We’re dreaming of a white Christmas for Iron Craft this challenge, which meant we were asked to create something using the color white. I decided to knit up some white (and silver) stars which will become part of a larger project later on.

These look a little tricky to put together, taking multiple points and joining them together in the round, but if you follow the step by step directions and photos below it’s a cinch. This is one of those patterns that after you knit it once you almost don’t need to look at the pattern again.

After I did a couple, I started messing around a bit with the size and shape. You can make these bigger or smaller by changing the needle size and yarn. On these the small one is done on a size 0 needles and the large one is done on size 3 needles.

You can change the shape of the star but adding a sixth point or making some of the points longer. I did both for this elongated star.

Do a 6-point star with all short points for Hanukkah decorations. A string of them in white and light blue would be beautiful.

Knit Star Ornaments

Supplies:

• sport or baby weight yarn (I used Vanna’s Glamour is Diamond and Platinum)
• four US size 0 (2mm) double pointed needles
• tapestry needle
• stuffing

Gauge: Gauge is not important in this project just make sure you are getting a tight weave so the stuffing doesn’t show through.

Required skills:

• knitting and purling
• knitting in the round on four needles
• basic increases and decreases
• seaming

Abbreviations:

• k – knit
• p – purl
• kfb – knit into the front and then the back of the same stitch making 1 extra stitch
• k2tog – knit two stitches together decreasing 1 stitch
• ssk – slip two stitch as if to knit and then knit them together decreasing 1 stitch
• pfb – purl into the front and back of the same stitch making 1 extra stitch

Five-Pointed Star

Points:

Cast on 3 stitches
Row 1: p
Row 2: kfb, k1, kfb (5 stitches)
Row 3: p
Row 4: kfb, k3, kfb (7 stitches)
Row 5: p
Row 6: kfb, k5, kfb (9 stitches)
Row 7: p
Row 8: kfb, k7, kfb, (11 stitches)
Row 9: p
Row 10: kfb, k9, kfb (13 stitches)
Row 11: p
Row 12: kfb, k11, kfb (15 stitches)

Cut yarn and put point on a stitch holder or leave on needle.

Make 4 points and put them on one needle.

Now make a fifth point, but this time do not cut the yarn. Place a stitch holder after that point.

Assemble Star:

You are now going to join all the points together and then knit them in the round. This is really the only tricky part of this pattern, hopefully the pictures below will help too.

With the yarn that is still attached to the last point you made, knit 10 stitches from the first of the four points you have on the other needle.

Now onto a new needle, knit the remaing 5 stitches from that first point, the 15 stitches of the second point and then 5 stitches from the third point.

With another new needle, knit the 10 remaining stitches from the third point and the 15 from the fourth point.

Join into a round by knitting 1 stitch from the point before the stitch marker. Make sure none of the stitches are twisted.

Knit to the stitch marker. (75 stitches on the needles)

Row 1: (ssk, k11, k2tog) repeat until end of round (65 stitches)
Row 2: k
Row 3: (ssk, k9, k2tog) repeat until end of round (55 stitches)
Row 4: k
Row 5: (ssk, k7, k2tog) repeat until end of round (45 stitches)
Row 6: k
Row 7: (ssk, k5, k2tog) repeat until end of round (35 stitches)
Row 8: k
Row 9: (ssk, k3, k2tog) repeat until end of round (25 stitches)
Row 10: k
Row 11: (ssk, k1, k2tog) repeat until end of round (15 stitches)
Row 12: k

Cut the yarn, leaving at least a 6″ tail. Put the tail on a tapestry needle and weave through the stitches on the needles. Remove the needle and pull the stitches tight closing the hole in the middle. Pull tail through to the back and knot or weave in.

Weave in all ends. (I actually only weaved the ends in that were between the points. The ones at the tips I just left inside the star when I sewed it together.) You can leave the tail on one of the points to use as a hanging loop.

Make a second star. Sew the stars together, wrong sides facing each other.

When you have the side of one point left to sew, stuff the star. Then sew shut.

Enlongated Six-Pointed Star

Long Points

Cast on 3 stitches

Row 1: p
Row 2: kfb, k, kfb (5 stitches)
Row 3: p
Row 4: k
Row 5: pfb, p3, pfb (7 stitches)
Row 6: k
Row 7: p
Row 8: kfb, k5, kfb (9 stitches)
Row 9: p
Row 10: k
Row 11: pfb, p7, pfb (11 stitches)
Row 12: k
Row 13: p
Row 14: kfb, k9, kfb (13 stitches)
Row 15: p
Row 16: k
Row 17: pfb, p11, pfb (15 stitches)
Row 18: k

Make 2 long points and 4 short points. You will put this star together just like five-pointed star except you will have 6 points. When you are putting the points together to knit in the round put them in this order, 1 short point, 1 long point, 2 short points, 1 long point, 1 short point. Put two points on each needle as you are putting them together to knit in the round.

The decreases are the same as the 5-point star except you will start with 90 stitches and end with 18.

Copyright 2012 Kathy Lewinski. JustCraftyEnough.com
This pattern is for personal use only. Do not duplicate it for distribution, sell it, teach it or sell items made with it without permission.

As always, if you make some stars with our pattern we’d love to see them in our Flickr group. Later I’ll show you how I use these stars….