Crochet Star Stitch: Easy Free Pattern for Beginners

Pattern name: Star Stitch

Designer: Mirrymas

Difficulty: Intermediate

Hook size: 5.00 mm

Steps: 6

Images: 17

Description

The star stitch makes a thick, cosy fabric covered in little six-pointed stars. Each star is made by pulling up several loops and closing them together, and a simple row of single crochet between the star rows keeps everything neat. It looks impressive but uses only chains and single crochet, and it is perfect for blankets, scarves, dishcloths and cushions.

Materials

• Yarn — milk cotton yarn (any yarn works, as long as you use a matching hook)
• Hook — 5.00 mm, or the size recommended for your yarn

Abbreviations

• ch = Chain
• sc = Single Crochet (double crochet in UK terms)
• yo = Yarn Over
• st(s) = Stitch(es)

Special Stitch Instructions

• Pull up a loop: insert your hook, yarn over and pull a loop through, leaving it on your hook.
• Star: once you have 6 loops on your hook, yarn over and pull through all 6 loops at once, then ch 1 to close the star.
• Eye: the small hole at the centre of each finished star, made by the closing ch 1.
• Last leg: the strand on the left side of the star you just made. You pull up a loop through it to start the next star.

Step 1: Foundation Chain

Make a slip knot and chain a multiple of 2, plus 1. For this sample, chain 25.

Step 2: Row 1, First Star (Right Side)

Pull the loop on your hook up a little taller. Skip the first chain from the hook, then pull up a loop in each of the next 5 chains, making each loop the same height as the first. You now have 6 loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through all 6 loops, then ch 1 to close the star.

Step 3: Row 1, Next Stars

This is the star you will repeat across every star row. Pull up each loop to the same height:

1. Insert your hook into the eye of the star you just made and pull up a loop (2 loops on your hook).

2. Insert your hook under the last leg of the star and pull up a loop (3 loops on your hook).

3. Insert your hook into the same chain where the last loop of the previous star was worked, and pull up a loop (4 loops on your hook).

4. Pull up a loop in each of the next 2 chains (6 loops on your hook).

5. Yarn over and pull through all 6 loops, then ch 1.

Repeat these 5 steps across the row. Each new star uses 2 new chains. Keep going until you have 3 chains left, then make one more star, which leaves just 1 chain.

End stitch: insert your hook under the last leg of the star (2 loops on your hook), then insert it into the last chain and pull up a loop (3 loops on your hook). Yarn over and pull through 2 loops, then yarn over and pull through the last 2 loops.

Total: 10 stars and 1 end stitch.

Step 4: Row 2 (Single Crochet, Wrong Side)

Ch 1 and turn. This ch 1 does not count as a stitch.

Work 1 sc into the first stitch, going under both loops. Then work 2 sc into the eye of each star all the way across, inserting your hook into the hole at the centre of the star, not into the stitches around it. For the last stitch, work 1 sc into the corner at the end of the row.

Total: 22 sc (1 + 20 + 1).

Step 5: Row 3 (Star Row, Right Side)

Ch 3 and turn. You are now working on the right side.

First star: skip the first chain from the hook. Pull up a loop in each of the next 2 chains (3 loops on your hook). These 2 chains are the remaining chains of the ch 3 you just made, not stitches from the row below. Then pull up a loop under both loops of each of the first 3 stitches (6 loops on your hook). Yarn over and pull through all 6 loops, then ch 1.

Second star: this works just like the stars in Row 1, but now you are working into the single crochet stitches instead of chains. Go under both top loops of each stitch, and pull every loop up to the same height:

1. Insert your hook into the eye of the first star and pull up a loop (2 loops on your hook).

2. Insert your hook under the last leg of the first star and pull up a loop (3 loops on your hook).

3. Insert your hook into the same stitch where the last loop of the first star was worked (the 3rd stitch of the row) and pull up a loop (4 loops on your hook).

4. Pull up a loop in each of the next 2 stitches (6 loops on your hook).

5. Yarn over and pull through all 6 loops, then ch 1 to close the star.

Repeat these 5 steps for every star across the row. Each new star uses 2 new stitches. Repeat until you have 3 stitches left, make one more star, then work the end stitch into the last stitch: insert under the last leg, then into the last stitch and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through 2 loops, then yarn over and pull through the last 2.

Total: 10 stars and 1 end stitch.

Step 6: Row 4 and Onward

Row 4: ch 1 and turn. Work 1 sc into the first stitch, then 2 sc into the eye of each star across. Finish with 1 sc into the corner at the top of the ch 3 from the row below. Total: 22 sc.

Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until your piece is as tall as you want. Always finish with a single crochet row (Row 4) for a neat top edge, then fasten off and weave in your ends.

Author Notes

• Every time you pull up a loop for a star, pull it up to the same height as the loop already on your hook. Even loops make neat stars and are easier to close.
• Always close each star with a ch 1. This chain makes the star's eye, which you work into later.
• The star rows are worked on the right side and the single crochet rows on the wrong side.
• In Row 3, the first 2 loops of the first star come from the chains of the ch 3, not from the row below.
• In the single crochet rows, work 2 sc into the eye of each star, not into the stitches around it.

Customizing

• Common sizes: dishcloth about 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 in); scarf about 18 x 150 cm (7 x 60 in); baby blanket about 75 x 90 cm (30 x 36 in); lap blanket about 90 x 120 cm (36 x 48 in); throw about 125 x 150 cm (50 x 60 in).
• Make a test swatch first with the yarn and hook you plan to use: chain 25 and work at least 8 rows, then measure how many stitches of a single crochet row fit across 10 cm (4 in) and how many rows fit in 10 cm.
• To work out your foundation chain, work out how many stitches you need across (width in cm multiplied by stitches per cm), then add 3. If the result is even, add 1 more to keep it a multiple of 2 plus 1.
• Stitch counts for any size: for a foundation chain of C, each star row has (C − 5) ÷ 2 stars, and each single crochet row has C − 3 stitches. For example, 41 chains gives 18 stars and 38 single crochets; 101 chains gives 48 stars and 98 single crochets.
• The star stitch is thick and uses more yarn than many stitches. To estimate your yarn, weigh your swatch and divide by its area (width x height in cm), then multiply by the area of your project. Add 10 to 15 percent extra and buy all your yarn from the same dye lot.
• For a long foundation chain, place a stitch marker every 20 chains and chain loosely, or use a hook one size larger for the chain.
• To make stripes, change colour at the end of a single crochet row so each colour starts with a fresh star row.
• For a blanket border, work single crochet evenly around all four sides, with 3 single crochets in each corner.

Video

Watch the video tutorial

Conclusion

The star stitch looks impressive, but once you have made a few stars the rhythm becomes second nature. Take your time keeping the loops even, and you will have a thick, cosy fabric full of little stars. Try it for a blanket, a scarf or a set of dishcloths.

If you make something with this stitch, I would love to see it. Share a photo and tag me on Instagram or TikTok at @mirrymascrafts, and leave a comment below to let me know how it went.

More stitch patterns to try:

• Crochet Granny Stripe Stitch: the classic granny look worked in rows.
• Half Double Crochet Back Loop Stitch: an easy, stretchy ribbed stitch.
• Crochet Cobblestone Stitch: round bumps made with single and treble crochet.
• Crochet Bean Stitch: soft, puffy beans that sit neatly together.
• Granny Square Christmas Tree: a quick holiday decoration.
• Easy Textured Crochet Blanket Stitch: slip stitch and half double crochet.
• Back Loop Shell Stitch: curved shells worked in the back loop.

Happy crocheting, and see you in the next tutorial!