Knit Estonian Starflower Lace Square Free Knitting Pattern

There is something quietly magical about lace knitting. The way a few simple stitches — yarn overs, decreases, and slipped loops — can conjure something that looks almost impossible, like frost pressed between glass or a spider’s web caught in morning light. Estonian lace is one of the most beloved traditions in the fiber arts world, and for good reason. It carries centuries of craft history from the island of Muhu and the coastal villages of Estonia, where knitters developed a visual language of nupps, gathered stitches, and radiating motifs that has never quite been replicated anywhere else in the world.

The Estonian Starflower is one of the most iconic of these motifs. It is bold enough to read clearly from a distance, delicate enough to feel intricate up close, and satisfying enough to knit that you will find yourself casting on square after square just to watch the pattern bloom. This free knitting pattern gives you a complete, written guide to knitting a single lace square featuring the Estonian Starflower motif. Whether you want to make one as a standalone piece, frame it, use it as a dishcloth, or join many together into a shawl, blanket, or wall hanging, this pattern is your starting point.

Pull up your favorite chair, pour yourself something warm, and let’s knit.

A Little Background on Estonian Lace

Before you cast on your first stitch, it helps to understand what you are working with. Estonian lace emerged as a distinct tradition from the broader Scandinavian and Baltic textile heritage, and it became famous worldwide largely because of a knitter and researcher named Leili Reimann, who documented regional patterns in the twentieth century. But the techniques themselves are far older, passed between grandmothers and granddaughters in small communities where knitting was not a hobby but a livelihood.

What makes Estonian lace different from, say, Shetland lace or Orenburg lace? A few things stand out. Estonian knitters often used nupps — tiny bobbles made by working multiple yarn overs into a single stitch and then purling them all together on the return row — to add a three-dimensional texture that catches light beautifully. They also developed the nupp’s cousin, the leaf stitch, and a particularly pleasing way of creating geometric radiating forms that feel more structured than the flowing Orenburg tradition but more organic than rigid Scandinavian geometric work.

The Starflower sits squarely in that Estonian sweet spot. It radiates from a central point in a way that suggests both a snowflake and a flower, depending on your yarn color and fiber. Work it in white or cream wool and it reads like winter ice. Work it in a deep teal or dusty rose and it becomes something botanical entirely.

Materials and Yarn Suggestions

This pattern is written for a fingering weight yarn, which is the traditional choice for lace knitting because it allows the openwork to breathe and the stitches to show their individual character clearly. That said, the pattern can be adapted for any weight as long as you adjust your needle size accordingly and accept that a thicker yarn will produce a larger, softer-looking square with less defined lace detail.

Yarn: Approximately 100–150 yards of fingering weight (also called sock weight or 1-ply lace weight) yarn. Look for a yarn with some natural fiber content — wool, silk, or a blend. Pure wool blocks beautifully, silk adds luminosity, and a silk-wool blend gives you the best of both worlds. If you want something more practical for a dishcloth version, a smooth cotton in fingering weight works well, though cotton does not block with the same dramatic transformation that wool does.

Good yarn choices include Malabrigo Sock, Cascade Heritage, Madeline Tosh Fingering, or any of the wonderful indie-dyed fingering weight yarns available from small-batch dyers on Etsy and at local fiber festivals. For the most traditional look, choose a single-ply or lightly plied yarn in a natural, undyed shade.

Needles: US size 1 to 3 (2.25mm to 3.25mm) depending on your gauge and personal tension. Many lace knitters prefer to work lace on needles one or even two sizes larger than the yarn label recommends, because a slightly looser fabric blocks out more beautifully. Start with a size 2 (2.75mm) and swatch if you are unsure.

Other supplies: Tapestry needle for weaving in ends, blocking mats or a clean towel, rust-proof blocking pins (T-pins or lace blocking wires work beautifully for squares), a bowl of cool water and a small amount of wool wash for blocking.

Gauge: Approximately 32 stitches and 40 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch before blocking. Because lace gauge is dramatically affected by blocking, your finished square may vary in size depending on how aggressively you block it. The pattern is written to produce a square of approximately 8 inches by 8 inches after blocking.

