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Little Butterfly Stitch (a.k.a. Bowknot Stitch) Video Tutorial

February 26, 2021 1 Comment

Yarn & needles provided by Knit Picks. Post contains affiliate links.

The Little Butterfly Stitch adds so much character to simple stockinette. Only a little funky to knit, and it packs a huge visual punch!

I’ve probably said this about one too many stitches, but the Little Butterfly Stitch (sometimes also called a Bowknot Stitch) is one of my favorites of all time. Just look at how cute it is, especially in this nice pastel blue! The name Little Butterfly is perfect for a stitch that allows knitters to pepper an otherwise-plain bed of stockinette stitch with little bows or insect friends. I love the idea of this stitch as a standalone design element just as much as I love seeing it checkerboarded here across my sample swatch.

The Little Butterfly Stitch adds so much character to simple stockinette. Only a little funky to knit, and it packs a huge visual punch!

Little Butterfly / Bowknot Stitch

Here’s the video tutorial, with the written stitch pattern a little further down.

There’s a similar stitch called Butterfly Stitch that features more rows of slipped stitches and a 20 row repeat (vs. the Little Butterfly’s 12). Both Butterfly and Little Butterfly Stitch patterns may be found on page 101 of Barbara Walker’s first Treasury of Knitting Patterns if you’d like to compare the differences up close.

P.S. I love sharing stitch tutorials as a go-to, but if there are videos you’d like to see on the channel, suggestions are welcome in the comments. 🧶

The Little Butterfly Stitch adds so much character to simple stockinette. Only a little funky to knit, and it packs a huge visual punch!
Wrong side of the little butterfly/bowknot stitch.
The Little Butterfly Stitch adds so much character to simple stockinette. Only a little funky to knit, and it packs a huge visual punch!
Right side of the little butterfly/bowknot stitch.

Little Butterfly STITCH / Bowknot Stitch PATTERN

Knitting skill level: Easy to Intermediate

CO a mult of 10 sts + 7.
row 1, 3 & 5. (RS) k1, *k5, sl5 wyif; rep from *, end k6.
rows 2 & 4. (WS) p all sts.
row 6. p8, *insert working needle from below under the 3 loose strands on RS of work; yarn over and draw up a loop; p1, pass drawn up loop over purled st, p9. Rep from *, end p8.
rows 7, 9, & 11. k1, *sl5 wyif; k5; rep from *, end sl5 wyif, k1.
rows 8 & 10. p all sts.
row 12. p3, *insert working needle from below under the 3 loose strands on RS of work; yarn over and draw up a loop; p1, pass drawn up loop over purled st, p9. Rep from *, end p3.
Rep rows 1-12.

Please note that stitches are presented using the Craft Yarn Council’s standards and abbreviations: http://bit.ly/cyc-standards.

The Little Butterfly Stitch adds so much character to simple stockinette. Only a little funky to knit, and it packs a huge visual punch!
The Little Butterfly Stitch adds so much character to simple stockinette. Only a little funky to knit, and it packs a huge visual punch! Heidi from Hands Occupied walks you through how to knit an adorable stitch known by two names: Little Butterfly or Bowknot Stitch.

Yarn & needles provided by Knit Picks. Post contains affiliate links.

Filed Under: Knitting Tagged With: bowknot stitch, hands occupied youtube, knitting tutorial, knitting video tutorial, little butterfly stitch, video tutorial

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

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Comments

  1. Stefanie

    February 27, 2021 at 8:45 am

    Gat tutorial. I love this butterfly stitch. Thank you very much for the video. It always helps to see how a pattern is knitted.

    Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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Are you looking for some late summer reading picks Are you looking for some late summer reading picks? Here are 3 fresh titles for makers of all ages - full reviews are on my bl0g, along with a giveaway for a copy of Knitstrips! The 🔗 is where you’d think. 😉
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To Make by Danielle Davis (@writesinla) / Knitstrips by Alice Ormsbee Beltran & Karen Kim Mar (@ik_knitstrips) / This Long Tread by Jen Hewett (@jenhewett) 
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#summerreading #bookshelf #readingrecommendations #handsoccupied #booksformakers #craftbooks
New on the blog today! This former Librarian revie New on the blog today! This former Librarian reviews three making-related books for kids, teens & adults. And there’s a copy of one up for giveaway too! 📚 
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To Make by Danielle Davis (@writesinla) with pictures by Mags DeRoma (@magsderoma) / Knitstrips (@ik_knitstrips) by Alice Ormsbee Beltran & Karen Kim Mar / This Long Thread by Jen Hewett (@jenhewett) 
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I’ll share preview page-through videos for these this week too, but for now the written reviews are at the top of handsoccupied dot com along with my search bar if you can’t find ‘em. All giveaway details are listed in the review post. 🤙🏻 
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(^ I heard a rumor that if I tell you to exit this app, no one will see this post, so plz forgive the song & dance just in case it matters. 🙈)
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#handsoccupied #summerreading #booksformakers #booksforcrafters #books #knittersofinstagram #craftbook #knittingbook
I think about the wrong side of my intarsia knitti I think about the wrong side of my intarsia knitting kind of like some embroiderers do: I get (probably too) excited when the back’s neat and tidy. Are you this way? Is it just me? 
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Pictured is the wrong side of a large primary color intarsia swatch I knit for an upcoming design in @brooklyntweed Arbor. When I pulled it from my studio, I thanked my former self for talking the time to knit, weave in ends, & block a clean swatch already. As critical as they are, I’m excited to not have to make one today. I’ll advocate for swatching all day long, but I won’t pretend it’s like the funnest step in the process! 😆🧶
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#stopswatchandblockit #intarsia #intarsiaknitting #handsoccupied #knitincolor #knitdesign #handknits
Weaving in ends when you’re knitting with black Weaving in ends when you’re knitting with black yarn… 😅 
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There are a few reasons 90% of my work is done in primary colors, & this is one of them! Lucky for me and my tear ducts, this secret monochromatic design project is off the needles. Just blocking, seaming, & then grading the thing before I can ship it off to make my deadline. 🤙🏻
Today’s knitting vocabulary words: deadline isla Today’s knitting vocabulary words: deadline island & intarsia lock. Have you run across these terms before? 
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If there’s interest, I can share more examples of how to wrangle intarsia locks in a future video. With all of the intarsia designs in my queue, examples are sure to present themselves. 😅🧶 
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#intarsia #deadlineisland #handsoccupied #intarsiaknitting #colorworkknitting
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