Starburst Stitch Pattern

The Starburst stitch pattern (not to be confused with the Starburst Granny Square stitch pattern) is like a cousin to the Catherine’s Wheel stitch pattern. It can be worked in one color, but working it in two (or more) colors really brings out the beautiful crochet diamond shaped stripes within the fabric. Jen shares lots of tips as she works through the directions below to help us understand the relationship between stitches in this pattern. She calls this process “reading your crochet,” and it is so helpful in learning how to work this stitch pattern without having to refer to the written instructions. She also gives us some suggestions about yarn choice, hook position, and techniques that make it easier to pull your hook through the cluster stitches.

Follow along with Jen as she works through the directions below!

Start with a multiple of 8 + 2 sts

With Color A, Ch 26.

Row 1 (With Color A): Sc in second ch from hk, sk 3 chs, *9 dc in next ch, sk next 3 chs, 1 sc in next ch, sk next 3 chs; rep from * to last ch, sc in last ch changing to Color B on last yo of sc, turn. Cut yarn A.

Row 2 (Color B): Continuing with Color B, ch 3 (counts as dc), sk first sc, dc4tog using next 4 sts, *ch 4, 1 sc in next dc, ch 3, dc9tog using next 9 sts; rep from * to last 6 sts, ch 4, sc in next dc, ch 3, dc5tog, ch 1 to close cluster, turn.

Row 3 (Color B): Ch 3 (counts as dc), 4 dc in ch-1 that closed cluster, *sk ch-sp, 1 sc in next sc, sk ch-sp, 9 dc in ch that closed dc9tog; rep from * until 2 ch-sps remain, sk ch-sp, 1 sc in next sc, sk ch-sp, 5 dc in last st changing to Color A on last yo of last dc, turn.

Row 4 (Color A): Ch 1, sc in first st, *ch 3, dc9tog using next 9 sts, ch 4, sc in next st; rep from * to end, last sc is worked into top ch of beg-ch-3.

Row 5 (Color A): Ch 1, sc in first sc, *sk ch-sp, 9 dc in ch that closed dc9tog, sk ch-sp, sc in next sc; rep from * to end, changing to Color B on last yo of last sc.

Repeat Rows 2–5, ending with Row 2 or 4 if you want a flat/straight edge. End with Row 3 or 5 for a scalloped edge.

At the end of the video, Jen shares some additional ideas for ways to use this attractive stitch pattern. Pull some yarn from your stash and stitch along with Jen! See for yourself how satisfying it is to create those cluster stitches and to watch the colors come together into those beautiful diamond shapes!