Star Stitch

Knitted star stitch, sometimes called daisy stitch, gathers three stitches into a little star with a yarn over so the surface fills with small raised motifs. The star is made by working three stitches together on the wrong side but leaving them on the needle, making a yarn over, then working the same three together again and only now slipping them off, which pulls them into a gathered point topped by the hole the yarn over leaves. A row of stars sits between plain rows, and the next star row is offset by two stitches so the motifs stagger into an all-over pattern rather than stacking. It gives a dense, squashy, decorative fabric that suits baby blankets, cowls, and cushions, and it reads as intricate while using only knits, purls, and a yarn over. Keep the three-stitch gathers even so the stars match, and work them loosely, since gathering three stitches tightly is hard on the hands and can distort the row.