crocheting a star in the center of an afghan

[kathyeauxier]

I need assistance in making a dallas cowboys afghan. Im not sure how to incorporate the star in the center of the afghan. Do I end off at the color change or carry it through. The star tip only starts out at 1 sc so therefore will have to carry it throughout the biggest part of the afghan. I tried it that way and the yarn shows through the main color. Any help would be appreciated.

[FlossiePotts]

If you don't like the colour showing through, the only way that I could see to do it without ending the colour on each round is to roughly calculate how much yarn it will take for the points of the star and make a separate small ball of yarn for each point. You would then have to bring the last row of star colour back over to where you are going to join in again and crochet over it to the other side.

You could secure the small ball with a clothes peg so that they don't get tangled.

 

Sounds complicated, doesn't it?

[kathyeauxier]

It does sound complicated since I have never attempted an afghan like this before. I have made several before but nothing this extreme.So are you saying after I do 53 sc in navy, do the 1 sc in grey, 42 sc in navy, 1 sc in gray and 53 sc in navy to end the row, after turning and doing the 53 again in navy, bring the yarn to the other side to do 2 sc in gray. Im at such a loss with this. Thank you so much for answering me. 

[Granny Square]

The grey, navy, grey, navy sounds like the grey is the bottom points  of the star.  What Flossie pots was describing is that you would need to work from 5 balls of yarn, but this would only be for the bottom 2 points - once you reach the point where the points join the body of the star, you'd only need 3 - navy, grey, navy - for the side & top points.

 

This does get sort of messy; to keep the tangles to a minimum, turn the piece in a different direction every other row, so the strands coming from the balls will have 1 twist on one row, untwisted the next, and so on.

[FlossiePotts]

I was thinking that you were working in the round, so the yarn would always be on the right side. Maybe it wouldn't work if you are working flat, without some more complicated twisting.

 

It would probably be easier to end the colours. You could try using the double knot method of joining, to avoid all the end sewing in later.

[Granny Square]

Actually, it can be harder doing color work in the round, depending on the pattern. 

 

If your pattern is sort of uniform, like a big star, if you work flat and turn, a color you dropped from the last row is likely to be close to where you need to pick it up in the next row.  If you are working in the round, the color you need could be half way around the piece (unless it's Fair Isle-like, where color shifts are fequent and short).

 

But, realize there will be a definite right and wrong side, because there will be strands on the back from crossing over a stitch or two each time the pattern shifts from row to row. The only way I can think of to prevent this is using tapestry style (which you didn't like because the other color showed thru) or cut each thread with each color change. 

[FlossiePotts]

Yes. You are right.