May Roses

This is my pattern for these adorable May Roses, a sweet little floral decoration for all sorts of prettifying projects. Make them into brooches, attach them to hats, bags, hair slides, cardigans. Assemble a whole bunch of them to prettify a tea cosy, a bag, a cushion. String them together to make a pretty floral garland. Stitch them to crochet triangles to make some pretty rosy bunting. Glue them to a twiggy wreath to make a gorgeous decoration for your home.......ahhh so many fun possibilities!

Before we begin, a little summary of the basic stitches. I'm writing using UK crochet terms ::

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)

tr [treble] :: yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (three loops on hook), yarn over and pull through two loops on hook (two loops left on hook), yarn over and pull through remaining two loops (note :: this is equivalent to the US dc stitch)

To begin, chain 26.

:: Row 1 :: Start in the 2nd chain from hook (as shown above with my needle) and work a row of double crochet. You should count 25 stitches altogether. Turn the work.

:: Row 2 :: Start in 2nd chain from hook (as shown above with my needle)....

....work 5 treble stitches (as above) into the same stitch.

Slip stitch into next stitch (as above). This is your first large petal made.

*Work 5 tr's into next st, sl st into next st* (2nd large petal made)

Repeat between ** 3 more times until you have 5 large petals (as above)

*Work 5 htr's into next st, sl st into next st* (1st medium petal made)

Repeat between ** 3 more times until you have 4 medium petals.

*work 5 dc's into next st, sl st into next st (1st small petal made)

Repeat between ** twice more until you have 3 small petals.

Fasten off leaving a 20cm tail end for stitching up.

You should have what looks like a curly-wurly row of 12 petals (5 large, 4 medium and 3 small). It should already be naturally curling itself round to form the rosy shape so don't expect it to lie flat.

:: Stitching :: first of all, darn in the short tail end from the beginning of the foundation chain.

Now thread the long tail end onto a darning needle, and begin by tightly curling the small petals around in a spiral (as above)

Turn the rose over so that you are looking at the back of the petals with the straight line of the foundation chain nearest to you. As you curl and roll the small petals round in a spiral, begin to make small stitches through the layers of the foundation chain to hold the petals in place.

Keep gently rolling the petals around the centre, securing them with stitches as you go.

You'll need to regularly turn the rose over to check that it's forming well. It shouldn't be too tight and scrunched up, but not too loose and open either. You're aiming for quite a neat, compact spiral shape. Don't worry too much about how you are making the stitches either, it really doesn't matter. So long as they are holding all the petals securely in place that's ok as you will not see them.

When you come round to stitching the large outer petals, you should be aiming to create a neat five-petal flower shape, as shown above. When it's all stitched securely in place, fasten off.

You should find that once you've made one and got a hang of the stitching up bit (which is harder than the actual crochet bit I think), the second one will be a complete doddle. You will be so happy when you breeze through the second one that you will need to make many more instantly. You will start searching frantically through your stash, dragging out every shade of red-pink-purple that you can lay your hands on. Just a gentle warning....these are super addictive!

Want to find some green yarn and try a few leaves now??

:: To begin :: chain 8.

   Start in the 2nd chain from hook (as shown above with my needle) and work the following...

dc, htr, tr, 2tr's, tr, htr, dc. That's the first side of your leaf made.

Now you are going to make the pointy end bit, so chain 2, then insert hook through the 1st chain (see where I've put my needle in the above pic). Yarn over and work a slip stitch by pulling the yarn through the chain, then through the stitch on the hook.

This forms your "picot point".

Now for the second side of the leaf. You'll be working out of the single loops of the foundation chain, as shown with my needle in the above picture. You should be able to clearly count 7 single loops altogether. Work the following, to mirror the first side...

dc, htr, tr, 2tr's, tr, htr, dc.

Slip stitch into end of leaf and fasten off, leaving a tail end long enough to darn in.

You should end up with a really sweet little pointy leaf shape, the perfect accompaniment for the roses.

You might need to give your picot pointy end a little tweak to get it to sit flat and straight, as sometimes they curl a little.

Ahhhhhhhhhh what rosy gorgeousness!

I want to just add a little note about yarn and hook size. So from left to right.........

1. Large May Rose made by using two strands of dk weight merino yarn on a 5mm hook.

2. Medium May Rose made using dk weight merino yarn on a 3.5mm hook.

3. Slightly smaller May Rose made using a crochet cotton on a 3mm hook.

4. Dinky May Rose made using a fine mercerised crochet cotton on a 2.5mm hook.

I do particularly like the large double-colour rose, it was a bit of an experiment and came out much better than I expected. I think it would make a lovely brooch with a couple of leaves added....

So pretty!!!!

I hope you enjoy having a go with these lovely little blooms, they are so quick and easy to do. Perfect for using up scraps of yarn, perfect for whizzing up in any spare moment. Once you've made one, you will soon have a whole rose garden blooming before your eyes, I guarantee it. Have fun!

Oh....before I dash off to my yarn stash, I'm just going to write out the patterns for you in brief so you can copy/paste/print if you wish.......

May Rose
chain 26.
Start in 2nd ch from hook, dc to the end (25 stitches).
Turn the work.
Skip 1 st, * 5tr's into next st, sl st into next st *
Repeat between ** 4 more times (five large petal shells made)
*5 htr's into next st, sl st into next st *
Repeat between ** 3 more times (four medium petal shells made)
*5 dc's into next st, sl st into next st *
Repeat between ** twice more (three small petal shells made.
fasten off, leaving long tail end for sewing up flower.

