Windmills and Stars 

click to enlarge from Carla

 This versatile design looks great on either side, weather you prefer whimsical windmills or delicate stars. Make the motifs in the same colors throughout for a more sophisticated look, or use many different colors for a patchwork effect.  Design by Dot Drake

Skill Level: Intermediate

 Size: 52 x 70 inches

 Materials

·        Worsted weight yarn:

·        12 oz. black,

·        6 oz each pink, light rose, dark rose, pale green, medium green, dark green, pale blue, medium blue, navy blue, pale lavender, medium lilac and lavender.

·        Size G / 6 crochet hook or size needed to obtain gauge

·        Yarn needle 

Gauge

Motif 8 inches; 4 dc = 1 inch;

2 dc rnds =1½ inches

Check gauge to save time. 

Weave in loose ends as work progresses. 

Join rnds with a sl st unless otherwise stated.  

Ch-3 counts as first dc throughout. Make 50 motifs with 4 in light and dark, 4 in light and medium, 4 in medium and dark for each set of colors, plus 2. Do not use black in any color combination of motifs. 

Join motifs as work progresses in Rnd 9, beg with a Row of 6 motifs, then [5 motifs, 6 motifs] 4 times. 

Pattern Stitches

2dc cl: (Yo, insert hook in ch-3 sp, yo, draw up a lp, yo, draw through 2 lps on hook] twice in some ch-3 sp, yo, draw through all 3 lps on hook.

Beg 2-dc cl: Ch 2,dc in same sp. 

Make 50

Rnd 1 (RS): With light color, ch 4, dc in 4^th ch from hook, ch 12, sl st in top of last dc, [2 dc in some ch as previous dc sts, ch 12, sl st in top of last dc] 5 times, join in 4^th ch of beg ch-4, fasten off. (6 ch – 12 lps; 12 dc) 

Rnd 2: Draw up a lp of darker color in first dc of previous rnd, Ch 3, dc in same st, holding ch-12 lps forward, work 2 dc in each dc around, join in 3rd ch of beg ch-3. (24 dc) 

Rnd 3: Ch 3, dc in same st, dc in next dc, [2dc in next dc, dc in next dc] rep around, join in 3^rd ch of beg ch-3. (36 dc) 

Rnd 4: Ch 3, dc in same st, dc in each of next 2 sts, * ch 3, dc in each of next 2 sts, **, 2 dc in each of next 2 sts, dc in each of next 2 sts, rep from  * around, ending last rep at **, 2 dc in next dc, join in 3^rd ch of beg ch-3, draw up a lp, remove hook, do not fasten off (48 dc; 6 ch-3 sps) 

Rnd 5: Draw up a lp of light color in first ch-3 sp, beg 2-dc cl, [ch 3, 2-dc cl] twice in same ch-3 sp, * ch 2, [3 dc, ch 3, sl st in top of last dc, 3 dc] in next ch -12 lp, ch 2 **, 2-dc cl in next ch-3 sp, [ch 3, 2-dc cl) twice in same ch-3 sp, rep from * around, ending last rep at **, join in 2nd ch of beg cl, fasten off. 

Rnd 6: Pick up dropped lp of dark color, ch 3, dc in next dc, * working over ch-2 sp of previous rnd and into dc sts of Rnd 4, dc in each of next 2 dc, 3 sc in each of next 2 ch-3 sps, working over ch-2 sp of previous rnd and into dc sts of Rnd 4, dc in each of the next 2 dc **, dc in each of next 4 dc of Rnd 4, rep from * around, ending last rep at **, dc in each of next 2 dc, join in 3^rd ch of beg ch-3. 

Rnd 7: Ch 1, sc in each dc and each sc around, join in beg sc. (84 sc) 

Rnd 8: With dark color, ch 3, remove hook, attach light color in next st with a sc, holding dark ch-3 to front, with light color, ch 3, [sc in next sc, ch 3, remove hook, holding light color ch-3 to front, pick up dark color, sc in next sc, ch 3, remove hook, holding dark color ch-3 to front, pick up light color] rep around, join, fasten off. 

Rnd 9 (first motif) Attach black in any ch-3 sp of dark color, ch l, sc in same ch-3 sp, ch 3, sk next light color ch-3 sp, [sc in next dark color ch- 3 sp, ch 3, sk next light color ch-3 sp) rep around, join in beg sc, fasten off. (42 ch-3 sps) 

Rnd9 (rem motifs) Rep as for Rnd 9 of first motif, except along one side of motif, join 7ch-3 sps to previous motif with, sc in dark ch-3 sp of working motif, [ch 1, sc in ch-3 sp of adjacent motif, ch 1, sc in next dark ch-3 sp on working motif] 7 times.

  Border

Rnd 1: Attach black in any ch-3 sp, ch 1, sc in same ch-3 sp, ch 3, [sc in next ch-3 sp, ch 3] rep around, join in beg sc.

  Rnd 2: Sl st into next ch-3 sp, ch 3, 2 dc in same ch-3 sp, work 3 dc in each ch-3 sp around, except sk the ch-3 sp at each inside corner, join in 3rd ch of beg ch-3.

  Rnd 3: Ch 1, sc in each dc around, except sk 4 dc at each inside corner (2 dc on each side of inner corner), join in beg sc.

  Rnd 4: Working with various left-over colors and black, rep Rnd 8 of motif, sk 6 sc at each inside corner (3 sc on each side of inner corner), join, fasten off.