It’s Week 3 of the Official CCC Social Group CAL (crochet-along) and this week’s block is the Starburst Flower Square by Donna Mason-Svara (aka SmoothFox) from Smooth Fox Crochet and Knit. Donna has an amazing array of patterns and I urge you to go and have a look if you aren’t familiar with her patterns yet. You are sure to find something to distract you!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the CAL, please see THIS INFORMATION POST.

The Starburst Flower Square is classed as intermediate and this is pretty much spot on.  It is not a hard square by any stretch of the imagination, but there are quite a few places where you might find yourself scratching your head.

As requested by Kimberly Slifer, and with kind permission from the designer, Donna Mason-Svara, I have done a bit of a photo walk-through for Rounds 3-6.  Hopefully this will help those of you who do not yet consider yourselves intermediate crocheters.

Starburst Flower Square

Pattern

• You can find the pattern here on Ravelry

Suggested Materials

• 5 mm Clover Amour Crochet Hook (US H/8  UK 6)
• Worsted weight yarn

Size

Using the hook and yarn specified, your square should be a nice even 12″ when you are done.  Using a 4 mm crochet hook (US G/6  UK 8) and double knit yarn, as I have done, your finished square will be about 8″ big.

My Yarn and Colour Choices

I am using Stylecraft Special DK.

• Pomegranate (Rounds 1 – 3, 11, and Optional Round 12)
• Saffron (Rounds 4, 9 and 10)
• Wisteria (Round 5)
• Sherbet (Rounds 6-8)

Starburst Flower Square:  The Tricky Bits

You will probably notice that the yarn I used for the photo tut is NOT Stylecraft.  It is Drops Paris Cotton and it just photographs better.

Abbreviations

US terminology used (US/UK Comparison Chart)

Ch	Chain
Dc	Double crochet
Dc inc	Double crochet increase
Sc	Single crochet
Sl st	Slip stitch
St/St’s	Stitch/Stitches
Tr	Treble crochet
*	Repeat all instructions between asterisks the amount of times specified.

Round 2

At the end of Round 2 the instructions tell you to slip st to the beginning dc.  The initial ch-3 of the round counts as a dc, so this means that you should sl st to the top of the beginning ch-3, NOT the first actual dc, otherwise you will only have 23 st’s to work with in the next round.

Round 3

For Round 3 you will need to know how to make a 4 dc point, which is explained below.

Round 3 starts:  “Ch 3, 2 dc in the next st”.  So ch 3 and make 2 dc’s in the next stitch like the lady says.  

Now you are going to make the first 4 dc point.  To do that, ch 6 (Photo 1).  Dc in the fourth chain from the hook (indicated with an arrow in Photo 2 and illustrated in Photo 3).  Dc in the remaining 2 ch st’s (indicated with arrows in Photo 3 and illustrated in Photo 4).  This drifting-in-air bit is your 4 dc point.

*Dc in the next st (Photo 5), make 2 dc’s in the next st (Photo 6), and make a 4 dc point as instructed above (Photo 7).*  Repeat these instructions until you have 12 4-dc points, each separated by 3 dc’s (Photo 8).  Join to the top of the beg ch-3 with a sl st and bind off (Photo 9).  I like to ch-1 before I bind off.  By pulling this chain stitch tight, I am creating a little knot that will help my slip knot stay where it should.  It is not visible once you work the next round over it.

Voila.  Round 3 Completed!

Round 4

If you take a good look at Round 3, you will notice that there are 12  4-dc points, each separated by 3 double crochet stitches.  In Round 4 you will be working into the second chain stitch at the end of each 4 dc point and the second of the three dc’s between points (so the middle chain stitch and the middle dc).  Don’t worry if that doesn’t make sense, it soon will.

Round 4 starts with a sl st in the second chain of any point around (so the middle chain stitch) – see Photo 1.  I like to start with a slip knot already on my hook.  Ch 1 and make a sc in the same stitch (Photo 2).  Ch 1 again.

I have followed these instructions for this tutorial, but you can also join your yarn by just making a single crochet into that central chain and skipping the (sl st, ch-1.)  

Into the second of the three dc’s between points: tr, ch 1 (Photo 3), tr, ch 1 (Photo 4).

*Into the second chain of the next point (Photo 5):  sc, ch-1.  Into the second of the three dc’s between points:  tr, ch-1, tr, ch-1.*  Repeat around until you get back to the beginning.  Join to the first sc with a sl st (NOT the ch st).

This is what your work should look like at the end of Round 4.

Round 5

In round 5 you will be working into the single crochets on top of the 4-dc points and the ch-1 spaces between the 2 tr’s of the previous round.

So join your yarn by working a sl st followed by a ch-1 into any sc of Round 4 (indicated with an arrow in Photo 1 and illustrated in Photo 2).  Sc in the same stitch.

Into the ch-1 space between the 2 treble crochet stitches:  5 x tr (indicated with an arrow in Photo 3 and illustrated in Photo 4).

*Sc in the next sc, 5 x tr in the next ch-1 space between tr’s*.  Repeat around until you have made 12 scallops (Photo 6).  Join to the first sc with a sl st.

Another pretty flower!  Only one more “thinking” round to go and then you can kick back.

Round 6

The single crochets in this round will be worked into a hidden horizontal ridge BEHIND the back loop of the central treble crochet of each scallop and I am going to help you find that hidden ridge/loop.

Join your yarn by making a sl st in any sc from Round 5.  Ch 6 (Photo 1) and dc in the same st (Photo 2).  This forms your first corner.  Ch 3 (Photo 3) and brace yourself for a treasure hunt.

When you are looking at your work you can only see the front loop and the back loop.  Photo 4 shows the front of the stitches.  If you twist your work slightly towards you, you will see a horizontal ridge behind the back loop (indicated with an arrow in Photo 5).  This is the ridge/loop you need to make your next stitch (and each subsequent sc) into.

So once you have found the horizontal ridge of the central tr (the third of the 5 tr’s forming the scallop), make a sc into it (Photos 6 and 7).

Photo 8 shows the completed sc worked into the horizontal ridge behind the back loop of the central tr.

Ch 3 and hdc into the next sc (Photo 9).  Ch 3, sc in the horizontal ridge behind the central tr, ch 3, hdc in the next sc, ch 3, sc in the horizontal ridge behind the central tr, ch 3.  This is your first side completed (Photo 10).

For each of the next 3 sides:  (Dc, ch 3, dc) in the next sc (Photo 11).  This is your corner.  *ch 3, sc in horizontal ridge behind central tr, ch 3, hdc in the next sc* x 2.  Ch 3, sc in the horizontal ridge behind the central tr, ch 3.

When you get back to the beginning, join to the beg ch-3 with a sl st.

This is what you should end up with at the end of Round 6.

And that is all I have to say about it :)  From this point on the square is straightforward and easy.  So grab a cuppa, go sit down in your favourite spot, and let the magic happen.

If you have any problems with your stitch counts, check out this tutorial about corners and the elusive “hidden” stitch to make sure that you are not skipping the first stitch right after making a corner.

I hope you have found this walk-through helpful.  If you have any questions, or something isn’t clear enough, please feel free to ask!  Also, if you spot an error, please let me know so that I can correct it.

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Happy Hooking!