purlJam

# Petal Bloom Beanie — Chunky Pressed Petals Edition

A modern crochet beanie featuring **flat, two-dimensional petal silhouettes** that look like pressed flowers laid against the fabric — no 3D blooms, no bulk, just a graphic petal motif radiating from the crown like a flower viewed from directly above.

- **Skill Level:** Intermediate
- **Construction:** Top-down, seamless, joined rounds
- **Finished Size:** Adult Medium (21–22" / 53–56 cm head circumference); see Sizing notes for adjustments
- **Finished Height:** ~8.5" / 21.5 cm

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## Materials

- **Main Color (MC):** Bulky weight yarn (Weight 5), ~100 yds / 90 m
  - Suggested: a neutral background (cream, sage, charcoal)
- **Contrast Color (CC):** Bulky weight yarn (Weight 5), ~40 yds / 37 m
  - Suggested: a soft petal tone (blush, dusty rose, mustard)
- **Hook:** US K-10.5 / 6.5 mm
- **Notions:** Stitch marker, yarn needle, scissors

> **Yarn note:** Choose a smooth bulky yarn (not super-bulky/Weight 6) so the petal spike stitches lay flat. A 100% wool or wool-blend blocks beautifully and helps the petals "press" into the fabric.

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## Gauge

**10 hdc × 8 rounds = 4" / 10 cm** in the round, after blocking.

> ⚠️ Gauge matters here — petal spacing depends on stitch count. Make a flat 5" swatch in hdc and check before starting.

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## Abbreviations (US Terms)

- **ch** — chain
- **sl st** — slip stitch
- **sc** — single crochet
- **hdc** — half double crochet
- **dc** — double crochet
- **2hdc-inc** — 2 hdc in same stitch (increase)
- **MC / CC** — Main Color / Contrast Color
- **sp-st** — spike stitch (insert hook into stitch 1, 2, or 3 rounds *below* current row, yarn over, pull up a loop to height of working row, complete as hdc)
- **BLO** — back loop only
- **st(s)** — stitch(es)
- **rnd** — round

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## Sizing Notes

| Size | Head Circ. | Final st count | Petals | Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child | 19–20" | 49 sts | 7 (×7 sts) | 7" |
| Teen / Adult S | 20–21" | 49–56 sts | 7 (×7 or 8 sts) | 7.5–8" |
| **Adult M (written)** | **21–22"** | **56 sts** | **7 (×8 sts)** | **8.5"** |
| Adult L | 23–24" | 63 sts | 7 (×9 sts) | 9" |

To resize, keep total stitch count divisible by 7 (number of petals).

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## Construction Overview

1. **Crown** — increase rounds in MC to form a flat circle (the "ground")
2. **Petal Setup Round** — place CC anchor stitches that mark each of 7 petals
3. **Body with Petal Motif** — alternating MC and CC spike stitches grow each flat petal upward and outward
4. **Brim** — BLO ribbed-look hdc band
5. **Finishing** — weave ends, block flat

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## CROWN (Worked in MC, joined rounds)

Begin with a magic ring.

- **Rnd 1:** Ch 2 (does not count as st), 8 hdc into ring, sl st to first hdc to join. **[8 sts]**
- **Rnd 2:** Ch 2, 2 hdc in each st around, join. **[16 sts]**
- **Rnd 3:** Ch 2, *2hdc-inc, 1 hdc*; rep around, join. **[24 sts]**
- **Rnd 4:** Ch 2, *2hdc-inc, 2 hdc*; rep around, join. **[32 sts]**
- **Rnd 5:** Ch 2, *2hdc-inc, 3 hdc*; rep around, join. **[40 sts]**
- **Rnd 6:** Ch 2, *2hdc-inc, 4 hdc*; rep around, join. **[48 sts]**
- **Rnd 7:** Ch 2, *2hdc-inc, 5 hdc, then 2hdc-inc, 6 hdc*; rep from * around, working 4 increases of each pattern... 

  *Simplified:* Ch 2, hdc evenly around adding 8 increases spaced as evenly as possible. **[56 sts]**

✅ **Math check:** 8 → 16 → 24 → 32 → 40 → 48 → 56. Each round adds 8 sts. Crown diameter ≈ 7" (matches 22" / π).

Crown is now a flat disc — the "ground" the petals will lay on.

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## PETAL SETUP — Rnd 8 (CC + MC)

You will divide the 56 stitches into **7 petal segments of 8 sts each**. Each segment will hold **one flat petal**.

- **Rnd 8:** Join CC. Ch 1.
  - *In CC: 1 sc in next st (this is the **petal base / anchor**). Drop CC to inside of hat (do not cut).*
  - *Pick up MC: 7 hdc.*
  - Repeat from * 7 times total (alternating CC sc and 7 MC hdc).
  - Join with sl st in MC to first sc.
  - **[7 CC anchor sts + 49 MC hdc = 56 sts]**

✅ **Check:** 7 × (1 + 7) = 56 ✓

> **Color management:** Carry the unused color loosely along the inside of the hat. Catch it every 2–3 sts to prevent long floats.

