You Need to Try Tatting: Tat a Winter Star

Susanne Schwenke’s book, Occhi–Tatting–Frovolité: Spitzen-Ideen (Berlin: Susanne Schwenke, 2003), includes a collection of tatting patterns for lace edgings and insertions, Easter egg coverings, and holiday snowflakes and stars. Although the book is written in German, English translations for the abbreviations are included.

This is one of Schwenke’s lovely stars; it’s worked in two rounds—one for the center and one for the points of the star.

Note: Use two shuttles for the second round; they are designated in the instructions as bl (for blue) and gr (for green). If you don’t have blue and green shuttles, mark the shuttles in some manner so you can keep them straight.

Make a tatted winter star for your holiday tree.

Materials

• Presencia Pearl Cotton, 100% cotton thread, size 12, 10 g/ball, 1 ball of #3556 Light Turquoise
• Shuttles, 2

Finished Size: 4 x 3½ inches (10.2 x 8.9 cm).

Abbreviations
R = ring
Ch = chain
– = picot

• = join
  (bl)/(gr) = work with blue or green shuttle, as specified

• = repeat from
  rnd(s) = round(s)

Tips for Tatting from a Chart
Use the written instructions as a guide to the number of stitches and picots as well as which shuttle to use. Use the chart as a guide to when and where each join should occur.

Download the free Tatted Star Chart

Instructions

Wind one shuttle with the thread. Do not cut the thread.

Rnd 1:
R 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3

• Ch 3 – 6 – 3
  R 3 – 3 + (see chart) 3 – 3 – 3
  Repeat from * 3 times
  Ch 3 – 6 – 3
  R 3 – 3 + 3 + 3 – 3
  Ch 3 – 6 – 3
  Tie off and cut the threads.
  Wind two shuttles with the thread.

Rnd 2:
R (bl) 6 + 6
R (bl) 6 + 6
R (gr) 3 – 3 – 3
R (gr) 3 + 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3
R (gr) 3 + 3 – 3

• Ch (gr) 6 – 3 – 3 – 6
  R (gr) 6 + 6
  R (gr) 6 – 3 – 3
  Ch (gr) 6
  R (gr) 6 + 6 – 6
  R (gr) 6 + 6 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 6 – 6
  R (gr) 6 + 6 – 6
  Ch (gr) 6
  R (gr) 3 + 3 – 6
  R (gr) 6 – 6
  Ch (gr) 6 – 3 + 3 – 6
  R (bl) 6 + 6
  R (bl) 6 + 6
  R (gr) 3 – 3 – 3
  R (gr) 3 + 3 + 3 – 3 – 3 – 3
  R (gr) 3 + 3 – 3
  Repeat from * 4 times
  Ch (gr) 6 – 3 – 3 – 6
  R (gr) 6 + 6
  R (gr) 6 – 3 – 3
  Ch (gr) 6
  R (gr) 6 + 6 – 6
  R (gr) 6 + 6 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 6 – 6
  R (gr) 6 + 6 – 6
  Ch (gr) 6
  R (gr) 3 + 3 – 6
  R (gr) 6 + 6
  Ch (gr) 6 – 3 + 3 – 6

Tie off and cut the threads. Press with a steam iron set on Cotton. If desired, starch before pressing.

Originally published December 13, 2021; updated December 25, 2023.