14 Knitted Flowers Free Patterns You’ll Want to Make Right Now

There is something quietly magical about a knitted flower. It takes a small amount of yarn, a pair of needles, and a little patience, and suddenly you have something that looks like it was plucked straight from a garden. Knitted flowers are one of those wonderfully versatile projects that experienced knitters love and beginners can quickly master. They work up fast, they use scraps of yarn you probably already have sitting around, and the possibilities for how you use them are nearly endless.

Whether you want to decorate a hat, add a corsage to a sweater, make a brooch, create a hair clip, embellish a baby blanket, or simply practice your knitting skills, flowers are the perfect little project. In this post, we are going to walk through fourteen free knitted flower patterns that cover everything from the simplest beginner-friendly designs to more intricate blooms that give you a real sense of accomplishment when you hold up the finished piece.

All of the patterns described here are free, and most of them can be worked using basic knitting skills. For each one, we will talk about what makes it special, what skill level it suits best, and what kinds of yarn and needle sizes work well. By the end, you will have a solid list of projects to work through and a much better understanding of just how creative you can get with knitted flowers.

Why Knitted Flowers Make Such Great Projects

Before we dive into the patterns themselves, it is worth taking a moment to appreciate why knitted flowers have remained so popular for so long. The first reason is obviously their size. A single flower can be completed in anywhere from fifteen minutes to a couple of hours depending on the complexity of the design. This makes them ideal for those evenings when you want to knit but do not have the mental bandwidth for a large, complicated project.

The second reason is their utility as stash-busters. Almost every knitter has a collection of leftover yarn — odd skeins, partial balls, short lengths of something special they bought on a whim. Knitted flowers are the perfect way to use up those odds and ends. In fact, flowers often look better when they are made in multiple colors, so having a variety of small amounts of yarn is actually an advantage.

The third reason is their enormous range of uses. Attach a pin back to a finished flower and you have a brooch. Sew one onto a headband or a hat brim and you have an accessory. Stitch a few to a plain knitted bag and it becomes a statement piece. Make a whole garland of them and string them around your home as decoration. The only limit is your imagination.

Now let us get into the patterns.

1. Simple Garter Stitch Flower

This is the ideal starting point for anyone who is new to knitted flowers or new to knitting altogether. The simple garter stitch flower is worked flat in strips that are then coiled and stitched together at the base to create a spiral flower shape. You cast on a small number of stitches, knit every row, and gradually decrease to create a petal shape. The result is a charming, slightly rustic flower that looks wonderful on hats, bags, or even as a simple lapel pin.

Because this pattern uses nothing but the knit stitch, it is genuinely accessible to absolute beginners. You do not need to know how to purl, and there are no increases or fancy techniques involved. Even children learning to knit can make this flower. Worsted weight yarn and size 4mm or 4.5mm needles are a good choice here.

2. Five-Petal Stockinette Flower

Moving up very slightly in complexity, the five-petal stockinette flower is one of the most classic and recognizable knitted flower designs. Each petal is knitted separately in stockinette stitch — knit on the right side, purl on the wrong side — and then the five petals are joined together at the base by threading yarn through their cast-on edges and drawing them together into a circle. A button or a French knot center finishes the look beautifully.

This pattern is suitable for knitters who are comfortable with both knit and purl stitches. It is still a quick project, typically taking under an hour per flower once you get the hang of it. The finished flower has a clean, polished look that works well for more formal accessories or as a decorative element on children’s clothing.

3. Daisy Knit Flower

The daisy is one of the most beloved flowers in the world, and the knitted version captures its cheerful, open-faced charm perfectly. This pattern typically creates six or eight elongated petals radiating out from a central button or cluster of seed stitches. The petals are worked using a combination of increases and decreases that give each one a narrow base and a rounded tip, closely mimicking the shape of a real daisy petal.

This is a lovely pattern for knitters who want to practice their increase and decrease techniques in a low-stakes, fun environment. Because each petal is small and the stakes are low, you can experiment comfortably. These daisies look wonderful scattered across a white or cream knitted blanket, or grouped together as a corsage.

