Difficulty: Intermediate ✦✦✦✦✧
Spring is here! Flowers are just starting to bloom and making me dream of more tropical places. Here is a Lotus pattern to brighten your room.
The flowers are about 4 inches in diameter and 1 inch tall when made with cotton 4-ply cotton yarn and a 2mm hook.
The Lotus pattern consists of three main parts: the Foundation, the Petals, and the Center. Here is the pattern for the Lotus Leaf.
Special Terms
Ch-7 loop = ch 7, slip stitch in the first chain.
Foundation:
In light pink.
Row 1: Dc 12 in magic ring, sl st in the first dc. Row 2: Ch 1, sc in the same stitch, ch-7 loop, sc in the same stitch as the first sc, [ch 3, skip 2 dc, (sc, ch-7 loop, sc) in the next dc] repeat 3 times, sl st with the first sc. (center foundation row, 4 ch-7 loops).
Left 2 images: creating a ch-7 loop. Right: center foundation row complete.
Row 3: Ch 2 (counts as first hdc), ch-7 loop, hdc in the next sc from behind, [ch 3, (sc, ch-7 loop, sc) in the ch-3 loop, ch 3, hdc in the next sc, ch-7 loop, hdc in the next sc from behind] repeat 4 times, sl st in the first hdc. (middle foundation row, 8 ch-7 loops).
Left: hdc from behind. Center: first repeat complete. Right: middle foundation row complete.
Row 4: [Ch 5, (sc, ch-7 loop, sc) in the ch-3 loop] repeat 8 times, sl st in the first chain loop. (rear foundation row, 8 ch-7 loops). Continue with the petals without tying off. The Foundation looks like a mess, but everything should be in order. Each ch-7 loop will become a petal.
The next petal "rows" are stitched continuously from the outside to the center.
Petals: Row 5: Ch 2, [sc in the ch-5 loop, (hdc, dc 5, tc 2, ch-2, tc 2, dc 5, hdc) in the ch-7 loop] repeat 8 times.
Row 6: Dc in the closest ch-7 loop of the Middle row (counts as first hdc), (dc 5, tc 2, ch-2, tc 2, dc 5, hdc) in the ch-7 loop, [sc in between the 2 sc in the the next ch-3 loop, (hdc, dc 5, tc 2, ch-2, tc 2, dc 5, hdc) in the ch-7 loop] repeat 7 times.
Left: Dc in the closest ch-7 loop. Center: Sc in between the 2 sc in the the next ch-3 loop.
Right: middle petals complete.
Row 7: Dc in the closest ch-7 loop of the Center row (counts as first hdc), (dc 5, tc 2, ch-2, tc 2, dc 5, hdc) in the ch-7 loop, [sc in between the 2 sc in the the next ch-3 loop, (hdc, dc 5, tc 2, ch-2, tc 2, dc 5, hdc) in the ch-7 loop] repeat 3 times.
All petals complete. Tie off. Weave ends in.
Continue in bright pink.
Petal Border: Row 8: Slip stitch into the sc at the beginning of Row 5. [Skip the next hdc, sc 7, (hdc 2, dc, hdc 2) in the ch-2 loop, sc 8, skip the sc between petals] repeat 8 times. Note: The last sc on the 8th petal should be in the slip stitch joining Row 5.
Left: first petal border. Right: border on all of the rear petals.
Row 9: Continuing on to the Middle row, [skip the next hdc, sc 7, (hdc 2, dc, hdc 2) in the ch-2 loop, sc 8, skip the sc between petals] repeat 8 times. Note: The last sc on the 8th petal should be in the slip stitch joining Row 6.
Row 10: Continuing on to the Center row, [skip the next hdc, sc 7, (hdc 2, dc, hdc 2) in the ch-2 loop, sc 8, skip the sc between petals] repeat 8 times.
Note: The last sc on the 4th petal should be in the slip stitch joining Row 7.
Petal border complete. Tie off. Weave ends in.
Continue in light yellow.
Center: Row 1: In the front loops only, cast on with a sc into a skipped dc from the 12 dc center (counts as the first sc), [skip the next dc, sc 2] repeat 4 times. (8 stitches)
Left: Join in the front loop in the center 12-dc circle. Right: First row of Center.
Row 2: [2 sc in the next stitch, sc] repeat 4 times. (12 stitches)
Row 3: [2 sc in the next stitch, sc 2] repeat 4 times. (16 stitches)
Row 4: [2 sc in the next stitch, sc 3] repeat 4 times. (20 stitches)
Row 5: Sc in all stitches around. (20 stitches)
Row 6: Sc in all stitches around. (20 stitches)
Row 7: In the back loops only, [sc2tog, sc] repeat 7 times. (14 stitches)
Very lightly stuff. You want some movement to push the Center top down and flat.
I used about a marble-sized piece of very loose acrylic stuffing.
Row 8+: Sc2tog around and continue until there are only 5 stitches left. Slip stitch in the next stitch.
Tie off. Weave ends in.
