The Ivory Bloom Star is a lacy five-pointed ornament. A small center ring holds five almond-shaped petals, and the petals sit inside a crisp star frame. Short bars of tall stitches link each petal to the frame, which gives the star an airy, stained-glass look on the tree.
The sample is worked in a single cream cotton thread for a classic heirloom finish. It also looks good in white, pale gold, or soft silver-gray. This pattern uses US crochet terms throughout.
The finished star measures about 4¾ in (12.1 cm) from point to point and 4½ in (11.4 cm) from top point to bottom edge, not counting the loop. The hanging loop adds about 1½ in (3.8 cm), so the total hanging height is about 6 in (15.2 cm).
The construction is all in one piece. You work a magic ring, chain five petal loops, cover them with single crochet, then build the star frame with a round of chains and tall-stitch bars. A single-crochet edging finishes the frame, and a covered hanging loop goes on last.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 4¾ in (12.1 cm) wide × 4½ in (11.4 cm) tall
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Size 3 cotton crochet thread (super fine)
- Hook: 2.25 mm (US B-1)
- Number of pieces: 1
- Layout: Single motif, worked in the round from the center
- Piece size: 4¾ in (12.1 cm) wide
- Size before border: 4½ in (11.4 cm) wide after Rnd 4
- Border depth: about ⅛ in (0.3 cm) on every edge
Materials
Yarn: Use a mercerized cotton thread in size 3. Mercerized cotton holds a crisp shape, shows stitch definition, and takes starch well. Avoid fuzzy or very stretchy fibers, because the open bars will sag.
- Cream / ivory: 10 g (about 30 m)
That amount includes a comfortable margin for your gauge swatch, the tails, and the hanging loop. One star actually uses about 7 g (21 m).
Tools:
- 2.25 mm (US B-1) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle with an eye small enough for thread
- Scissors
- Rustproof pins and a foam blocking board
- Spray starch or a fabric-stiffener solution
- Ruler or tape measure
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- dc – double crochet
- tr – treble crochet
- sk – skip
- sp – space
- sc2tog – single crochet two together
- rnd – round
Special stitch – joining sc2tog: Insert the hook in the stitch named for the first petal, yarn over, and pull up a loop. Insert the hook in the stitch named for the second petal, yarn over, and pull up a loop. Then yarn over and pull through all 3 loops. This stitch pinches two neighboring petals together and forms the star’s inner valley.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 8 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm), measured along the Rnd 5 edging.
Because the star is a single piece, Rnds 1–3 work as your gauge test. Make them first and measure before you continue.
- After Rnd 1: The ring measures about 0.6 in (1.5 cm) across, with a center hole about ¼ in (0.6 cm) wide.
- After Rnd 3: Each petal is about 1¼ in (3.2 cm) long from the ring to the tip. The flower measures about 3¼ in (8.3 cm) across from tip to opposite tip.
- After Rnd 4: The star measures about 4½ in (11.4 cm) from point to point.
- After Rnd 5: The star measures about 4¾ in (12.1 cm) from point to point. Each straight edge from point to valley measures about 1¾ in (4.4 cm).
If your star is too big by more than ¼ in (0.6 cm), try a 2.0 mm hook or crochet a little tighter. If it is too small, try a 2.5 mm hook. Change the hook, not the stitch counts. The bars and chain spaces depend on the counts to keep the star’s shape.
Pattern
Rnd 1: Center Ring
Make a magic ring. Ch 1 (this does not count as a stitch). Work 15 sc into the ring. Pull the tail firmly to close the ring, leaving a hole about ¼ in (0.6 cm) wide. Sl st in the first sc to join.
Count: 15 sc.
In this pattern, the first sc of the round is called sc 1, and the stitches are numbered from there.
Rnd 2: Petal Loops
*Ch 14, sl st in the same sc to close a loop, sl st in each of the next 3 sc*. Repeat from * to * 4 more times.
The loops grow from sc 1, 4, 7, 10, and 13. The last 3 sl sts land in sc 14, sc 15, and sc 1, which brings you back to the start.
Count: 5 ch-14 loops; 20 sl sts (5 closing + 15 traveling).
Rnd 3: Covering the Petals
Sl st into the first ch-14 loop. *Work 7 sc into the loop, ch 3 (this is the petal tip), then work 7 more sc into the same loop. Sl st in the closing sl st at the base of the loop, then sl st in each of the next 3 sl sts to reach the base of the next loop*. Repeat from * to * 4 more times. Fasten off.
Push the sc together so that each side covers its half of the chain loop evenly. The ch-3 then sits right at the tip, and each petal forms a pointed almond shape.
Count per petal: 14 sc + 1 ch-3 tip sp.
Round total: 70 sc, 5 ch-3 sps.
Petal stitch numbers: on every petal, sc 1–7 run up the first side and sc 8–14 run down the second side. Sc 14 sits next to the base of the following petal, and that petal starts with its own sc 1. Petal checkpoint: 1¼ in (3.2 cm) long.
Rnd 4: Star Frame
Join the thread with a sl st in the ch-3 tip sp of any petal. Ch 1.
*In the tip sp, work (sc, ch 4, sc). This makes a star point. Next:
- Ch 4, sk next sc (sc 8), tr in next sc (sc 9).
- Ch 3, sk next sc (sc 10), dc in next sc (sc 11).
- Ch 2, sk next sc (sc 12), then work a joining sc2tog. Put the first leg in the next sc (sc 13 of this petal) and the second leg in sc 2 of the next petal, skipping sc 14 and the next petal’s sc 1.
- Ch 2, sk next sc (sc 3), dc in next sc (sc 4).
