So you love the Blizzard Warning! square? But it’s only a 9 inch square and you prefer to make 12 inch squares? Not sure what sort of rounds to add to this square to complement it and bring it up to size? I wasn’t sure either. So I published the pattern figuring I’d let your amazing creativity take you where it would and hopefully someone would find the answer. And it worked!
Robyn Eastham, a fan of Every Trick on the Hook on Facebook came up with a brilliant solution: the star stitch rounds from How I Wonder. Thank you Robyn! These rounds have just enough texture to complement the icy snowflake, but not overpower it or compete for your attention.
Robyn’s Square, copyright Robyn Eastman
If you don’t own the How I Wonder pattern, don’t worry. You can get instructions for a round of star stitch that are essentially (actually, pretty much exactly) the same from Stars Aligned which is free. And if you’ve never done star stitch before, fret not! I provide a photo tutorial that will walk you through every loop.
Here’s how you should use Stars Aligned to add to Blizzard Warning!
- Blizzard Warning! wraps up with an even 30 stitches on each side. This is a problem for Stars Aligned because you need an uneven number of stitches. The fix is quite easy and I explain it in the notes at the end of the Stars Aligned pattern, but I’ll also explain it here. All you have to do is add another round of sc, but skip the first stitch on each side. It will go like this:
Continuing with same yarn ch1 and sc in same st, or with new color standing sc in joining st. [Sc in each st across to corner, (sc, ch2, sc) in corner ch2 sp, sk first st on next side] 4 times. Sc in each remaining st to first st. Slst to first sc to join.
- Now that you have an uneven number of stitches on each side, continue by working rounds 3, 4, and 5 of Stars Aligned.
- Add an additional round of sc, hdc, or dc as you see fit or as needed to achieve the perfect size.
When you make a round of star stitch keep in mind that this stitch can be rather tight. If you find it’s pulling your square into a bowl shape, you’ll probably need to go up a hook size just for rounds 3 and 4.
Star stitch in the round is one of my most favorite techniques. I have to restrain myself from recommending it for every pattern. I’m glad I did, because I think this is the perfect application that I’ve been waiting for.
If by some crazy chance you’re still not convinced these rounds are what you’re looking for to turn that 9 inches into 12, I have one other offer for you. Every border included in the Lovestruck Collection of squares can be seamlessly applied to Blizzard Warning! Check them out; maybe something else will catch your eye.
Happy hooking!
