FREE Crochet Sunflower Wind Spinner Pattern

Crochet wind spinners have taken the internet by storm lately, and for good reason! They make such gorgeous decor items and make wonderful gifts too!  I experimented with some lovely color combinations with this wind spinner, you may check it out for yourself.  Then I got into my sunflower craze and thought I'd try crocheting a sunflower wind spinner. I'm loving the outcome!

These wind spinners are super easy to whip up, they are great stash busters and don't take up much time at all.

There are a variety of patterns you could use to make these wonderful crochet wind spinners, but what I'll show you here is a basic sunflower wind spinner you can start out with.

In a previous post, I showed you how to crochet a flat spiral. So now, we'll learn how to crochet a 3-dimensional spiral that twirls around itself creating this cute curly texture that is so idea for this crochet wind spinner project.

If you think you want to start with a smaller project to test out this spiral technique, have a look at this blog post for Crochet Worry Worms. They are super easy and fast to whip up and will show you how easy it is to get this cute spiral effect. 

Interesting Note: Did you know that the technique used to crochet curly surfaces is called hyperbolic crochet? When I discovered this was actually a mathematical term for "negative curvature", I was really intrigued! 

Think of the types of curvature you see in coral reefs or lettuce leaves. These organic shapes can be replicated in crochet by adding stitches at a constant rate to each row of crochet. The more frequently you add stitches, the curlier (and more negatively curved) your crochet project gets.  Isn't that awesome?! You can watch a video about hyperbolic crochet here.

Now let's experiment with hyperbolic crochet with our wind spinner pattern...

And if you're making these for a gift, I've made some Printable Gift Tags For you 🙂

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using the Start Crochet links. Please see my disclosure for more details.

What You’ll Learn

• How to crochet a 3-D continuous spiral using (ch) chain, (sc) single crochet (dc) double crochet and (tr) treble crochet stitches using 3 different colors.
• How to add embellishments to your wind spinner.

Materials Needed

• 100% cotton yarn (I used Lang Handarbeitsgarn for these sunflowers. You could also use Schachenmayr Catania) in these colors: (Black, Brown or Green), Orange & Yellow.

• Crochet hook that fits your yarn.. For this project I used a 4.5 mm hook.
• A tapestry needle
• A pair of scissors
• Beads or any embellishment you'd like to add to your wind spinner. For this pattern I added the Sunflower Appliqué.

Abbreviations

• ch = chain
• sc = single crochet
• dc = double crochet
• tr - treble crochet
• st = stitch
• sts = stitches
• fo = fasten off

Skill Level

Beginner

Gauge

14 dc and 8 rows with a 4.5 mm crochet hook = 4" (10cm)
Measurement taken without blocking

Gauge is not really that crucial for this project. Just try experimenting with different hook sizes & different weight yarns to get a gauge you are happy with for the project you are working on.

If your wind spinner looks narrower than you anticipated, try a thicker weight yarn or add another row or two to make it wider.

If you want your wind spinner to be longer, just increase the number of stitches in your beginning chain.

Size

This Wind Spinner measures about 18.5" / 47cm length (excluding sunflower embellishment)

Sunflower embellishment measures about 4" / 10cm in diameter.

Yardage

71.6 yards  (65.5 m)

Notes

- You can use any type of yarn as long as you have a corresponding crochet hook size (check yarn label for recommendations)

- If you need more detailed instructions on how to work the required stitches, check out Annie’s Catalogue for visual instructions.

- You can make the pattern larger or smaller by changing the type of yarn and/or hook size. Have a look at this wind spinner made with acrylic yarn (Aran)

- Numbers at the end of each row (in brackets) indicate the number of final stitches in that row. 

- Do not weave in ends or work over your yarn as you work up your project. You can tie the two black loose ends to to hang your wind spinner in the end and the loose orange end to tie to the sunflower appliqué. The rest, you can weave in with your tapestry needle at the end.

- Please note that I use US crochet terms. Here's a US/UK Conversion Chart.

Stitch How-To Instructions

Instructions for Ch (Chain):
Bring the yarn over the crochet hook from back to front and hook it. Draw hooked yarn through the loop of the stitch on your hook and up onto the working area of your hook.

