Entrelac Star

Copyright (c) 2008 Jay F. Petersen, all rights reserved.

Materials and tools: small quantity of yarn, with circular needle to suit. Eight-inch (20-cm.) piece of contrasting-color yarn. Base number: any odd number n >= 7. Example uses 11 for n. Right Twist (RT): Knit 2 together, leaving stitches on left needle, then knit the first stitch again and drop the two stitches off the left needle.

Unit 1:

Cast on 12 (n+1) stitches. Row 1: (Right side) *YO, RT, K2 ([n-7]/2), K2tog, rep from *. Row 2: Lay contrasting piece of yarn from back to front over working yarn, purl to end of row. Rows 3, 5, ..., 21 (2n-1): Repeat row 1. Rows 4, 6, ..., 20 (2n-2): Repeat row 2. Sanity check: there are 11 (n) lace eyelet holes going up the center of the unit. There are 10 (n-1) loops being held by the contrasting-color yarn. Leave the last row on the right needle.

Units 2-4:

Place loops held by contrasting yarn onto left needle, from previous unit's left edge, starting from the bottom edge of the unit to top. (These loops are worked into the current unit's first row of stitches.) Remove contrasting yarn, and use it while knitting this unit. Row 1: (Right side) *YO, RT, K3 ([n-7]/2 +1), rep from *. Work rows 2-21 (2n-1) as for unit 1. Leave the last row on the right needle.

Unit 5:

Unpick the cast-on and place the freed-up loops on the left needle, so that the right side of the first unit is facing you. There should be 11 (n) loops on the needle. Then place loops held by contrasting yarn on the left needle. There should now be 21 (2n-1) loops on the left needle. Row 1: YO, RT, K3 ([n-7]/2 +1), YO, RT, K2, SSK, turn. Row 2: Purl. Row 3: YO, RT, K2 ([n-7]/2), K2tog, YO, RT, K2 ([n-7]/2), Sl2K1PSSO, Rows 4, 6, ... 20 (2n-2): Repeat row 2. Rows 5, 7... 21 (2n-1): Repeat row 3. Leave the last row on the right needle.

Finishing:

Crochet *chain 1, single-crochet in a stitch or loop, repeat from * in each loop or stitch around the star. When you get to the inner corners, gather three loops/stitches together into one sc. Finish with a slip stitch into the first single crochet.