How to Crochet the Star Stitch – Free Tutorial

If you want to add a little bit of texture or a special accent to your crochet pattern, then, the crochet star stitch might be the right stitch for you!

The star stitch is often called daisy stitch or marguerite stitch, all names that suggest how the special texture of this stitch resembles a sort of spiked cluster.

The star stitch is worked in two rows. In the first row, you work the bottom half of the star by making clusters of 5 single crochet stitches worked together. In the second row, all the stars are completed with half double crochet stitches worked into the center of each cluster from the previous row.

What Can You Crochet with the Star Stitch?

The star stitch creates a very solid and thick fabric, which is ideal for

  • Winter garments and accessories
  • Blankets
  • Washcloths and dishcloths
  • Rugs, and other home décor projects.

Here are a few free patterns to practice the star stitch:

Crochet Star Stitch Set - Beanie, Fingerless Gloves, and Scarf - Raffamusa Designs
Star Stitch Set

However, I wouldn’t limit the star stitch to a winter kind of stitch. I think that even lightweight shawls and spring/summer items would look beautiful in this stitch!

Find more crochet stitch tutorials here on the blog!

So Many Star Stitch Tutorials: Which One is Correct?

If you navigate the web, you’ll find many tutorials that show you how to crochet the star stitch. However, you’ll notice that they often vary for some details. For example, in some tutorials, the first row of the star stitch is made with a cluster of 6 or 7 stitches instead of the 5 that I’ll show you.

But most importantly, the majority of the tutorials start with a chain of multiples of 2 plus 1, so an uneven number of chains.

However, I saw that every time I crocheted the star stitch using this stitch count and following these tutorials, I would always get a slightly slanting side on the right, which really bugged me (see picture below).

The star stitch worked following the most common pattern found online

So, I made some adjustments to the most common way of crocheting the star stitch and managed to obtain a perfectly straight swatch!

Star Stitch worked with my modified pattern

The main differences in the way I crochet the star stitch are:

  1. The initial chain is a multiple of 2, so an even number of stitches.
  2. In the second row, I crochet one less stitch!

I am not saying that my star stitch pattern is better than the others. I guess it depends on your own preference and your crochet tension.

Feel free to try out a few different ways to crochet the star stitch and choose your favorite one!

Let’s grab yarn and hook, and let me show you how I crochet the star stitch with this step-by-step tutorial!

Pin this free tutorial on how to crochet the star stitch to your favorite Pinterest board and always find it later!

How to crochet the star stitch - Free Crochet Tutorial - Raffamusa Designs

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Materials

Abbreviations (US Terms)

Ch – Chain
Hdc – Half Double Crochet
Sc – Single Crochet
St – Stitch
Yo – Yarn Over

Flat and in the Round

In this tutorial, we’ll see how to crochet the star stitch flat, i.e. by turning your work at the end of each row.

It is possible to crochet the star stitch in the round too, and I talked more about it in this tutorial.

Crochet Star or Daisy Stitch – flat – Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step 1 – Row 1

Ch a multiple of 2.
Insert your hook into the second ch from your hook, yo, and pull up a loop.

Step 1 - Pick up a loop in the second chain from your hook - Raffamusa Designs

Note

For this tutorial, I chained 22.

With 22 initial chains, we will get 9 stars. The rule is that your initial chains should be (nr. of stars*2)+4. So, in our case, (9 stars)*2=18, 18+4=22 chains.

Step 2

Insert your hook into each of the next 4 sts, and pull up a loop in each (6 loops on your hook)

Step 2 - Pick up six loops on your hook - Raffamusa Designs
For a neater edge, work in the back bumps of your initial chain.

Step 3

Yo and pull through all 6 loops on your hook.

Step 4

Ch 1 to close your first star.

Star Stitch - Steps 3 and 4 - Raffamusa Designs

Step 5

Insert your hook into the center of the star that you just made, yo, and pull up a loop.

Step 5 - Pick up a loop in the eye of the first star - Raffamusa Designs

Step 6

Pull up a loop in the leg of the previous star. This would be the last spike from the previous star.

Step 6 - Pick up a loop on the leg of the first star - Raffamusa Designs

Step 7

Pull up a loop in the same st as the last st of the previous star.

How to crochet the Star Stitch - Tutorial - Step 7 - Raffamusa Designs

Step 8

Pick up a loop in each of the next 2 sts (6 loops on your hook).

How to crochet the Star Stitch - Tutorial - Step 8 - Raffamusa Designs

Step 9 and 10

Yo and pull through all 6 loops on your hook. Ch 1 to close the star.

Steps 9 and 10 - Make one more star - Raffamusa Designs

Step 11

Repeat steps 5 to 10 until the end of your initial chain.

Step 12

Once you get to the end, crochet 1 hdc in the last st where you completed the last star.

How to crochet the Star Stitch - Tutorial - Step 11 and 12 - Raffamusa Designs

Step 13

Ch 2 (counts as your first hdc), turn.

Step 13 - Row 2 - Raffamusa Designs

Step 14 and 15 – Row 2

Hdc 2 in the eye of the first star and in each of the remaining stars.
Hdc 1 in the last st (20 sts).

How to crochet the Star Stitch - Step 14 and 15 - Raffamusa Designs

Step 16

This is the wrong side of your work after you completed Row 2.

Step 16 - Complete Row 2 - Raffamusa Designs

Step 17 – ROW 3

A. Ch 3, turn.
B. Pick up a loop in the second ch from your hook and in the next ch (3 loops on your hook).
C. Pull up a loop in each of the next 3 sts (6 loops on your hook).
D. Yo, pull through all 6 loops on your hook. Ch 1 to close the star.

How to crochet the Star Stitch - Step 17 - Raffamusa Designs

Step 18

Repeat steps 5 to 10 until the end of the row. Hdc 1 in the second ch of the initial ch-2 from Row 2.

How to crochet the Star Stitch - Step 18 - Raffamusa Designs

ROW 4

Repeat Row 2.

Keep repeating the steps for Row 3 and 4 to grow the length of your project.

You learned to crochet the star stitch!

I hope you enjoyed this free stitch tutorial!

Don’t forget to show me your star stitch swatches on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #raffamusadesigns

7 thoughts on “How to Crochet the Star Stitch – Free Tutorial”

      • I agree! I struggled with following other directions but you attention to detail and experienced insight provided me (finally) with a successful design. 🙂
        Lynn

        Reply
    • I have to keep going over your crocheting tutoring so I can remember how to crochet what you are doing since I can not remember that well l loves the way you tutorial in crocheting

      Reply
    • Hi Jacqueline,
      The easiest way is to favorite the web page by clicking on the little star on the right of the URL bar at the top of the window. Or if you use Pinterest, you could save a pin to a board that you’ll easily find on your phone.
      Sometimes, when I don’t want to lose interesting sites, I e-mail the link to myself or save it on my note app on the phone.
      I hope one of these solutions is going to help 🙂
      Best,
      Raffaella

      Reply

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