Woven Wheel (Spider Web Rose): How to Do It Step by Step

Woven Wheel (Spider Web Rose) is a hand embroidery stitch that makes raised woven rosette. Makers reach for it for roses, raised flowers, floral borders. It is rated intermediate here, so it helps to be comfortable with the basic stitches first and to practice on a swatch before a project.

1. Mark a circle and make 5 straight stitches from the edge to the center, like spokes. An odd number is needed. 2. With a new or longer thread, bring the needle up near the center between two spokes. 3. Weave over one spoke and under the next, going around without piercing the fabric. 4. Keep weaving outward, letting the thread sit loosely so the rose puffs. 5. When the spokes are covered, take the needle down under the edge of the last round. Work slowly for the first few repeats, keep your tension even, and check the result against the steps before continuing across a whole row or motif.

The most common problems are: using an even number of spokes, which breaks the over-under pattern; pulling the weave tight so the rose flattens; using a sharp needle that splits spokes; a tapestry needle is easier. Most are easy to spot if you pause after a few repeats and compare your work with the steps. Good light helps a great deal, especially with dark yarn or thread.

Stitches closely related to woven wheel (spider web rose) include French Knot, Bullion Knot, Lazy Daisy (Detached Chain). Learning them together makes patterns easier to read, because many designs switch between related stitches to change texture, height or line. Each has its own step-by-step page in the stitch dictionary.