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Recently I found great deals on hair elastics and headbands. (I picked up this bunch from Amazon) Since they were plain, I wanted to add something to make them extra special. I experimented with my yarn scraps (leftover from crocheting my “Aunt Ida” hats), and made a bunch of easy crocheted flowers.
I needed a simple and quick item to mass-produce, and several of these easy crocheted flowers could be made in less than an hour. Mine are destined to be “filler” items for our Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. I knew I would be making alot. But these headbands would be also fun to include in a party goody bag, Easter basket, or even a Christmas stocking!
I have made hundreds of decorated hair ties. Then I saw pictures of girls in Africa with shaved heads or little hair. I thought soft headbands might still be a fun item for them. Here is an adorable little girl from Rwanda who just received her gift today! She found this headband with a big bow inside her shoebox, immediately put it on, and wouldn’t take it off. Look how she glows!
Instructions to make Easy Crocheted Flowers:
First, tie the yarn onto the elastic. You could of course crochet the flower separately and then sew it on – but I prefer to crochet right on the headband. I find it saves time and an extra step.
Using an I (5.50mm) hook (like THIS ONE from Amazon or part of THIS PACK also from Amazon here) or even a smaller hook (depending on the yarn and the look you want to achieve) pull the yarn around and under the elastic to make the first chain.
Chain 4.
Slip stitch around and under the elastic to join and make a ring.
Now chain 3 (this counts as the first double crochet), then 15 double crochet in ring, join with slip stitch in top of chain 3 (16 stitches), but at least 4 dc (or a few more!) catch not only the chained circle but also around the elastic as well. This will keep the flower tightly onto the elastic and will display it well when wearing. (Depending on the yarn thickness and hook size, you can increase or decrease the number of stitches in the circle, as long as they remain an even number.)
As you double crochet around, also go over that tail from the initial tie. It disappears, holds well, and saves you the step of weaving in later. You can see from the photo below the back of the flower and how it grips onto the elastic.
From here — each easy crocheted flower can be different. You can also change color, use up your different yarn scraps! In my pictures and to save time, I used a single color.
Here’s a variation of My Easy Crocheted Flowers:
Chain 5, skip 1, slip stitch into the next stitch. Chain 5, skip 1, and slip stitch….repeat all around, at last sl st, cut yarn, pull tight to make a knot, and weave in tail. (8 petals)
Other Easy Crocheted Flowers variations:
- chain 5, slip stitch, repeat (don’t skip a stitch)—makes a tighter flower with longer petals.
- chain 3, sc and repeat all around without skipping stitches—also a tighter flower, but with much shorter petals.
Remember, crocheting is very forgiving and accepts any experimentation! Once the center circle is made, any regular repeat of chains and stitches would look wonderful. Match or contrast the elastic!
Make sure to check out my tutorial for my Aunt Ida’s Crocheted Hat! It is easy and fun to make! And check out all my other other Craft Tutorials as well!
Love these, I often make flower bands or clips, but these are different 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Tanith for checking out my blog! 🙂