Raise your hand if you LOVE succulents? (raises hand). Raise your hand if you CAN’T seem to keep them alive? (raises hand). Succulents and cacti should be the easiest plants to maintain and yet, I never can. So, I picked my favorite ones and created The Succ-Less Collection! A crocheted group of 3 cacti and 3 succulents, all made with just a few items. Up first, is The String of Pearls. 

 

The String of Pearls, or Senecio rowleyanus, is a creeping perennial succulent vine that is native to the drier parts of southwest Africa. Named for its small pea shaped leaves and trailing stems that can grow up to 2-3 feet long. Like most succulents, it requires small amounts of water, hardly any sunlight, and is not affected by humidity. And did you know…they are somewhat poisonous?! I wouldn’t recommend eating the plant or getting the sap on your skin.

Most String of Pearls are displayed in small pots with the leaves cascading over the edge. Either on window sills or in hanging baskets.

This crocheted version can be made either way! The following directions will have instructions to finish your plant in a small pot but one of my testers placed her’s in a small mason jar as a hanging basket.

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Interested in a Ad-Free version of this pattern? Click the E below for a link to my Etsy page. This version will be clear and full of the same colorful photos as the blog! Purchasing this low-cost version helps support my small business and I appreciate every purchase. 

Etsy

Supplies

  • 4mm hook (G hook)
  • Polyfil stuffing
  • plastic needle
  • 2″ clay pot
  • hot glue gun
  • 50 yards of Worsted Weight Yarn (size 4) in light green PLUS 15 yards of brown yarn. I used Brava Worsted Weight yarn from WeCrochet/Knit Picks for both. Click the affiliate link (no extra cost) to purchase your yarn today!
 

Special Notes/Stitch Abbreviations

Sl St- slip stitch

SC- single crochet

HDC- half double crochet

PS- puff stitch

CH- chain

HDC2Tog- half double crochet 2 together (decrease)

*…..*- repeat the stitches inside of the stars

 

  • This pattern is worked in the round.
  • Chain 2 in each round does NOT count as a stitch

Stitch Explanation

                                      The Puff Stitch (PS)

Directions

Round 1: make a magic circle, CH 2 and 8 HDC into the magic circle and Sl St to top of the first HDC (8)

Round 2: CH 2, 2 HDC in same stitch and each stitch around. Sl St to top of first HDC (16)

Round 3: CH 2, *2 HDC in same stitch + 1 HDC in next stitch*, repeat around. Sl St to top of first HDC (24)

Round 4: This round will be the beginning of the Pearls

-CH 1. SC in next stitch. CH 25. Sl St in first 3 stitches. PS in next stitch. Sl St in next stitch to create your first pearl. Sl St in next 2 stitches. PS in next stitch and repeat process 4 more times (6 total Puffs/Pearls).

Stitches down the chain should be: Sl St, Sl St, Sl St, PS, Sl St, Sl St, Sl St, PS, Sl St, Sl St, Sl St, PS, Sl St, Sl St, Sl St, PS, Sl St, Sl St, Sl St, PS, Sl St, Sl St, Sl St, PS.

New Tools from The Hook Nook. An assortment of Hook Nook tools and hooks on a blue background

After the last PS, SC into the same stitch as your first SC to close off. This creates a full string of pearls.

Continuing Round 4: SC in the next 2 stitches. In the third stitch, SC and then CH 25. Repeat the process of creating pearls down the chain of 25 and single crocheting in the spaces in between the chains for a total of 8 strings of pearls all together. Sl St to the first SC to finish the round.

Due to the nature of the slip stitches and puff stitches, your crocheted circle will need to be flipped to show the wrong side out when you finish the round.

Round 5 (switch to your brown yarn): Flip your circle to the right side and attach your brown yarn to the Sl St from the previous round. CH 2 and add 32 HDC around the top of the edges.

Round 6: HDC2Tog in each stitch. Sl St to the first set of HDC2Tog. (16)

Round 7. CH 2. HDC in same stitch and each stitch. Sl St to first HDC to complete (16)

Assembly

Leave a long tail (8″) and cut yarn. Thread through each stitch and pull to tighten. Hide tail and cut. Add a small amount of polyfil to the bottom of your terracotta pot. Using the hot glue gun, add a liberal amount of hot glue to the inside of the pot, just below the rim. Push your string of pearls (brown side down) into the pot, so the glue takes hold of it. Apply pressure for 1 minute to allow the glue to dry.

Ta-da! You’ve made a String of Pearls! Go celebrate and put that baby up on a shelf.

I cannot wait to see your little creation. Tag your finished products with #puglovecrochet & #thesucclesscollection & #stringofpearlsplc.

xoxo, Lindsey

Testers

Below are some photos of finished String of Pearls from my wonderful testers. Want to test the next patterns? Follow along on my Instagram page when I put the tester calls out. Thanks again to my amazing testers. The did a great job reading the pattern and helping me fix a few things.

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