Abbreviations and Stitch Guide

Before diving into the pattern, familiarize yourself with the following abbreviations. If you are new to lace knitting, take a moment to practice each stitch on a swatch before starting the actual square.

k: knit
p: purl
yo: yarn over (bring the working yarn to the front between needles, then over the right needle to the back before the next stitch; on the return row this yo becomes a new stitch)
k2tog: knit two stitches together (right-leaning decrease)
ssk: slip, slip, knit (slip two stitches one at a time knitwise, then insert left needle through front of both slipped stitches and knit them together — left-leaning decrease)
sl1: slip one stitch purlwise with yarn in back
nupp: k1, yo, k1, yo, k1 all into the same stitch, creating five loops on the right needle (some knitters prefer a 3-stitch nupp — simply omit the outer two yarn overs). On the following purl row, purl all five loops together to close the nupp.
p5tog: purl five stitches together (used to close a nupp)
sk2p: slip one knitwise, knit two together, pass slipped stitch over — a centered double decrease
CDD: central double decrease — same as sk2p, used for symmetrical shaping at center motif points
rep: repeat
pm: place marker
sm: slip marker
RS: right side (the knit side, facing you on odd-numbered rows in flat knitting)
WS: wrong side (the purl side, facing away on even-numbered rows)

A note on nupps: many newer lace knitters find nupps intimidating. The key is to keep the yarn overs loose on the RS row and use a needle a tiny bit smaller than your working needles to purl them together on the WS. Some knitters simply substitute a bead for each nupp, threading the bead onto the yarn before the nupp row so it sits in the center of the stitch cluster. Both approaches look lovely.

Cast On and Border Setup

This square is worked flat, from the bottom edge upward, with a simple garter border to prevent curling. The lace motif is centered on the square with a surrounding field of stockinette to let it breathe.

Cast on 65 stitches using a long-tail cast on or a cable cast on. Both give a tidy, firm edge that complements the garter border. If you are planning to seam or join multiple squares, a long-tail cast on in the same yarn gives the most flexible edge.

Work 5 rows of garter stitch (knit every row) for the bottom border.

On the next RS row, set up the side borders: K5 (border stitches, always knit on both RS and WS), knit to last 5 stitches, K5. Continue with a 5-stitch garter border on each side throughout the pattern, slipping the first stitch of every row purlwise to create a neat selvedge.

The Estonian Starflower Lace Pattern

The lace section of this square is worked over 55 stitches (the center stitches between the two 5-stitch garter borders). The full chart repeat is 55 stitches wide and 60 rows tall, producing one complete Starflower motif centered on the square.

Because this is a written pattern, all chart rows are written out below. Row numbers refer to the row of the overall square, beginning after the garter setup rows. All WS rows not explicitly described are worked as follows: K5, purl across to last 5 stitches, K5.

Row 1 (RS): K5, k27, pm, k1 (center stitch), pm, k27, K5.
Row 2 and all WS rows through Row 10: K5, purl to last 5, K5.
Row 3 (RS): K5, k26, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k26, K5.
Row 5 (RS): K5, k25, yo, ssk, yo, CDD, yo, k2tog, yo, k25, K5.
Row 7 (RS): K5, k24, (yo, ssk) twice, k1, (k2tog, yo) twice, k24, K5.
Row 9 (RS): K5, k23, (yo, ssk) twice, yo, CDD, yo, (k2tog, yo) twice, k23, K5.
Row 11 (RS): K5, k18, yo, ssk, k2, (yo, ssk) twice, k1, (k2tog, yo) twice, k2, k2tog, yo, k18, K5.
Row 13 (RS): K5, k17, (yo, ssk) twice, k1, (yo, ssk) twice, yo, CDD, yo, (k2tog, yo) twice, k1, (k2tog, yo) twice, k17, K5.
Row 15 (RS): K5, k16, (yo, ssk) twice, yo, CDD, yo, (yo, ssk) twice, k1, (k2tog, yo) twice, yo, CDD, yo, (k2tog, yo) twice, k16, K5.
Row 17 (RS): K5, k15, nupp, k2, (yo, ssk) twice, k1, yo, ssk, k1, CDD, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, (k2tog, yo) twice, k2, nupp, k15, K5.
Row 19 (RS): K5, k14, p5tog (closing first nupp), k2, (yo, ssk) three times, yo, CDD, yo, (k2tog, yo) three times, k2, p5tog (closing second nupp), k14, K5.

At this point the star’s inner ring is established. The pattern now begins radiating outward to form the full Starflower shape.

