Crochet Your Own Saguaro: A Pattern from Saguaro National Park

The saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) is a symbol of the American Southwest that draws visitors from all over the world. Known as the giant cactus, it sometimes grows more than 50 feet tall. It needs just the right balance of heat and rainfall and grows only in the Sonoran Desert, and it grows slowly: a saguaro may take 10 years to reach a few inches in height, and it can live up to 200 years. Saguaro National Park offers this pattern for a cactus that grows in minutes instead.

A crocheted saguaro. NPS/M Starr

Materials

• Yarn, green. A stiffer yarn helps the cactus stand, but any yarn works.
• Crochet hook in the size recommended for your yarn.
• Stuffing, such as fiberfill or scrap yarn.
• Sewing (tapestry) needle and scissors.

The example used about half a skein (roughly 150 yards) of medium/worsted-weight yarn and a US H-8 (5 mm) hook, and stands 9 inches tall.

Stitches

• fpdc: yo, insert the hook from front to back around the post of the stitch (the hook sits in front of the post), yo and pull through (3 loops on hook), yo and pull through 2 loops, yo and pull through the last 2.
• bpdc: the same, but insert the hook from back to front so it sits behind the post.
• dc2tog: yo, insert in the next stitch, yo and pull up a loop, yo and pull through 2 loops; repeat in the next stitch (3 loops on hook); yo and pull through all 3.

Main stem

1. Work 6 sc into a magic ring and sl st to join — or ch 4, sl st into the first chain, work 6 sc into the ring and join. (6 st)
2. 2 sc in each stitch. (12)
3. 1 sc, 2 sc in next around. (18)
4. 1 sc, 2 sc in next, 1 sc around. (24)
5. 1 sc, 2 sc in next, 1 sc, 1 sc around. (30)
6. 1 sc, 2 sc in next, 1 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc around. (36)
7. 1 dc in each stitch. (36)
8. fpdc, bpdc around, making the saguaro's ribs. (36)
9. Repeat round 8 until the stem is as tall as you like. The sample repeats it 24 times.
10. Begin tapering: dc2tog through the front posts only, bpdc, fpdc, bpdc around.
11. Repeat round 10 until only a small opening remains, and stuff the stem.
12. Keep repeating round 10 until closed. Fasten off and weave in the ends.

Arms

Arms are worked like the stem on a smaller scale, and can be changed to suit you.

Bent arm (make two pieces and join them):

1–3. Work as rounds 1–3 of the stem. (18)

4. 1 dc in each stitch. (18)
5. fpdc, bpdc around. (18)
   6–8. Repeat round 5.
6. 1 sc, then alternate bpdc and fpdc for 15 stitches, 1 sc, turn. (17)
7. Skip the first stitch, sc in the second, alternate fpdc and bpdc for 13 stitches, sc, turn. (15)
8. As round 10, alternating bpdc and fpdc for 11 stitches. (13)
9. As round 10, alternating fpdc and bpdc for 9 stitches. (11)
10. As round 10, alternating bpdc and fpdc for 7 stitches. (9)
11. As round 10, alternating fpdc and bpdc for 5 stitches, sc, and fasten off. (7)

Make a second piece the same way. Match the two openings and sew them together with a tapestry needle, leaving room to stuff the arm; stuff it, fasten off and weave in the ends. Sew the arm to the side of the stem.

Small arm:

1–8. Work as rounds 1–8 of the bent arm. (18)

9. dc2tog through the front posts only, bpdc, fpdc, bpdc around.
10. Repeat round 9 until only a small opening remains, and stuff the arm.
11. Continue until closed, fasten off and hide the ends.

Sew the arm to the side of the stem.

Make it your own

Real saguaros come in every shape and size, so add as many arms as you like. There is no perfect saguaro: embrace the imperfections and adjust the pattern as you go — that is what makes yours one of a kind.

Sources

• National Park Service, "Saguaro Crochet Pattern" (Saguaro National Park): https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/saguaro-crochet-pattern.htm
• The source's small-arm instructions say to repeat "row 10" where its own decrease round is round 9; this page repeats round 9. It also has several typos ("rainfal," "scap yarn," "bpds").