This little star is a single crocheted motif worked entirely in bright red yarn. Five evenly spaced, pointed arms radiate from a round open center. Each point ends in a small loop that is just the right size for hanging.
The look is lacy and geometric. Treble stitches fan out from the center in five wedges, and chain spaces leave clean holes between them: small gaps near the center, arched gaps above each wedge, and a narrow triangular opening inside every point. The result has a delicate filigree feel while staying firm enough to hold its shape.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished star measures about 3.75 in (9.5 cm) across from left tip to right tip and about 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tall.
Construction is simple. You work four rounds in one piece without turning. Round 1 makes the treble ring, Round 2 builds five treble wedges, Round 3 adds the chain frame and the pointed tips, and Round 4 is a single crochet edging that firms up the outline and finishes each tip loop. There is no sewing and no joining.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 3.75 in (9.5 cm) tip to tip across; 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tall
- Skill level: Easy (confident beginner)
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK (#3)
- Hook: 4.0 mm (US G-6)
- Number of pieces: 1
- Layout: Single five-pointed motif, worked in the round
- Piece size: 3.75 in (9.5 cm) across after the edging
- Size before border (after Round 3): 3.5 in (8.9 cm) across
- Border depth: 1 round of sc, about 0.125 in (0.3 cm) on each edge, adding about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) tip to tip
- Center opening: about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) across
Materials
Yarn: Choose a smooth DK yarn in cotton, a cotton blend, or acrylic. Cotton gives the crispest points and the clearest holes. Avoid fuzzy or brushed yarns, because they blur the lacy openings.
- Bright red: 8 g / 18 m
Quantities include a margin for your gauge swatch and the weaving-in tails. The star itself uses about 6 g.
Tools:
- 4.0 mm (US G-6) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Blocking mat or folded towel
- Rust-proof pins (at least 15)
- Spray bottle with water
- Optional: fabric stiffener or spray starch
- Optional: thin ribbon or thread for hanging
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch: chain
- sl st: slip stitch
- sc: single crochet
- hdc: half double crochet
- tr: treble crochet (yarn over twice, insert hook, pull up loop, [yarn over, pull through 2 loops] 3 times)
- sp: space
- st(s): stitch(es)
- Rnd: round
Special stitch: Tip spike. Ch 7, sl st in the 4th ch from hook to form a small loop, then ch 3. The first 3 ch are the up-chain, the closed loop is the tip loop, and the final 3 ch are the down-chain. The up-chain and down-chain together frame the triangular hole inside each point.
Working over a chain: Insert the hook into the open space beside a chain (not into the chain itself), so the stitch wraps around it.
Gauge and Checkpoints
This is a single motif, so the motif itself is your test piece. Work Rounds 1 and 2, measure, and only continue if the checkpoints match. Being a little off is fine for an ornament, but large differences change how the points sit.
Base gauge: 22 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm) in DK with a 4.0 mm hook, which is 5.5 sc per inch.
Checkpoints:
- After Rnd 1: circle about 1.75 in (4.4 cm) across, center hole about 0.5 in (1.3 cm)
- After Rnd 2: about 2.75 in (7.0 cm) across, lying flat with five clear wedges
- After Rnd 3: about 3.5 in (8.9 cm) from left tip to right tip
- After Rnd 4: about 3.75 in (9.5 cm) from left tip to right tip, 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tall
If your star is too big (more than 0.25 in / 0.6 cm over at any checkpoint), go down to a 3.5 mm hook.
If your star is too small or Rnd 2 cups upward, go up to a 4.5 mm hook.
Change hooks after Rnd 1 or Rnd 2, not partway through. A mid-star change leaves uneven arms.
Pattern
Round 1: Treble Ring
Ch 8 and sl st in the first ch to form a ring.
Ch 4 (counts as first tr). Work 19 tr into the ring, then sl st in the top of the beginning ch-4.
Count: 20 tr.
Spread the stitches evenly around the ring so the center opening stays round. Think of the ring as 5 groups of 4 tr. Each group becomes one arm.
Checkpoint: about 1.75 in (4.4 cm) across.
Round 2: Treble Wedges
This is a growth round. Each 4-tr group grows to 6 tr, and a ch-2 space separates the wedges.
Ch 4 (counts as first tr). Work 1 tr in the same st, tr in each of the next 2 sts, and 2 tr in the next st. This completes wedge 1.
Ch 2, 2 tr in the next st, tr in each of the next 2 sts, 2 tr in the next st. Repeat from * to * 3 more times, for 5 wedges in total.
To close the round, ch 1 and work 1 hdc in the top of the beginning ch-4. The ch 1 plus hdc stands in for the final ch-2 space and leaves your hook in position for Rnd 3.
Count: 30 tr (6 per wedge) and 5 ch-2 spaces. Each wedge has 4 tr from the old group plus 2 new tr, so 5 × 6 = 30.
The ch-2 spaces form the small holes between the wedges near the center.
Checkpoint: about 2.75 in (7.0 cm) across. Lay it down and check that it sits flat.
Round 3: Chain Frame and Tips
In this round the five wedges become five pointed arms. In each wedge, label the 6 tr as A, B, C, D, E, F, going in your working direction. The gap between C and D is the center of the wedge.
Ch 1. Work 1 sc around the post of the joining hdc. This is the first valley sc.
Arm repeat:
- Ch 5, skip A, B and C.
- Sc in the gap between C and D. This is the anchor sc.
- Work 1 tip spike: ch 7, sl st in the 4th ch from hook, ch 3.
- Sc again in the same gap between C and D, as a second anchor sc.
