Knitted Star Motif for Holiday Decor
Last Updated on December 4, 2017 by lydiaf1963
I love the old fashioned look of doilies, dresser scarves and runners, especially when decorating for Christmas. This year I wanted a star shaped doily to use underneath decorative items so I spent some time searching on Ravelry and found the most beautiful knitted star from Sarah of Crafts from the Cwtch. I was charmed by the tear shaped beads she used on the tips as well as the elongated star shape. Let me tell you how I made it.
This is so pretty! I love the clever way Sarah used negative space produced by increase stitches to create a second star shape. You can see it radiating out from the center in the photo above. She also used increases and decreases to form a whorl pattern in each of the points. I was fortunate to find some pearly tear shaped beads and sewed them to the ends of the points to complete the motif.
The center is formed first, then each point is worked separately. I used a fine acrylic yarn from my stash which did not want to cooperate and hold the star shape until I persuaded it with lots and lots of pins and steam!
This was my first attempt at steam blocking and it went pretty well. It made all the difference in the final appearance of my star and really helped the stitches to bloom.
My star measures about 9 inches (23 cm) from point to point, which works well for the little side table where I want to use it. A larger star could be made by increasing the needle size and/or choosing a thicker yarn.
Here’s what you’ll need to make your own knitted star motif
- fine yarn, choose a fiber that can be blocked
- double pointed needles to fit the yarn; they will act as stitch holders as you work the points individually
- stitch markers
- tapestry needle
- steel pins for blocking
- FREE pattern available from Crafts from the Cwtch
The star took me just over an hour to knit, plus overnight for the motif to dry after I blocked it. Then another 30 minutes or so to weave in the ends and sew on the beads.
It makes me smile when I look at it.
If you are interested in more knitted Christmas projects check out these posts:
