Coconut Palms Point Collar Free Pattern: African Flower Crochet Collar in Striped Sock Yarn

Coconut Palms Point Collar: A Free African Flower Crochet Collar Pattern

Introduction

If you have never crocheted before, this collar is a wonderful first "real" project: it is small, it uses only a handful of basic stitches, and every piece is identical, so you get lots of practice on something forgiving. The Coconut Palms Point Collar is a downward-pointing triangular collar worked from the neck outward in African flower half-motifs, with oatmeal and charcoal stripes fanning toward the tip like the shadow of a palm frond. It is perfect for someone who wants a light, tropical layer to wear over a shirt or a thin sweater, and because it is detachable, you can pop it on and off in seconds. When finished, it feels soft and slightly springy in the hand, with crisp little petal points outlined in single crochet and a neat buttoned band at the neck. You will be amazed at how quickly nine little half-flowers turn into something that looks like it came from a shop.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Self-striping sock yarn, light fingering / 4-ply weight (approximately 400 m / 437 yd per 100 g skein), wool-nylon blend, in an oatmeal and charcoal striping colorway. You will use approximately 45–55 g (180–220 m / 197–240 yd).
• Crochet hook: 3.0 mm (US D/3), or the size needed to match the gauge below.
• Stitch markers: 4–6 removable markers (or small safety pins) to mark the first stitch of each round and to hold motifs in place while you arrange them.
• Tapestry needle: a blunt-tipped needle with a large eye for weaving in ends.
• Scissors: small, sharp craft scissors.
• Button: one 12 mm / ½ in coconut-shell or dark wood button.
• Blocking supplies: a towel, rust-proof pins, and a spray bottle of water.
• Finished size: Neck edge (top straight edge) approximately 44 cm / 17¼ in, including a 3 cm / 1¼ in buttoned overlap at each end. Center-front drop from neck edge to point approximately 16 cm / 6¼ in. Width across the widest part (shoulder line) approximately 30 cm / 11¾ in. One size fits most.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

Every abbreviation used in this pattern is explained here in plain English. Read this list once before you begin; you do not need to memorise it.

• ch – chain. Wrap the yarn over your hook and pull it through the loop already on your hook. This makes one chain stitch.
• sl st – slip stitch. Insert your hook into the stitch, wrap the yarn over, and pull it through both the stitch and the loop on your hook in one motion. It makes a nearly flat, invisible join.
• sc – single crochet. Insert your hook into the stitch, wrap the yarn over and pull up a loop (2 loops on hook), wrap the yarn over again and pull through both loops. One loop remains.
• hdc – half double crochet. Wrap the yarn over your hook first, insert the hook into the stitch, wrap and pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), wrap again and pull through all 3 loops at once.
• dc – double crochet. Wrap the yarn over your hook, insert into the stitch, wrap and pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), wrap and pull through 2 loops, wrap and pull through the last 2 loops.
• tr – treble crochet. Wrap the yarn over your hook twice, insert into the stitch, pull up a loop, then pull through 2 loops three times. (Listed for completeness; not used in this pattern.)
• sc2tog – single crochet 2 together (a decrease). Insert your hook into the first stitch, pull up a loop, insert into the next stitch, pull up a loop, then wrap and pull through all 3 loops. (Listed for completeness; not used in this pattern.)
• magic ring – an adjustable loop of yarn you crochet into, then pull tight so no hole remains in the centre.
• ch-2 sp / ch-3 sp – chain-2 space / chain-3 space. The little gap made by a chain of 2 or 3 stitches; you work your next stitches into that gap rather than into a stitch.
• beg – beginning.
• st(s) – stitch(es).
• turn – flip your work over so you can work back along the row you just made.
• fasten off – cut the yarn a few inches from your work and pull the tail through the last loop to lock it.
• half-motif – a half-circle flower shape: one straight edge (the joining edge) and one curved fan edge of four rounded petals.

Gauge

Gauge: One finished African flower half-motif (Rounds 1–4) measures approximately 4.5 cm / 1¾ in along the straight neck edge and 3 cm / 1¼ in deep. In single crochet, 24 sc and 26 rows = 10 cm / 4 in.

Why gauge matters: Gauge is simply how big your stitches come out. If your stitches are bigger than the designer's, your collar will be wider and droopier; if smaller, it will be tight and short. Because this collar is built from nine identical motifs, one slightly-too-big motif multiplied nine times changes the whole fit.

How to check it: Before starting the collar, crochet one complete half-motif (Rounds 1–4) and measure it. If it measures more than 5 cm / 2 in along the neck edge, go down one hook size (try 2.75 mm). If it measures less than 4 cm / 1½ in, go up one hook size (try 3.25 mm). You can then unravel that practice motif and reuse the yarn, or simply keep it as your first of the nine.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Use a stitch marker. Place a marker in the first stitch of every round so you always know where the round began and never lose your place.
• Do not pull the yarn too tight. Beginners tend to crochet tightly, which makes the petals curl. Keep your loops relaxed and let the hook do the work.
• Let the stripes happen. Use the self-striping yarn exactly as it comes from the skein. Do not cut the yarn to force colour changes; the oatmeal and charcoal bands will shift naturally across each motif, and that is what creates the palm-frond shadow effect.
• Make all nine motifs first. Working them assembly-line style means your tension stays consistent and you get comfortable with the stitches before the joining begins.
• Keep your tails long. Leave a 20 cm / 8 in tail on every motif; you will use these tails to join the pieces, so do not trim them short.
• Count out loud. Say the stitch count at the end of each round. It is the fastest way to catch a mistake before it grows.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Part 1: The African Flower Half-Motif (make 9)

The half-motif is a half-circle: a straight edge (which becomes the neck edge or a joining edge) and a curved fan edge. Work all nine motifs before moving on.