Instructions for sc (Single Crochet):
Insert hook into stitch, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (you now have two loops on hook), yarn over again and pull through both loops on hook (note: this is equivalent to the UK Double Crochet (dc) stitch)

Instructions for dc (Double Crochet):
Yarn over first, then insert hook into stitch, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (you now have three loops on hook), Pull your working yarn over again and pull through two loops on hook . You now have 2 loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through the last two loops on your hook. You are left with only one loop on your hooks, which means you've completed your dc stitch. (note: this is equivalent to the UK Trebble Crochet (tc) stitch)

Instructions for tr (Treble Crochet):
Yarn over 2 times first, then insert hook into stitch, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (you now have four loops on hook), Pull your working yarn over again and pull through two loops on hook . You now have 3 loops on your hook. Pull your working yarn over again and pull through two loops on hook . You now have 2 loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through the last two loops on your hook. You are left with only one loop on your hooks, which means you've completed your tr stitch. (note: this is equivalent to the UK Double Treble Crochet (dtr) stitch)

Instructions for Sl St (Slip Stitch): Insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through your last stitch AND through the loop on your hook (through both stitches).

Instructions for Fastening Off: After the last stitch of the last round, cut the yarn, leaving a 6-inch end. Draw the cut end of your yarn completely through the stitch & pull to tighten knot.

Crochet Wind Spinner Pattern (PDF Printable)

Would you rather have a PDF version of this pattern to print out? Sign up to access this downloadable document below for a small fee. You'll have the text-only version of the pattern in a couple of pages + all progress photo instructions separately.

Crochet Wind Spinner Gift Tags (PDF Printable)

If you're crocheting this sunflower wind spinner to give away as a gift or to sell at a craft market, here are some PDF printable gift tags for you 🙂

Crochet Wind Spinner Pattern Instructions

Row 1:

• Note: Leave a long tail (6")  at the beginning so you can use it to hang up your wind spinner when you're done.
• Using Yarn Colour 1 (Black) for the center of your wind spinner, start off by tying a slip knot, then Ch 61. Turn your work (60 + 1 = 61)

Row 2: 

• sc into the 2nd chain from the hook
• Continue to sc along each stitch of your chain till you reach the starting point of your chain again (60)

• Leave a 6 inch tail, cut your yarn and fasten off.

Row 3:

• Join Yarn Color 2 (Orange) with a sl st to your last sc st of Row 2 and ch 2 (counts as your first dc)

• Add a dc to that same stitch as ch 2
• Continue to add 2 dc stitches to each stitch along the previous row (120)

Note: You will notice that your wind spinner is starting to curl

• Leave a 6 inch tail, cut your yarn and fasten off.

Row 4:

• Beginning at the top of your wind spinner again, join Color 3 (Yellow) with a slip stitch, ch 3 (counts as your first tr)
• Add a tr to that same stitch as ch 3

Now you'll probably find that your wind spinner is looking a little funny! Something like this:

What you need to do now is gently curl the wind spinner into the correct shape. You can do this by either running your finger along the spinner from top to bottom and curling the spinner into shape. Or you could use your index finger to twirl the spinner around and run along from top to bottom. It should end up looking like this.

Ensure that your curls are looking upwards (towards your black yarn strands).

Now this is where the magic happens!

Hold the 2 black strands on the top of the spinner with one hand, and hold the orange strand on the bottom of the spinner with your other hand and pull gently. Your wind spinner will open up beautifully and the curls will fall into place.

Finishing Touches:

• Leave the center strands of Black yarn that you used for R 1 & 2 to hang your wind spinner from. Tie a knot to form a wide ring from which to hang your wind spinner. 
• Weave in ends. With your darning needle, weave in the rest of your yarn ends to hide them and secure your wind spinner from unraveling.

• Add wind spinner embellishments. You could add anything to the bottom of your wind spinner to give it some weight and make it look super pretty. Some ideas could be tassels, beads, pom-poms, or a small sunflower that fits the theme of your wind spinner. Here is the pattern for the sunflower appliqué.

Join Sunflower Appliqué

Once you're done with the sunflower appliqué, join it to the bottom of your wind spinner.

You can join the remaining yellow strand of the sunflower Appliqué to the bottom black center of the wind spinner with a darning needle to secure.. 

Weave in remaining ends.

Hanging Your Crochet Wind Spinner

• You can hang your wind spinner either indoors or outdoors. 
• If you're worried about your wind spinner being in the rain, use a yarn that is easily washable so you can wash your wind spinner from time to time.

I hope you enjoyed this Crochet Sunflower Wind Spinner tutorial. All you need to do now is get started and you'll get the hang of it pretty quick! Try some more color combinations for different seasons 🙂 Here's a similar wind spinner crochet pattern perfect for summer:

Once you start crocheting one spinner, you'll find yourself wanting to try more color combinations and themes. Think of who you might to gift them to on various occasions. I'm sure they'll be thrilled! 

Let me know if you have any questions and...

Happy crocheting!