Cream lace circles edged in purple, overlapping down the length like fallen petals, with big purple daisies sitting across every join and small ones and green leaves filling the edges.
The circles overlap rather than sit side by side, which is the whole reason this runner has its soft scalloped outline instead of a straight one. And the large daisies are placed exactly where two circles cross, so they cover the seams. Every flower on this runner is doing a structural job as well as a decorative one.
The domed yellow centres are worth the extra ten minutes each. They are small padded buttons rather than flat discs, and they lift the flowers off the lace.
What you’ll need
DK cotton in cream, purple, golden yellow and sage green.
Around 180 g of cream, 120 g of purple, 30 g of yellow and 40 g of green.
A 3.5 mm hook for the circles and a 3 mm for the flowers, which keeps the petals dense so they hold their shape.
You’ll also want a scrap of fibrefill for the flower centres, a blocking mat or a folded towel, rustproof pins, and a tapestry needle.
Finished size is about 90 cm long and 30 cm wide.
Abbreviations are US terms. ch is chain, sl st is slip stitch, sc is single crochet, hdc is half double crochet, dc is double crochet, inc is two stitches in one, dec is an invisible decrease, MR is magic ring, BLO is back loops only, sp is space.
Part 1. The lace circles, make six
Each finishes at about 16 cm. Work in joined rounds.
Round 1. MR, ch 3, 15 dc into the ring, join (16) Round 2. Ch 4, then dc into the next stitch and ch 1, repeated around, join (16 dc and 16 spaces) Round 3. Ch 4, then work dc, ch 1 into every dc and every space around, join (32 dc) Round 4. Ch 5, then dc into each dc with ch 2 between, join Round 5. Into each ch 2 space work 2 dc, then ch 1, repeated around Round 6. Ch 6, sc into each ch 1 space, repeated around, giving a round of loops Round 7. Into each loop work 5 dc, with sc into each sc between, which gives the shell ring
Change to purple.
Round 8. Sc into every stitch around. Round 9. Work sl st, ch 2, sl st into the same stitch, repeated into every second stitch, for the picot edge. Fasten off.
Round 2 is what creates the spoke pattern that radiates out through the whole circle, so keep the tension even there. Everything after it is built on those sixteen lines.
Part 2. Large daisies, make five
Twelve petals each, in purple, worked with the 3 mm hook.
Base. 12 sc in MR (12), join.
Petals. For each one, ch 10, then working back along the chain, sl st in the second ch from the hook, sc in the next 2, hdc in the next 2, dc in the next 3, then 3 dc into the last chain to round the tip. Work back along the other side of the chain with dc in the next 3, hdc in the next 2, sc in the next 2, sl st in the last, then sl st into the next stitch of the base ring.
Repeat until you have twelve petals. Fasten off.
Working both sides of the chain and putting three doubles into the end is what gives the rounded petal. Work one side only and you get a pointed petal, which reads as a chrysanthemum rather than a daisy.
Part 3. Small daisies, make eight
The same method with eight petals over a chain of 6.
Part 4. The domed centres, make thirteen
One for each daisy, large and small. In golden yellow.
Round 1. 6 sc in MR (6) Round 2. Inc six times (12) Round 3. Sc, inc, repeated six times (18) Round 4. Sc in BLO around (18), which folds the edge down and starts the dome Round 5. Sc around (18) Round 6. Sc, dec, repeated six times (12). Push in a small pinch of stuffing. Round 7. Dec six times (6). Close.
Then, using yellow, work a spiral of surface slip stitch from the centre outwards across the top, going round three or four times. That gives the ridged seed head texture and stops the centre reading as a plain yellow blob.
For the small daisies, work rounds 1 to 3 only, then a decrease round and close, for a smaller flatter dome.
Sew a centre onto each daisy, covering the base ring completely.
Part 5. Leaves, make about sixteen
In sage green. Ch 11. Working back along the chain, sl st in the second ch from the hook, sc in the next 2, hdc in the next 2, dc in the next 3, hdc in the next, then 3 sc into the last chain, and back along the other side in reverse. Join.
Work a surface slip stitch vein down the centre from base to tip.
Part 6. Blocking
Block all six circles flat before joining anything, pinning each one into a true round and opening the spoke pattern. Pin the daisies out with the petals spread, and the leaves flat.
Do not block the domed centres. They are meant to stand up, and pinning them will flatten them permanently.
Part 7. Overlapping and joining
This is the part that decides the shape of the runner.
Lay the circles in a line, overlapping each one onto the last by about a third of its width. Alternate which side of the centre line each circle sits on, so the row snakes very slightly rather than running dead straight.
An overlap of about a third is the number that works. Less and you get gaps and a weak join. More and the runner becomes short and heavy and the lace pattern disappears under itself.
Pin the whole row before sewing anything, and check the overall length against your table.
Sew each overlap with cream thread, stitching through both layers around the curve where the top circle crosses the one beneath. Sew all the way along that curve rather than at a few points, because these joins carry the whole runner.
Part 8. Placing the flowers
Put a large daisy over every overlap. Five daisies for five overlaps between six circles. That is not a coincidence, it is the design.
The join line between two circles is the least attractive part of the runner and the flower covers it completely, so centre each one carefully over the crossing point.
Then place the small daisies around the outer edges, some sitting on the lace and some overhanging it. Add the leaves in clusters of two and three, tucked under petals and around the outside so they break the outline.
Sew each daisy down through the base ring under its centre, plus four points around the petal ring. Leave the petal tips completely free so they lift off the lace.
Sew the leaves down along their bases only, tips free.
Notes and variations
Cream circles with yellow daisies and white petals gives a classic daisy version.
Pink flowers on cream with sage leaves works beautifully for spring.
A single circle with one daisy makes a good coaster or a small doily, and six of them make placemats to match the runner.
Eight circles gives a runner for a long dining table.
Questions I get asked
Why do my petals look pointed? You worked one side of the chain only. Work back along the other side with three doubles at the tip and they round off.
Why is my runner sagging between circles? The overlap is too small, or you sewed the joins at a few points rather than all the way round the curve.
Why do my flower centres look flat? You blocked them. They are the one part of this runner that should never go under a pin.
Can I use acrylic? Cotton blocks better and this piece depends on the circles lying flat.
How long does it take? About sixteen hours. The circles are eight and the flowers are six.