Rows of Stars
Crochet star stitch is one of my absolute favourite stitches, so it was clear that it would feature in this blanket at some point. And although this stitch is a ‘yarn eater‘, I really think the lovely texture that is adds is more than worth it.
So you would think I would have enjoyed this week’s part, and I really did until I picked up the blanket for the photos only to discover I had twisted each square to face the wrong way while attaching them!!! It caused a good deal of swearing, let me tell you. As time was of the essence, I couldn’t pull everything out and start again, and so I embarked on the difficult and annoying process of cutting the stitches, pulling them out and reattaching them. Goodness, that was not fun and I learned a good lesson about the positive sides of paying more attention rather than just enthusiastically getting on with the crochet!
This week, we are adding rows of star stitch to the sides of the blanket
Materials
Tapestry needle and sharp scissors
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Pattern notes
The pattern is written using UK terminology, for a conversion chart to US terminology click this link.
The blanket is worked in the round. You do not need to turn your work after each row and you continue working in the same direction as before.
[Stitches written in brackets like this are all worked into the same stitch.]
For the first stitch on each row: Chain 1 to move up to the next round if the round starts with double crochet. Chain 2 if the round starts with a half treble crochet, and chain 3 if the round starts with a treble crochet. These chains count as the first stitch in the row
Special stitches
Dc – double crochet
Ch – chain
Htr – half treble
Ss – slip stitch
Star stitch – as explained below
Start crocheting here:
Row 2
Use Gold for the star stitch
With the right side of the blanket facing up, start on the left side of any corner. Attach yarn with slip stitch into the stitch that is 2 up from the corner ch-2-sp on the square. Then proceed down the side of the square and on to the main part of the blanket in the pattern of the star stitch as follows:
Insert your hook into stitch with slip stitch, yarn over and pull through. Do not finish the stitch so that you should now have 2 loops on your hook. Then insert hook in next stitch on the square, yarn over and pull through, as before do not finish stitch so that you now have 3 loops on your hook. Repeat this step for the next 3 stitches on the blanket until you have 6 loops on your hook. Then yarn over and pull this loop through the six loops already on your hook.Chain 1 to complete eye of the star. You have now completed the first star.
The rest of the stars are formed as follows: Insert hook into eye of previous star yarn over and pull through – do not finish the stitch so that you should now have 2 loops on your hook. Insert hook into the space between the last two stitches of the previous star, yarn over and pull though, you should now have 3 loops on your hook. Insert hook into hook into the same stitch that you worked the last stitch of the previous star into, yarn over and pull through, so you should now have 4 loops on your hook. Then insert hook, yarn over and pull through for the next 2 stitch until you have 6 loops on your hook, yarn over and pull through, then chain one to complete the eye of the star.
Do this until the end of the row. Do not fast off.
Row 3
Slip stich into the second stitch of the right side of the next square. Make 2 more slip stitches further up the square, then chain 1 and turn your work so the wrong side is now facing you. Now work the return row by crocheting 2 htr in each ‘eye’ of the star. When you get to the end of the row make a slip stitch in the first square 2 stitches up from the beginning of row 3. Fasten off.
Repeat for all 4 sides.
