Natalis Stella is part of my Origami Knits Collection. Designed using both stockinette and garter stitch, short row sections, and twisted stitches with an i-cord edging, this design is very personal to me and extremely symbolic.

The term, “Natalis Stella”, comes from Latin, meaning “Natal Star”, or “Birth Star”. The design speaks to my spiritual roots and hope in our world.

The pattern includes instruction for knitting this as a scarf as shown, or as bunting for interior decoration, knit in multiples and strung across an entryway or bed frame. It could also be knit in a finer gauge yarn, with additional repeats for a much longer length, and used as a minister’s stole. Additionally, to make it even more personal to you, choose the number of star repeats based on the members of your family or to represent different individuals in your life. I love when a pattern can take on more meaning in this way. If you only want to knit three stars at one end and then the balance of the scarf in stockinette with the i-cord edging, that would be an option as well.

Origami knitting utilizes a technique known as a “twisted stitch”. There are a number of video tutorials online for learning this style of knitting. I prefer the method in the link below. For this design, I have used both the traditional two-stitch twisted stitch as well as a modified triple-twisted version of the stitch to allow for greater range of angles used in the ridge lines.

Twisted Stitch Tutorial: https://youtu.be/rdke9a0fbng

Fiber: For this design I worked with three skeins of worsted weight yarn in custom color “Goldenrod” by Quill & Quiver Fiber. This yarn has an exceptional hand and a gorgeous but subtle tonal range that adds depth to the pattern without distracting from it. All of this company’s yarn bases are thoughtfully sourced from family-run mills in the U.S. that seek to uphold and support the continuation of the wool industry. Each skein is individually hand-dyed in the Champlain Valley, Vermont, by Christy Lombardo with support from co-owner Gretchen Boyce, in an historic barn studio featured on the cover page of their website. For more information visit https://quillandquiverfiber.com/

While this design can be knit in any yarn; solids, tonals, and ombre yarns will show off the shadow effects of the dimensional knitting best without distracting from the design. Depending on the yarn used, as well as your personal gauge, you may need different sized needles. I recommend doing a test swatch to determine what works best for you. The tighter this design is knit, the better the peaks and valleys of the origami pattern will stand up, although you still get the effect with a looser knit, the denser the fabric, the more pronounced the effects will be.