The Little Stars pattern is the seventeenth of my patterns that makes use of the African Flower crochet motif and variations thereof, joined in a specific order to make a recognizable 3D item. I love this African Flower pattern and the creative possibilities of using it to make 3D items :) Little Stars are an excellent stash buster project, as you only need to use very small amounts of leftover sock yarn to make a motif.

:: Steps to making your Little Stars ::

1. NB: First read the whole pattern through properly, so you have a good overview.

2. Make sure you know how to crochet the African Flower diamond crochet motif. I have included both written and charted instructions for the African Flower diamond in this pattern.

3. I have written this pattern as a sew-up pattern not a Join-as-you-go. This is such a small project, I wanted to make it a shorter pattern and for once, cater to those who don’t want to JAYG :)

4. Either choose your yarn for this project or use the sock yarn that you have left over from other projects. Make all the required motifs for your little stars, up to Round 5. Once they have all been completed, you will sew them together, following the instructions in the pattern.

: : Materials Requirements : :

The Little Stars that have been crocheted for this pattern, were made using sock weight/fingering/#1 weight yarn. Using this weight yarn will give you a star measuring approximately 8.5 cm measured across.

ALL THE CROCHET STITCHES USED IN THIS PATTERN ARE BASED ON AMERICAN CROCHET TERMS

Sock weight / Fingering weight yarn/ #1 in colors of your choice… these little stars are a great stash busting project as you can use small amounts of sock yarn for each motif, and the more colourful the prettier :) . Although I can’t tell you how much yardage of each color I used I can tell you that the total weight of yarn for a star was around 22g (unstuffed).

The yardage for the sock yarn I used is around 320m/100g (350yds/100g). It is a superwash merino yarn, but you can use any alternative fingering weight yarn you like…I suggest that animal fibre yarns would be preferable, as they have more stretch, making the stuffing and shaping of the star easier. Try to use a yarn with a similar yardage per 100g. If you use a heavier weight yarn and a larger hook, the star will be bigger than the one made in sock yarn, and you will obviously need more polyester stuffing.

Crochet Hook 1.75mm

If you are planning to make your star in a heavier weight yarn, adjust your hook size accordingly…however, use the smallest hook size possible for the weight of yarn that you can manage. Note that the hook size recommended by the yarn manufacturer would not be the correct size to use for this project…Since the star is stuffed, your stitch density will need to be tighter than usual to prevent the stuffing from popping out. Make a test motif in your chosen yarn and hook to see which would be the best size to use.

Polyester toy stuffing Haemostats (optional for stuffing)
Scissors Tapestry Needle Long doll making needle
Two Buttons (approximately 10-14mm in diameter)

I hope you will enjoy making Little Stars. Please kindly let me know if there are any errors…I do try hard to prevent then however, they do sometimes slip my proof reading!
Happy crocheting!
x Heidi