.

[Laurie Macrae]

Prettiest crochet flowers ever! I just found your blog, and am so happy I did! Your work is beautiful.

[Star]

I keep a bare grapevine wreath on my door to which I add little seasonal bits throughout the year. These lovely flowers will be made to usher in Springtime on my door.

[nikki]

Thank you so much. I just love your site and your clever lovely designs