- Ch 3, sk next sc (sc 5), tr in next sc (sc 6).
- Ch 4, sk next sc (sc 7).*
Repeat from * to * 4 more times. Sl st in the first sc to join.
The bar pattern mirrors itself around each valley. On the way down the first petal you use sc 9, 11, and 13. On the way up the next petal you use sc 2, 4, and 6, so every bar has a matching bar across the valley.
The tr bars sit where the gap between the curved petal and the straight frame is widest. The dc bars sit where the gap narrows, and the sc2tog closes the gap completely to make a sharp valley.
Count per repeat: 2 sc, 2 tr, 2 dc, 1 sc2tog (7 sts) + 7 ch-sps (one ch-4 point sp, two ch-4, two ch-3, two ch-2).
Round total: 35 sts, 35 ch-sps.
Checkpoint: 4½ in (11.4 cm) from point to point.
Border
Border gauge: 8 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm).
Rnd 5: Edging
Ch 1. *Work the point first: sc in the first sc, (2 sc, ch 3, 2 sc) in the ch-4 point sp, then sc in the next sc.
Work down to the valley: 4 sc in the ch-4 sp, sc in the tr, 3 sc in the ch-3 sp, sc in the dc, 2 sc in the ch-2 sp. Sk the sc2tog.
Work back up to the next point: 2 sc in the ch-2 sp, sc in the dc, 3 sc in the ch-3 sp, sc in the tr, 4 sc in the ch-4 sp.*
Repeat from * to * 4 more times. Sl st in the first sc to join. Fasten off, leaving an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail for weaving in.
Count per point: 6 sc + 1 ch-3 sp.
Count per edge (point to valley): 11 sc along the frame + 3 sc from the point (half of its 6) = 14 sc.
Round total: 10 edges × 14 sc = 140 sc, plus 5 ch-3 point sps.
Why the math works: Each chain gets exactly 1 sc, and each tr or dc bar top gets exactly 1 sc. That makes the edging the same length as the frame, so it doesn’t ruffle or cup. Skipping the sc2tog takes away one stitch at each inner corner, which pulls the valley into a sharp V.
At the points, the 4 sc and ch-3 turn the corner without crowding. At 8 sc per inch, 14 sc per edge gives 1¾ in (4.4 cm) per edge. The edging adds about ⅛ in (0.3 cm) all around, so the star grows from 4½ in (11.4 cm) to 4¾ in (12.1 cm).
Hanging Loop
Join the thread with a sl st in the ch-3 sp of the top point. Ch 24, then sl st in the same ch-3 sp to make the loop. Sl st into the loop, ch 1, work 28 sc into the loop, and sl st in the ch-3 sp. Fasten off and weave in the end.
Count: 28 sc. Checkpoint: the loop hangs about 1½ in (3.8 cm) tall, for a total hanging height of about 6 in (15.2 cm).
Final Blocking
- Weave in all the ends along the back of the sc edging, never through the open bars.
- Dampen the star or soak it in your starch solution, then gently press out the excess.
- Lay it right side up on the blocking board.
- Pin the center ring flat. Then pin the 5 point ch-3 sps evenly, 2⅜ in (6.0 cm) out from the center.
- Pin each valley at the sc2tog so the inner corners are sharp and evenly spaced.
- Pin each petal tip straight toward its star point, and open the petals into smooth almond shapes.
- Check that the width is 4¾ in (12.1 cm) and the height is 4½ in (11.4 cm).
- Spray with starch if you didn’t soak the star in it, then let it dry completely before you unpin it.
- Pin the hanging loop straight up so it dries flat and centered.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Rnd 1 has 15 sc, and the center hole is about ¼ in (0.6 cm).
- There are 5 petals, each with 14 sc and a centered ch-3 tip.
- Rnd 4 has 35 sts and 35 ch-sps, and the bars mirror each other around every valley.
- Rnd 5 has 140 sc and 5 ch-3 points, with 14 sc on every edge.
- All 5 points are the same length, and all 5 valleys are sharp and evenly spaced.
- The star measures 4¾ in (12.1 cm) wide and 4½ in (11.4 cm) tall.
- The hanging loop is centered on the top point and is about 1½ in (3.8 cm) tall.
- No ends show from the front.
Troubleshooting
Petals twist or bunch up: Spread the 14 sc evenly around the loop. If one side has more stitches than the other, the ch-3 tip will drift off-center.
The frame ruffles: Your chains are probably looser than your stitches. Make the chains a little tighter or go down a hook size for Rnd 4 only.
The frame pulls the petals out of shape: Your chains are too tight. Loosen them, or chain with a hook one size larger and switch back for the stitches.
The valleys are rounded: Make sure you skipped the sc2tog in Rnd 5. Pin the valleys firmly while blocking.
The star curls up: Check that you have 140 sc in Rnd 5, then block it with starch.
Uneven points: Count each point repeat. Every point needs (2 sc, ch 3, 2 sc) in its ch-4 sp.
Care
Hand wash in cool water, press out the water in a towel, and re-block flat with fresh starch. Store flat, or hang the star between layers of tissue paper.
Final Notes
The measurement chain is short and easy to check:
- 15 sc ring, 0.6 in (1.5 cm)
- 5 petals, 1¼ in (3.2 cm) each
- Flower, 3¼ in (8.3 cm) across
- Star frame, 4½ in (11.4 cm)
- Edging of 140 sc at 8 sc per inch, finishing at 4¾ in (12.1 cm)
- Hanging loop, 1½ in (3.8 cm), for 6 in (15.2 cm) total
If you hit each checkpoint, your star will match the sample. It works up quickly, so you can easily make a few more for the tree or for gifts.
Happy crocheting!