Round 1 (centre): With yarn, make a magic ring. Ch 3 (this counts as the first dc). Work 7 dc into the ring. Pull the ring closed. Do not join; turn. (8 dc)

Round 2 (petal round): Ch 3 (counts as first dc), 2 dc in the first st, ch 2, [3 dc in the next st, ch 2] 3 times, 3 dc in the last st. Turn. (4 groups of 3 dc, 3 ch-2 sps, plus the two end groups)

Round 3 (petal tips): Ch 1, sc in each of the first 3 dc, [in the next ch-2 sp work (sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc); sc in each of the next 3 dc] 3 times, then in the final ch-2 sp work (sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc), sc in each of the last 3 dc. Turn. (The curved fan edge now has 4 rounded petals.)

Round 4 (outer stripe round): Ch 3 (counts as first dc), dc in each of the next 2 sc, [2 dc in the next sc, dc in each of the next 5 sc, 2 dc in the next sc] 3 times, dc in each of the last 3 sc. Do not turn. Fasten off, leaving a 20 cm / 8 in tail for joining. (Approx. 48 dc along the fan edge.)

Round 5 (charcoal outline, worked only on the curved fan edge): Join yarn at the right end of the fan edge with a sl st. Ch 1, sc evenly along the fan edge, working 1 sc in each dc and 1 sc in each corner where the petals meet, and working (sc, ch 1, sc) at the centre tip of each petal to keep the points crisp. Fasten off. (The straight edge of the half-motif is left unworked; it is the joining edge.)

Repeat Rounds 1–5 eight more times until you have 9 half-motifs in total.

Part 2: Arranging the Motifs

Lay the 9 half-motifs out with their straight edges up and their fan edges pointing down, in a triangle:

• Row A (neck row): 5 half-motifs side by side, straight edges forming the neck edge.
• Row B (middle row): 3 half-motifs, each centred under the join between two Row A motifs.
• Row C (point row): 1 half-motif centred under the middle Row B motif.

Part 3: Joining

With right sides facing, use the yarn tails and your 3.0 mm hook to slip-stitch the pieces together. Work through both layers, spacing the slip stitches evenly at approximately 1 sl st per stitch.

Step 1: Join the 5 Row A motifs to each other along their vertical sides. (Row A joined into one strip.)

Step 2: Join the straight edge of each Row B motif to the fan edge of the two Row A motifs above it. (3 Row B motifs attached.)

Step 3: Join the Row C motif to the two Row B motifs above it the same way. (1 Row C motif attached; the triangle is complete.)

Weave in all ends.

Part 4: Neck Band and Button Tabs

Round 1: Join yarn at the right end of the neck edge. Ch 1, work 1 sc in each stitch and 1 sc in each joining seam along the entire neck edge, then continue 3 cm / 1¼ in beyond each end to form a small tab (work 6 sc across the tab end). Ch 1, turn.

Round 2: Sc in each sc to the end, working 1 sc in each corner and 3 sc in each corner turn to keep the tabs flat. Ch 1, turn.

Round 3 (buttonhole tab, right end only): Sc in each sc across the right tab to its centre, ch 2, skip 2 sc, sc in each remaining sc across the neck edge and the left tab. Ch 1, turn.

Round 4: Sc in each sc and 2 sc in the ch-2 sp, working evenly to the end. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Sew one 12 mm / ½ in coconut-shell or dark wood button to the left tab, opposite the buttonhole.

Part 5: Edging

Edging round: Join yarn at the point of the collar. Ch 1, work sc evenly up the right diagonal edge, around the neck band, and down the left diagonal edge, working (sc, ch 1, sc) at the centre point to sharpen the tip. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Assembly and Finishing

Seaming: All joining is done with slip stitch through both layers, right sides facing, using the long tails you left on each motif. Work slowly and keep the slip stitches even; if a seam puckers, undo a few stitches and space them slightly further apart. Check as you go that the fan edges of the row below sit flat and are not trapped inside the seam.

Weaving in ends: Thread each tail onto the tapestry needle and run it through the back of several stitches, changing direction once so it cannot work loose. Trim close to the work but not so close that the end pops out.

Blocking: Pin the collar out on a towel, straight edges to the neck line and the point at centre front, using rust-proof pins. Mist lightly with water and leave to dry completely. This opens the African flower petals and sets the palm-frond fan so the collar lies flat.

Final check: Confirm that the button aligns with the buttonhole and that the collar sits flat at the neck. If it does not, move the button slightly and re-sew it.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the colours: Any self-striping sock yarn works beautifully. Try a sand-and-sea palette (cream, pale blue, soft green) for a beachier look, or a single solid colour if you prefer a quieter, more formal collar.
• Adjust the size: To lengthen the neck edge, work the two end half-motifs of Row A with one extra Round 4 repeat. To shorten it, omit the button tabs and finish the neck band directly at the edge.
• Substitute the yarn: A smooth light fingering or 4-ply wool, cotton-blend, or bamboo sock yarn will all work. Always crochet a practice motif first, because fibre content changes how the petals sit.
• Make it reversible: Work the joining seams neatly on the wrong side and add the edging to both faces, so the collar can be worn either way for two different looks.