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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, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé. 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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handsoccupied

Craft book author & pattern designer ❤️💛💙
knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé
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Please email for pattern support. 🧶

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or reintroduced myself, so here goes! I’m Heidi Gustad, a craft book author, pattern designer, and tutorial creator who specializes in yarn crafts. Lately, I’ve been focused on releasing quality knitting videos and related blog posts to help teach things like the difference between provisional cast ons and how to fix common knitting mistakes. Next week I’m shooting requested crochet and latch hook videos, so h👀kers, your time is coming! And if you ever have tutorial requests, please let me know. ☺️
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TLDR: I’m Heidi. I design & teach yarn crafts. You can find tutorials on my blog (est. 2010) & You2be. I also have several knitting & crochet patterns + a book about latch hook available. / All of these can be found on my website, the 🔗 is where you’d think. 
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#handsoccupied #fridayintroduction #heidigustad #knitting #knitter #knittersofinstagram #yarncrafts #latchhookbook
Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Contine Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Continental or English Style? Here’s a quick overview of the differences between the two most common knitting styles, including a side by side comparison. (A good one to save for future reference. 👍🏻) 
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There’s more on the differences between picking and throwing in my latest blog post & You 2ube video - the l1nk is where you’d think!
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#handsoccupied #learntoknit #knittingstyles #howtoknit #knittersofinstagram #knitter
Spent time with family this weekend down South. Go Spent time with family this weekend down South. Got some stitching in & felt spring for a minute, which was lovely. ☀️ 
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I’ll be catching up on comments, etc. tomorrow. 
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#handsoccupied #travelknitting #planeknitting
Which way do you knit? Picking, throwing, Portugue Which way do you knit? Picking, throwing, Portuguese, Shetland… how about lever style? 
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Today on the blog, we’re defining & comparing the two most common knitting styles: continental and throwing. They’re each known by a few names, and odds are one of them really is your grandmother’s knitting style (if she’s a western knitter that is). There’s a new video to help demonstrate the differences too. Another good one to save & share! 😉 
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#handsoccupied #continentalknitting #englishknitting #americanknitting #howtoknit
This past weekend, my husband and I visited family This past weekend, my husband and I visited family out of state. Here’s what I packed to keep my hands occupied for the drive. 😉 
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I try my hardest to be realistic about how much knitting I’m going to get done vs. the effort of schlepping my WIP(s) and yarn around. I definitely almost brought double this amount of yarn, which would have been hilariously unnecessary for a weekend trip. Why am I like this? 😆 Do you also struggle with overpacking when it comes to crafts? 
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