I searched off and on for over a year for a pattern for a small, round cactus that could be crochet in a spiral, rather than crocheting in rows and sewing together to get the “ridges” of the cacti. I couldn’t find one I liked, so I ended up making my own pattern instead.
Round Cactus Pattern
Terms/Abbreviations:
MC: Magic circle
Hdc: Half-double crochet
Inc: Increase (2 stitches in 1 stitch)
Dec: Decrease (1 stitch across 2 stitches)
St: Stitch
Sl st: Slip stitch
BLO: Crochet in back loops only
Rnd: Round
FO: Finish off
BO: Bind off
You will need:
Size F/3.75mm crochet hook
Worsted weight yarn in the color of your choice (I used Red Heart Super Saver in Spring Green for the cactus)
Worsted weight yarn for the dirt/sand (I used hand-me-down light brown/sandy-colored worsted weight yarn)
Stuffing
yarn needle
scissors
Pattern Notes:
Be sure to turn your work inside-out so that the “ridges” of the hdcs show. (They will go around in a spiral, not up and down, but they still give it the overall cactus look and feel.)
I use the invisible decrease method. You can find tutorials on YouTube, or you can use whatever decrease method you typically use.
I did not close the bottom of my cactus. I wanted it to have a flat base with the edge of the final row that could be easily sewn to the “dirt/sand” underneath that I used to line the pot.
I added a small flower to the top of my cactus. I used the Flower pattern found here:
http://thecraftzilla.blogspot.com/2018/03/free-cactus-pattern.html?m=1
I glued a small yellow button in the middle.
The other cactus in the reference photo is based on this pattern: https://crobypatterns.com/crochet-cactus-in-the-pot-free-crochet-pattern/
I modified the number of stitches in each row, and the number of rows, to make it fit in my dish.
I’m also including a simple pattern for how I made the dirt/sand at the bottom of my dish.
Cactus:
In green, MC 8 sts (8)
R2: hdc, inc around (12)
R3: inc around (24)
R4: (inc, hdc x 2) around (32)
R5-7: hdc around (32)
R8: (dec, hdx x 2) around (24)
Turn work inside out.
R9: (dec, hdc) around (16)
Stuff lightly.
R10: dec around (8)
FO: sl st to first st in round and BO. Knot off end and hide inside ball.
Dirt/Sand:
In brown, MC 6 hdc sts (6)
R2: inc around (12)
R3: (hdc, inc) around (24)
R4-?: (hdc x 2/3/4/etc., inc) around, increasing +1 hdc per row, until disc reaches desired size to fill bottom of dish
Next Rnd: BLO hdc around
Last Rnd: hdc around. 5 sts from end of rnd, sc x 3, sl st x 2
FO, weave in end.
Please feel free to sell the cacti you’ve made, but please credit Crafty Reason and link back to the pattern (http://craftyreason.com/2019/10/24/pattern-round-cactus/) if you do so. Please contact us at craftyreason@gmail.com for permission if you wish to reproduce this pattern. Also, send us a message if you notice anything wrong with the pattern. Happy crocheting!
~Crafty Reba
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Pattern © Crafty Reason. Please Contact Us for permission if you wish to reproduce any of our patterns.