4. Rose Knit Flower

The knitted rose is perhaps the crown jewel of floral knitting projects. It requires a bit more patience than some of the simpler designs, but the result is so strikingly beautiful that it consistently earns its place as a favorite among knitters of all levels. The most common method for creating a knitted rose involves casting on a long strip of stitches, knitting a pattern that creates gentle waves or ruffles along one edge, and then rolling the strip tightly and securing it at the base to create the appearance of layered rose petals.

Because the pattern involves picking up stitches along an edge and working in short rows in some versions, it is best suited to knitters who have a bit of experience and feel comfortable following a multi-step pattern. That said, once you have made your first rose, the second one goes much faster because you understand the logic of how the spiral works. These roses look absolutely stunning as brooches, as hair accessories, or sewn onto the collar of a coat.

5. Sunflower Knit Pattern

A knitted sunflower brings a burst of warmth and color to any project. The typical approach involves working a dark brown or black center disc in the round using seed stitch or moss stitch, then picking up stitches around the circumference and working out toward the tips of the petals using increases. The golden yellow petals are usually pointed, echoing the real sunflower’s distinctive ray-like appearance.

This pattern introduces knitters to working in the round on double-pointed needles or a short circular needle, which is a skill that opens up a whole world of knitting projects beyond flowers. The sunflower is slightly more involved than the patterns described so far, but it is very manageable for anyone who has a few projects under their belt. A finished knitted sunflower makes a wonderful decorative item on its own or as part of a larger piece.

6. Forget-Me-Not Cluster

The forget-me-not is a tiny, dainty flower, and the knitted version is no exception. These little five-petaled blooms are worked in miniature, making them ideal for delicate accessories, baby items, and fine gauge projects. The pattern typically uses fingering weight or sport weight yarn and smaller needles, around size 2mm to 3mm, to achieve the right scale.

Because of their small size, forget-me-nots are perfect for knitters who enjoy fine detail work. A cluster of three or five of these tiny flowers, perhaps with a leaf or two added in green, creates an elegant and realistic floral embellishment that looks like it could have been taken directly from a Victorian-era piece.

7. Poppy Knit Flower

The poppy has a simple, bold shape that translates beautifully into knitting. Most poppy patterns create two or four large, slightly cupped petals that are worked flat and then joined, with a dark center cluster of French knots or a dark button adding the characteristic contrast. The petals are usually worked with increases at the sides to create their wide, spreading shape, and a gentle ruffle at the edge adds movement.

The poppy works particularly well in bright red or orange yarn, though of course it can be made in any color you choose. Knitters at an intermediate level will find this pattern very satisfying, especially if they enjoy projects that result in something visually striking from fairly straightforward techniques.

8. Cherry Blossom

The cherry blossom is one of the most poetic flowers in the world, and a knitted version carries that same sense of gentle beauty. The pattern typically creates five delicate petals with a slight notch at the tip of each one, mimicking the real flower’s distinctive shape. These petals are worked in pale pink or white and then gathered at the base with a cluster of small stamens made from French knots in pale yellow or cream.

Cherry blossoms are wonderful clustered together along a knitted branch (worked in brown yarn) to create a branch accessory for hair or clothing. They are also stunning when scattered across a pale green or white knitted shawl. This pattern is appropriate for intermediate knitters and works beautifully in lightweight yarns.

9. Tulip Knit Pattern

The tulip is a more structured, architectural flower than many of the petalled designs we have covered so far, and the knitted tulip captures that stately quality. The petals are worked in a cup shape, usually by working short rows or by working petals that curl slightly inward at the tips. The result is a three-dimensional flower that stands up beautifully on its own.

This is an excellent pattern for knitters who are comfortable with short rows and want to practice creating three-dimensional shapes in knitting. The tulip makes a particularly beautiful decoration for a gift — a knitted tulip attached to a wrapped present, for example, is a thoughtful and memorable finishing touch.

10. Lavender Sprig

Strictly speaking, lavender is not a single flower but a whole sprig of tiny flowers along a stem, and the knitted version captures this linear, clustered quality in a wonderfully charming way. The pattern usually involves working a narrow stem in green yarn and then picking up and knitting tiny bobbles or small attached petals in purple up along the length of the stem.

This is a pattern that stands out from the crowd because it does not look like a typical knitted flower. Instead, it has a botanical, naturalistic quality that looks beautiful as a corsage, as a headband decoration, or sewn onto a knitted purse. It requires a comfortable handle on picked-up stitches and small-scale working, so it is best for knitters with some experience.

