I have seen a lot of star blankets out there, but I had never seen the innovative idea of rounding off the corners to turn the star into a square until this pattern! It adds a modern touch, and also makes it a bit more functional for matching the shape of a bed or a couch. Jess described this pattern as having ’a modern spin’, and I wholeheartedly agree.

• 4/5 skeins of Lion Brand Yarns Pound of Love – a worsted weight (4) yarn (colour A: Straw)
• 1/3 skein of Lion Brand Yarns Pound of Love – a worsted weight (4) yarn (colour B: Olive)
• Size J (6.00mm) hook

Pattern by Jess at Make and Do Crew
MODIFICATIONS by tick-tock hobbies

I made a mistake counting my rows at the beginning of this pattern, so there’s one fewer round in the accent colour than in the pattern. I also had to adapt the design for the accent touches in the corner as I was involved in a massive game of yarn chicken and lost. Badly. Other than that, Jess’ instructions for rounding off the points worked beautifully for this blanket. I’m almost ashamed of how long it took me to figure out the instructions for that stage though, as it held up my blanket making for a few months.

I would recommend blocking this blanket. The corners flare out more, as that is where all the added stitches were. I don’t think it’s something that someone would notice if the blanket was in use, but it does show up in photographs if it isn’t stretched out perfectly. Still, I think that you could get away with gifting it to someone without blocking if you were in a rush.

I wish that I had more yarn available, as I would have loved to follow Jess’ design for the chevron accents in the corners. I think that it would look so sharp as a two-tone blanket! It also would have been nice to have a blanket large enough for a bed, as this is more of a lap blanket or couch throw at the moment. You could easily change it from a square to a rectangle by working back and forth in rows for two sides instead of continuing in the round. Are there any other ’modern’ blanket designs that you have seen lately? I love how knitting and crochet, both very traditional crafts, have had new life breathed into them for the current age.

Until next time, happy crafting!