Darn in short tail end from beginning of foundation chain.
Thread long tail end onto needle and begin by curling the small petals round in a circle. With bottom straight edge uppermost, make small stitches to secure petals in place. Keep winding petals round, securing with stitches on reverse as you go. Keep checking on right side that the flower is forming nicely, not too scrunched up, not too loose.
You should end up with a rose that roughly has five petals around the outside, then twirls inwards to a tightly curled centre.

Rose Leaf

Chain 8.

Start in 2nd chain from hook and work the following ::

dc, htr, tr, 2tr's, tr, htr, dc.

Chain 2, sl st in 2nd chain from hook (picot point made).

Now work back along the bottom of the foundation chain, in the single loops of the chain ::

dc, htr, tr, 2tr's, tr, htr, dc.

Sl st into end of leaf and fasten off leaving a tail end long enough to darn in.

♥

As with all my patterns, I totally love creating them and get a huge buzz out of sharing and inspiring. I am happy to give them for free, but I'm sure you can appreciate it does take a lot of time and effort to create this sort of picture-heavy tutorial.  I hope that if you've been inspired to give these sweet roses a go, that you might consider making a small donation to help support what I do here in the Attic. Thank you as always for your hooky love, it's very, very much appreciated.

 

♥ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx♥

 

 

Comments

[Loree Casebier]

Hi Lucy, just love all your fun stuff. can you tell me what kind of yarn you used for the flowers on your fall wreath? I have made some but the yarn I am using doesn't do well. it is too soft and curls too much. thank you. Loree

[Elise Marks]

I am very confused by the leaves. Is a tr a double crochet and a htr a half double crochet? When you say 2tr, is that 2 dc in the same stitch? Is the pattern actually:

Leaf

Chain 8.
Start in 2nd chain from hook and work the following :

dc, hdc, 4dc, hdc, dc.

Chain 2, sl st in 2nd chain from hook (picot point made).

Now work back along the bottom of the foundation chain, in the single loops of the chain :

dc, hdc, 4dc, hdc, dc.

Sl st into end of leaf and fasten off leaving a tail end long enough to darn in.
---
and why doesn't my point look like yours?

[Raffaella Hinchliffe]

Hi Lucy,

I would like to follow the instructions for the rose leaf but i don't understand this step 2tr's

Many thanks
Raffaella x

[Lucette]

Merci beaucoup pour l'explication de cette belle rose au crochet .

[Jean]

Lovely cant wait to get started

[Rosalie]

So much easier than some others. Thank you and very easy to follow.

[Ana Maysonet]

Preciosas me gustan gracias

[tracey]

Thank you so much for making it so easy. I have just made them to finish off a baby blanket, they look beautiful x x

[Lynda]

Once again, I owe you my thanks.
I used this, and your other flower and leaf tutorials, to make a woolly bouquet as a wedding gift for my sister. https://sultanabun.wordpress.com/2016/01/20/small-conversations/
You are a gifted teacher.
Lynda.

[Jo]

Brilliant thank you so much, hopefully mine will look as good as yours after a few more attempts!! Nice simple and clear instructions. Am attempting a wreath using a few of your ideas.
Keep posting!

[Imke]

Hi there, this is the best explanation I have seen! I made my first rose, many will follow☺️
Thank you for your effort,
Imke from the Netherlands

[Tracy Nickels]

They are perfect, and so easy! I'm making a spring wreath for a friend, this will really work! Have a butterfly pattern to go with it. Thank you!

[Orly]

Thank you for the EASIEST.ROSES.EVER!!!! Love these 💜

[Carol Grimes]

Thank you for sharing so much wonderful inspiration. You are a generous wonder.

[Debbie]

Thank you so much for all your patterns. You explain everything perfectly.
I''m a little confused with the May Rose, are those directions in UK version and then I would convert them into U.S. or should I crochet with the stitches that are written? I'm sorry I hope I haven't confused you! Thank You So Much. Debbie😊

[[email protected]]

Amazing instructions....you have to be a teacher!

[[email protected]]

Amazing instructions....you have to be a teacher!

[Beth Weber]

Thank you so very much!!! These are beautiful! Can't wait to make some!!

[Faye Harris]

Your May Roses are wonderful. They inspired me to make a bouquet of them for my friend's wedding using your lovely pattern. If you would like to have a look at them, my blog address is http://creative-faye.blogspot.co.uk/

I'm such a fan. Thanks for sharing.
Faye
x

[elaya]

Hi, It is my first time, beautiful and clear pattern. Thank you so much

[Aline L.M.]

Your may roses are so beautiful! Thank you so much for te pattern n_n <3

[Anna]

Hello, I just wanted to say thank you for this sweet rose pattern. Just what I needed to finish off the shawl I made for my daughter. Anna

[Lyn]

So glad you have shown clearly how to make the leaves... As a very new crocheter I do struggle with patterns either saying the stitch or giving a symbol. Your clear pictures are great! Please continue

[carol Padgett]

Great pattern we are putting them on chemo caps

[Lorrie]

You've made this look so easy that even I could do it. I've book-marked your site and will be back often ... I'm taking a crochet class in June and just have to try these flowers afterwards.