12 point star won't lay flat

[macscout]

I'm 17 rows into a 12 point star afghan and it ruffles. It was flat until about row 9. I've tried making the stitches tighter which seems to be making the ends a little stiffer but it still won't lay flat. At this point I'm going to have to live with it like this or start over. For future reference, what am I doing wrong?

[Real Deal]

There's too many sts going up and back down from each point, or the bottom of each ripple is not decreasing enough.

 

From looking at this picture, it started to flute way back at the 1st color change. Check your pattern way back there and see if the instructions told you to do too many stitches starting there. Or perhaps you doubled stitches by mistake back in that area. The bottom of each ripple has to decrease at a different rate than the increases at the top, or your ghan won't come out round and flat at the same time.

[darski]

I have found that a 10 pt ripple is better if you want it flat.  the other thing to do is to avoid any increases on every 4th row.

 

Personally, I can't abide a ghan that ruffles so I know how you are feeling.  I would go back to the first white rows and make fewer stitches and then use the every 4th row rule.

[RoseRed]

I would just put this one down and start fresh.

 

There's way too many stitches.  That's what makes it ruffle and you'll never get it to lay flat. 

 

What pattern are you using?

[darski]

This is my 10 point RR pattern.  it does work if you are interested.  I give general instructions about how to do it rather than row by row by row.

 

I have managed to keep all of them flat.

[macscout]

Thank you for the advice. I took it apart, adjusted the pattern, and now it's an 8 point star laying perfectly flat. I am reducing every few rows when it starts to get loose. I'll post another pic when I get a little further into it. I found a tutorial for this pattern on youtube. It calls for a 6mm hook. Seems I might be able to make 12 points lay flat with a smaller hook but the hook I'm using (6mm) won't do that for me.

[randib82]

If I were you, I would use darski's pattern. She is the round ripple queen! 

[RoseRed]

Yeah, Darski's 10 point lays beautifully.

 

I have a 12 point on my blog.

 

I'm not sure I follow what you're saying about decreasing in the valley's.  Why are you doing that (if you're doing that?)

[darski]

Yeah, Darski's 10 point lays beautifully.

 

I have a 12 point on my blog.

 

I'm not sure I follow what you're saying about decreasing in the valley's.  Why are you doing that (if you're doing that?)

 

I'm not sure I know what you are asking.  Generally, you decrease by one in the valleys while you are adding 2 at the points for an overall increase of 1 per (section per) row.

[RoseRed]

If you're calling the skipping the 2 bottom stitches of the valley decreasing then yeah, I get it.  If you're doing an actual decrease - I've never made any of my RRs that way.

 

Merry Christmas!!!!

[darski]

I have used that technique as well as several methods of dec stitches.  I find it depends on what I want it to look like as to how I do the decreasing.

 

Ain't crochet grand???  A 1,000 ways to skin a

[RoseRed]

A new idea to play with if I ever get my yarn unpacked.