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## BODY — Petal Motif Rounds (Rnds 9–14)

The petal shape is built using **CC spike stitches** that reach down into the previous round's CC anchor and then fan outward. Each petal grows wider, peaks, then narrows — creating a flat almond/teardrop silhouette pressed into the fabric.

### Rnd 9 — Petals begin to widen
Ch 1.
- *In MC: 3 hdc.*
- **Petal row:** In CC, work **sp-st into the CC anchor 1 rnd below** (the sc from Rnd 8). Then in CC, 1 hdc in next st of current rnd. *(2 CC sts placed, side by side, forming the petal tip's first row.)*
- In MC: 3 hdc.
- Repeat from * 7 times.
- Join. **[56 sts: 7 petals × (3 MC + 2 CC + 3 MC)]**

✅ **Check:** 7 × 8 = 56 ✓

### Rnd 10 — Petals at widest
Ch 1.
- *In MC: 2 hdc.*
- **Petal:** In CC: 1 sp-st (reaching down into CC st of Rnd 9), 2 hdc, 1 sp-st (into the other CC st of Rnd 9). *(4 CC sts side by side — petal at widest point.)*
- In MC: 2 hdc.
- Repeat from * 7 times.
- Join. **[56 sts: 7 × (2 MC + 4 CC + 2 MC)]**

✅ **Check:** 7 × 8 = 56 ✓

### Rnd 11 — Petals at widest (hold shape)
Ch 1.
- *In MC: 2 hdc.*
- In CC: 4 hdc directly into the 4 CC sts below (no spike — work as standard hdc to keep petal solid).
- In MC: 2 hdc.
- Repeat from * 7 times.
- Join. **[56 sts]**

### Rnd 12 — Petals begin to narrow
Ch 1.
- *In MC: 2 hdc, then **1 sp-st in MC** reaching down 1 rnd to "pinch" the petal edge inward.*
- In CC: 2 hdc (into the middle 2 CC sts below).
- *In MC: 1 sp-st (1 rnd below) to pinch the other side, 2 hdc.*
- Repeat from * 7 times.
- Join. **[56 sts]**

> The MC spike stitches eat into the petal edges, narrowing each petal's silhouette like a teardrop closing.

### Rnd 13 — Petal tips
Ch 1.
- *In MC: 3 hdc.*
- In CC: 2 hdc (petal tip — narrow finish).
- In MC: 3 hdc.
- Repeat from * 7 times.
- Join. **[56 sts]**

### Rnd 14 — Close the petals
Ch 1.
- *In MC: 3 hdc, **1 sp-st in MC** down into Rnd 13 between the 2 CC sts (closes the petal tip flat).*
- Skip the next st (this is hidden behind the spike). Wait — **do not skip**; work hdc as normal.
- *Corrected:* In MC: 3 hdc, 1 MC sp-st down 1 rnd into the CC of Rnd 13, 1 MC hdc, 1 MC sp-st into the second CC of Rnd 13, 3 MC hdc.

  *Simplified version (recommended):* In MC, work **8 hdc** straight across each petal segment, working the 2 sts directly above each remaining CC st as **MC spike stitches reaching 1 rnd below into the MC** (creates a clean, flat closure line).
- Repeat 7 times.
- Join. **[56 sts]**

**Cut CC.** Weave in CC ends now while petals are accessible. The petal motif is complete: 7 flat teardrop petals pressed into the fabric, radiating from the crown center.

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## PLAIN BODY (MC only)

- **Rnds 15–17:** Ch 1, hdc in each st around, join. **[56 sts each rnd]**

This adds ~1.5" of plain fabric below the petals.

✅ **Body height check:** Crown (3") + Petal rounds 8–14 (3.5") + Plain rnds 15–17 (1.5") = 8" before brim ✓

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## BRIM (BLO ribbed look)

- **Rnd 18:** Ch 1, working in **BLO**, hdc in each st around, join. **[56 sts]**
- **Rnd 19:** Repeat Rnd 18.

Total height ≈ **8.5" / 21.5 cm** ✓

Fasten off, leaving a 6" tail.

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## FINISHING

1. Weave in all ends with the yarn needle, securing CC tails on the inside of each petal.
2. **Blocking is essential** to flatten the petal motif: lightly steam or wet-block the hat over a balloon or bowl roughly the size of a head. Smooth the petals flat with your fingers as it dries.
3. Once dry, the petals will sit smoothly against the fabric — like pressed flowers, exactly as intended.

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## Stylist's Notes

- **No 3D petals here** — every CC stitch lies in-plane with the surrounding MC fabric. The illusion of petals comes from color shape, not from raised texture.
- For a bolder look, use a high-contrast CC. For a subtle, tonal look, choose a CC just 1–2 shades different from MC.
- Want **more petals?** Resize to 63 sts (Adult L) and divide into 9 segments of 7 sts each — adjust petal width math accordingly.
- Skip the pompom — a 3D embellishment would fight the flat-petal aesthetic.

Enjoy your blooming beanie! 🌸