Alongside the different colours of DK wool (a perfect stashbusting project) you will need star buttons (I used really small ones; Trimit Nylon Mini Buttons) in same or contrasting colours, stuffing, 130inch of craft wire, 5x 4inch round dowel, 10x buttons and glue.
Using DK wool and 4.5mm needles...
Cast on 3
row 1 - K3
row 2 - P3
row 3 - K3
row 4 - P3
row 5 - KFB KFB KFB
row 6 - P6
row 7 - K6
row 8 - P6
row 9 - KFB KFB KFB K3
row 10 - P9
row 11 - K8 W&T
row 12 - P8
row 13 - K6 W&T
row 14 - P6
row 15 - K4 W&T
row 16 - P4
row 17 - K2 W&T
row 18 - P2
row 19 - K4 (picking up the W&T on stitch 3), W&T
row 20 - P4
row 21 - K6 (picking up the W&Ts on stitch 5), W&T
row 22 - P6
row 23 - K8 (picking up the W&Ts on stitch 7), W&T
row 24 - P8
row 25 - K9 (picking up the W&Ts on stitch 9)
row 26 - P9
row 27 - K2TOG K2TOG K2TOG K3
row 28 - P6
row 29 - K6
row 30 - P6
row 31 - K2TOG K2TOG K2TOG
row 32 - P3
row 33 - K3
row 34 - P3 casting off
W&T means wrap and turn and is a way of making sure the short rows don't create holes in your knitting, see purlbee for a good tutorial
Make two sides per moon in the same colour (6 moons, 12 sides in total for the whole mobile in a variety of colours).
These will look almost triangular when flat, but once stuffed lightly and 3D they take on a more crescent appearance (they will look triangular again if you over stuff them).
Single crochet around the larger edge, joining two edges wrong side to wrong side. Then add a bit of stuffing and single crochet the shorter side.
Slip stitch your last crochet with the first stitch, and then chain stitch for 10-20 stitches, or until as long as you want to dangle it. Cut yarn and keep final chain loose - this will be how you attach it to the dowel.
Now add your stars - you want to use the craft wire like thread attaching the mini-buttons through the knitting, but instead of knotting wrap it round a dowel or pencil to create a spiral and sliding out once formed, like a starburst.
Hook the chain stitch over the dowel and pull to tighten, cut yarn and thread down into chain. Eventually you will need to glue this to ensure it stays in the same place. You want your dowel and moon pieces to be like a family tree. First dowel has two dowel children, each of those dowel children have one dowel grandchild and one moon grandchild. Each of those dowel grandchildren has two moon grandchildren. You will need to do 4 sets of chains the same as on the end of the crescent, but leaving the starting chain loose to hook onto the middle of a children's dowel.
It is a careful balancing act working out where on the dowel your chains need to be placed. First of all, once all chains are on the right dowels, use glue to attach a button on the end of each dowel. This will stop the chains and moons falling off the dowel as you try to balance them. Next, starting with the grandchildren, glue the moons chain to the dowel about 5mm in from the buttons on each side. Now hold up this section by the chain that will attach it to the children, and move the chain side to side until it hangs evenly (somewhere near halfway at the centre). Do this for the grandchildren on the other side. Next, on the children glue the moon chain 5mm from the button, and the chain from the grandchildren 5mm from the other button. Now hang from the chain to the parent and balance this (somewhere near one third to a quarter towards the chain from grandchildren). This will take very careful patient balancing and gentle nudging till it works - then glue it quick! Do the other side. And now glue both of these to the top dowel, 5mm from each button. And your top chain can be glued where balanced - close to the centre. And if you've got the patience to get all of that perfect - you've got the patience to look after children that won't sleep!!
And there you go, a sprinkling of star dust on wonderful wonderful yarn.
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