11. Water Lily

The water lily is a serene, layered flower with broad, slightly cupped petals, and it is a particularly beautiful knitting project. The pattern usually involves working multiple rounds of petals in layers — a smaller inner layer and a larger outer layer — so that the flower has real depth and dimension. The center is often worked in yellow to mimic the real water lily’s golden stamens.

Because this pattern involves multiple pieces worked separately and then assembled, it takes more time than some of the single-piece flowers on this list. But the end result is genuinely impressive — a large, lush flower that looks almost too beautiful to be made from yarn. Water lilies are often used as standalone decorative items or as the centerpiece of a knitted floral arrangement.

12. Hibiscus Knit Flower

The hibiscus is a bold tropical flower with large, open petals and a dramatic, protruding stamen cluster, and the knitted version is equally eye-catching. The petals are wide and gently ruffled, worked with yarn-overs to create a lacy edge, and the center stamen is worked as a long, narrow tube of knitting that protrudes from the flower’s center.

This is a more advanced pattern that requires comfort with lace techniques and three-dimensional construction. But for knitters who are ready for a challenge, the hibiscus is a spectacular project. It looks especially beautiful in bold, saturated colors — deep pink, bright red, or vivid orange — and makes a stunning brooch or hair ornament.

13. Chrysanthemum

The chrysanthemum’s densely layered petals make it one of the most recognizable flowers in the world, and the knitted version replicates that lush, full appearance through a clever use of repeated petal strips. The pattern typically involves knitting multiple long strips with one serrated or scalloped edge, then wrapping and layering them to build up the dense petal structure from the center outward.

The end result is a large, dramatically full flower that is almost more of a textile sculpture than a simple embellishment. Knitters who enjoy process-heavy projects — where the pleasure is in the making as much as the finished object — will find the chrysanthemum deeply satisfying. It also makes a wonderful gift, particularly around autumn when chrysanthemums are in their natural season.

14. Peony

We are saving one of the most spectacular knitted flowers for last. The peony, with its extravagant layering of silky petals, is the ultimate expression of knitted floral abundance. The pattern involves working many individual petals of varying sizes — some small and tightly curled, others larger and more open — and building them up in concentric layers around a center point to create the peony’s characteristic billowy fullness.

This is undeniably the most involved pattern on this list, and it is best suited to knitters who are comfortable with detailed work and have the patience for a project that requires assembling many small pieces. But the result is breathtaking. A finished knitted peony in a deep blush pink or creamy white looks like something you might see in a haute couture boutique. Sewn onto a sweater shoulder, worn as a brooch, or placed in a vase as part of a permanent floral arrangement, the knitted peony is a showstopper.

Tips for Making Knitted Flowers

A few practical notes that will help you get better results from all of these patterns. First, always block your finished flowers before attaching them to anything. A light steam or a gentle soak and pin-out will transform a curled, slightly awkward flower into a beautifully flat or perfectly shaped bloom. Natural fiber yarns like wool, cotton, and alpaca respond particularly well to blocking.

Second, do not be afraid to mix fibers and textures. A petal worked in a slightly fuzzy mohair blend will have a completely different quality from the same pattern worked in smooth mercerized cotton. Both can be beautiful, but they will look and feel very different. Experimenting with different yarns is one of the great pleasures of making small projects like flowers.

Third, think carefully about attachment. A safety pin back turned into a brooch, a hair clip glued with strong craft adhesive, or a few stitches of yarn to sew the flower directly onto a garment — each method has its advantages. If you want the flower to be removable, a pin back is your best option. If it is a permanent decoration, sewing it on directly will give the cleanest result.

Finally, make more than one. There are very few knitted flowers that do not look better in multiples. A single flower is charming. Three flowers together are a statement. A whole garland is a work of art.

Final Thoughts

Knitted flowers are one of those endlessly rewarding corners of the craft that somehow never get old. No matter how many you make, there is always a new variety to try, a new color combination to experiment with, or a new way to use the finished piece. The fourteen patterns covered here range from the completely beginner-friendly to the genuinely ambitious, which means there is something here for every knitter regardless of where they are in their journey.

Gather up those scraps of yarn you have been saving, pick a flower that appeals to you, and cast on. You might just find that knitted flowers become your favorite thing to make.