Christmas Six-Point Star Puff Flower Doily

A six-point Christmas star built like a piece of jewellery: a ruby puff-stitch flower with a gold bead heart, a ring of plump cream puffs, emerald shell petals, red leaf chevrons, lacy cream points with a popcorn bobble in each, and a green scalloped edge outlined in gold metallic thread. Six tiny red berry balls cap the points. It is a centrepiece, a tree-skirt topper or a framed wall piece – and it is one of the most technically satisfying doilies we have written.

About this design

The doily changes construction method halfway through, which is what makes it an advanced make. Rounds 1–8 are worked in the round from the centre: a puff flower, a puff ring, shells and leaf chevrons. Then the star points are worked flat in rows, one at a time, directly off the last round – each point decreasing evenly to its tip with a popcorn placed in the middle. Finally, a single continuous edging round travels up and down all six points, followed by a surface-crocheted gold outline. The mix of sculpted texture (puffs, popcorns) and open lace (mesh triangles) is what gives the piece its depth in the photo.

Skills you need

• Puff stitches with an even number of loops – consistency is everything in the cream ring.
• Popcorns (5-dc) pushed to the right side.
• Working flat wedges off a round, turning rows, and decreasing symmetrically (dc2tog / dc3tog).
• Edging around inside and outside corners without puckering the valleys.
• Surface slip stitch with metallic thread.

Thread & colour

We used sport-weight (4-ply) mercerised cotton, which gives a 40 cm star. Swap to size 10 crochet thread and a 1.5 mm hook for a dainty 22 cm ornament-sized star, or to DK cotton and a 3.5 mm hook for a 55 cm table-centre. The gold outline is a fine metallic thread held single; if your metallic is very thin, hold two strands together. Approximate amounts for the sport version: red 25 g, cream 35 g, green 40 g, gold metallic 10 m, plus a 10 mm gold bead.

The puff stitch, done right

For the cream ring we use a 5-loop puff: (yo, insert, pull up a loop to the height of a dc) four times, yo and draw through all 9 loops, ch 1 to lock. The secret to identical puffs is pulling every loop up to the same height – hold your index finger on the loops on the hook so they do not slip shorter as you add more. If your puffs look scrawny, add a fifth loop pair; if they look messy, try drawing through 8 loops first and then the last 2.

Working the star points in rows

Each point is a triangle of mesh worked flat on 25 foundation stitches. You decrease one mesh square at each end of every row so the point narrows evenly. The popcorn sits on the centre stitch of Row 4. Because you join, work and fasten off each point separately, keep the tension the same on every point – compare them as you go by laying each new point over the first one.

Edging the inside corners

Where two points meet (the valley), you must decrease – otherwise the edge ruffles. We work a sc3tog across the valley in the first edging round, and only a single sc (no shell) in the second. On the tips, the opposite: three stitches into one so the point stays sharp.

Gold outline (surface crochet)

Hold the gold thread under the work, insert the hook from front to back between the last edging stitches, and slip-stitch along the very outer edge of the green scallops. Keep it loose – metallic thread does not stretch, and a tight surface line will pull the scallops inwards.

Blocking a star

This piece absolutely needs blocking. Draw a six-point star on paper (two overlapping triangles inside a 40 cm circle), cover it with cling film, and pin the doily onto it: one pin in each tip, each valley and each scallop. For a firm finish, spray with a light starch solution (or 1 part PVA craft glue to 3 parts water) and let it dry fully for 24 hours. Pin the popcorns and puffs from underneath with your finger to keep them raised.

Styling ideas

• Under a candle hurricane on the Christmas table (always keep flame away from the cotton).
• Framed in a deep box frame on a tartan backdrop.
• As the top of a tree skirt, or stitched to the centre of a red felt circle.
• Made small in thread as a tree-topper star with a cardboard backing.

Ready to make it?

Everything you need is right here on this page and completely free: materials, every round with stitch counts, the row-by-row star point, the edging, the berry balls, abbreviations, FAQ and troubleshooting. Grab your three colours and a spool of gold and enjoy a slow, beautiful make.

It is a Christmas jewel – puffs, popcorns, lace points and a gold edge in one piece – and the switch from rounds to rows makes it a genuinely rewarding challenge.

Make it all-white with silver for a snowflake star, navy and gold for New Year, or pastel pink and mint for a spring mandala.

Amigurumi (Japanese: ami = knitted/crocheted + nuigurumi = stuffed toy) is the craft of making small crocheted characters. You start with a magic ring, work in continuous spiral rounds of single crochet, and shape the piece through increases and decreases — no seams, no joins, no turning.

The magic ring creates a closable centre with no hole. Wrap yarn around two fingers, insert the hook, yarn over and pull through. Work your first round into this ring, then pull the tail to close tight. Practise a few times — it becomes effortless quickly.

The invisible decrease — insert your hook through the front loop only of the first stitch, then the front loop only of the second stitch. Yarn over, pull through both loops, then yarn over again and pull through the remaining two. Working through front loops only makes the decrease blend into the fabric instead of leaving a bump.

Tension matters most. Amigurumi needs tight, firm tension so stuffing can't show through. If you can see white fiberfill peeking between your stitches, go down one hook size. The fabric should feel dense and firm — like a tightly woven canvas, not a loose net.