- Ch 5, skip D, E and F.
- Sc in the next ch-2 sp (valley sc).
Repeat steps 1-6 four more times. On the final repeat, skip step 6 and instead sl st in the first valley sc to join.
Count: 15 sc (5 valley sc + 10 anchor sc), 10 ch-5 spaces, and 5 tip spikes.
The ch-5 arches sit over the wedge tops and leave small arched holes. The up-chain and down-chain of each spike frame the triangular opening inside each point.
At this stage the points are still soft. Round 4 firms them up.
Checkpoint: about 3.5 in (8.9 cm) from left tip to right tip.
Round 4: Edging
This round is the border and is covered in full in the next section. Do not fasten off yet.
Border
The border is one round of plain sc. It gives a smooth, solid outline and keeps the tip loops open for hanging.
Border gauge: the same 5.5 sc per inch as the base gauge. Each chain in a frame space gets exactly 1 sc. That one-for-one ratio is what keeps the edge flat.
Round 4
Ch 1. Sc in the joining valley sc. Then work the arm sequence below:
- Up edge: 5 sc in the ch-5 sp. Skip the anchor sc. Work 3 sc over the up-chain of the spike, inserting your hook into the triangular hole each time so you wrap only the up-chain.
- Tip: In the tip loop work (2 sc, ch 4, 2 sc). The ch-4 is the finished hanging loop.
- Down edge: 3 sc over the down-chain, again inserting through the triangular hole. Skip the second anchor sc. Work 5 sc in the next ch-5 sp.
- Sc in the next valley sc.
Repeat steps 1-4 four more times. On the final repeat, end after step 3 and sl st in the first sc to join.
Fasten off, leaving a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail.
Counts Per Arm
- Up edge: 5 + 3 = 8 sc
- Tip: 4 sc plus 1 ch-4 loop
- Down edge: 3 + 5 = 8 sc
- Valley: 1 sc, which is shared between neighboring arms and counted once per arm
Per arm: 8 + 4 + 8 + 1 = 21 sc.
Total: 5 × 21 = 105 sc and 5 ch-4 loops.
Why the Math Works
Every frame space receives one sc per chain: 5 sc in each ch-5 and 3 sc over each ch-3. A sc is about as wide as a chain at this gauge, so the edge neither stretches nor ruffles.
Skipping the anchor and valley stitches you would otherwise work into, apart from the single valley sc, prevents extra bulk at the inner corners. The 2 sc on each side of the tip loop thicken the point so it tapers cleanly.
Each up or down edge holds 8 sc. At 5.5 sc per inch that is about 1.45 in (3.7 cm), which matches the arm length of a star 3.75 in (9.5 cm) across.
Final Blocking
- Weave in both tails along the back of the sc edging. Do not trim them yet.
- Spray the star until it is evenly damp, or soak it in cool water and press it gently in a towel.
- Pin the center ring into a round shape. A pencil or round pin set in the opening works well.
- Pin each tip loop outward so the loop stays open. The tips should be 3.75 in (9.5 cm) apart across, and the star 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tall.
- Pin each valley gently inward toward the center so every arm is the same length.
- Check all 5 arms with a ruler. The distances from center to tip should match within 0.125 in (0.3 cm).
- Optional: apply spray starch or fabric stiffener for a crisp ornament.
- Let it dry completely, then unpin and trim the tails.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Rnd 1 has 20 tr and the center opening is round, about 0.5 in (1.3 cm)
- Rnd 2 has 30 tr in 5 wedges of 6, with 5 ch-2 spaces
- Rnd 3 has 5 tip spikes, each centered between tr C and D
- Rnd 4 has 105 sc and 5 ch-4 tip loops
- All 5 triangular tip holes are open and similar in size
- The star lies flat, with no cupping or ruffling
- Finished size is 3.75 in (9.5 cm) across and 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tall
- Tails are secure and invisible from the front
Troubleshooting
Center hole closes up or puckers. Your ch-8 ring is too tight. Work the chains looser, or use a magic ring and close it only partway, to about 0.5 in (1.3 cm).
Rnd 2 cups into a bowl. Your tension is tight. Go up 0.5 mm, or relax the yarn-overs on your trebles.
Rnd 2 ruffles. Your tension is loose. Go down 0.5 mm.
Tips lean to one side. The spike was not worked between C and D. Count the wedge stitches again and re-anchor at the true center.
Points look floppy. Round 4 needs exactly 3 sc over each ch-3. Also block with starch.
Tip loops collapse. Make sure you worked ch 4 between the sc pairs in Rnd 4, then pin the loops open while blocking.
Edge waves between points. You probably added extra sc in the ch-5 spaces. Keep it to exactly 5.
Arms are uneven lengths. Your chain tension varied in Rnd 3. Re-block and pin each arm to the same measurement.
Care
Hand wash in cool water and lay flat to dry, reshaping the points and loops. If you used starch, reapply it after washing for crisp points.
Final Notes
The measurement chain is short and easy to check:
- Rnd 1: 20 tr, 1.75 in (4.4 cm) across
- Rnd 2: 30 tr in 5 wedges, 2.75 in (7.0 cm) across
- Rnd 3: chain frame and 5 tip spikes, 3.5 in (8.9 cm) across
- Rnd 4: 105 sc edging with 5 ch-4 loops, 3.75 in (9.5 cm) across and 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tall
Check each stage before moving on, and the star will come out flat, even, and ready to hang from any of its five tip loops.
Optional: for a matching set, make several stars in other colors. Each star is still worked exactly as written above.
Happy crocheting!