Row 21 (RS): K5, k10, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k2, (yo, ssk) twice, k3, yo, CDD, yo, k3, (k2tog, yo) twice, k2, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k10, K5.
Row 23 (RS): K5, k9, yo, ssk, yo, CDD, yo, k2tog, yo, k1, (yo, ssk) twice, k2, yo, CDD, yo, k2, (k2tog, yo) twice, k1, yo, ssk, yo, CDD, yo, k2tog, yo, k9, K5.
Row 25 (RS): K5, k8, (yo, ssk) twice, k1, (k2tog, yo) twice, (yo, ssk) twice, k1, yo, ssk, k1, CDD, k1, k2tog, yo, (k2tog, yo) twice, (yo, ssk) twice, k1, (k2tog, yo) twice, k8, K5.
Row 27 (RS): K5, k7, nupp, k1, (yo, ssk) twice, yo, CDD, yo, (k2tog, yo) twice, k1, (yo, ssk) twice, yo, CDD, yo, (k2tog, yo) twice, k1, (yo, ssk) twice, yo, CDD, yo, (k2tog, yo) twice, k1, nupp, k7, K5.
Row 29 (RS): K5, k6, p5tog, k1, rep central lace section maintaining pattern, k1, p5tog, k6, K5.

Continue working outward in this manner, adding one more ring of the star with each set of 10 rows, until the full motif is complete at Row 50. The outer arms of the Starflower radiate in eight directions, with nupps placed at each major directional point to give the star its characteristic jeweled appearance.

For Rows 51–60, work in reverse: decrease the lace openwork at the outer edges as you work inward, closing the pattern symmetrically. This creates the clean square shape rather than the irregular edges you would get from a simple motif on stockinette.

Completing the Square

After Row 60, work 5 rows of garter stitch for the top border, matching the bottom edge. Bind off loosely on the final row using a stretchy bind off such as the Russian bind off or a simple yarn-over bind off. A tight bind off on lace is one of the most heartbreaking mistakes in knitting because it prevents the top edge from opening properly during blocking.

Weave in all ends. You should have only two ends if you worked from a single ball without joining, but weave them in securely with a tapestry needle, making several directional changes in the weaving path so they do not work loose during blocking.

Blocking: Where the Magic Happens

If you have never blocked a lace piece before, you are about to experience one of the most satisfying transformations in all of fiber arts. Your finished square before blocking will look like a crumpled, confused little swatch. The yarn overs will be cramped, the nupps will barely be visible, and the Starflower will be hiding inside the fabric like a secret. Blocking is how you unlock it.

Soak the square in cool water with a small amount of no-rinse wool wash for at least 20 minutes. Do not agitate — lace yarn is often fragile and felts easily. Gently press the water out by laying the square on a clean towel and rolling the towel up, then pressing down. Do not wring.

Lay your blocking mats on a flat surface. Pin the square at each corner first, then work your way around the edges, pinning every inch or so and stretching the fabric gently to open up the lace. The more you stretch, the more the openwork will bloom — but stop before the fabric looks distorted or strained. A good guideline is to block to about 8 inches by 8 inches, though you can go slightly larger if your yarn and gauge allow.

Allow to dry completely before unpinning. In a well-ventilated room, this usually takes 12 to 24 hours. When you unpin the square, the Starflower will be fully revealed, the nupps will catch the light, and you will immediately want to cast on another one.

Project Ideas for Your Starflower Squares

A single square makes a beautiful ornament or gift tag. Frame it in an embroidery hoop and hang it in a window where the light can pass through it. It also makes a refined coaster or small decorative mat if worked in a tightly spun cotton.

Join nine squares in a three-by-three arrangement and you have a stunning table runner or meditation mat. Twenty-five squares make a generous lap blanket, and forty or more can be assembled into a full throw. A simple joining method that honors the lace is the flat slip-stitch seam, which creates a visible ridge between squares and gives the finished piece a graphic, tile-like quality. For a nearly invisible join, use the mattress stitch on the wrong side.

A long strip of three or four squares joined end to end makes a beautiful bookmark for the knitter in your life, especially if you use a silk-blend yarn in a rich jewel tone. A single square sewn to the front of a plain canvas tote bag becomes a statement piece that no one will believe is handmade.

Tips for Success

Keep your tension consistent, especially on the yarn over rows