How to Knit a Butterfly
Complete Size – 14cm width x 7cm height
What you will need…
Total time – 3 Hours Each Knitted Butterfly
3.25mm knitting needles (UK 10, US 3)
Double knitting yarn – Colours according to preference. The pictured butterflies require light blue, yellow or multicoloured yarn, with a medium brown.
Sewing up needle
Selection of coloured pins for colour-coding of pieces
Scissors
No toy filling/stuffing is required.
Before You Start…
Abbreviations
K = Knit P = Purl St = Stitch Sts = Stitches
Cast On – I use the thumb method
St-st = stocking stitch. Alternating a row of knit stitches (right side), with a row of purl stitches (wrong side).
K2tog = Decrease by knitting two stitches together, making one stitch from two.
Inc = Increase – by knitting into the front and the back of the same stitch, to make two stitches out of one.
Sl2tog – Slip two stitches together from the left needle to the right
p2sso – pass two slipped stitches over (over the knitted stitch)
Cast off – K wise or P wise according to pattern. US – bind off
TOP TIP
You may find it helpful to have a large selection of coloured pins (perhaps handy on a pin cushion cupcake!) I used coloured pins to mark which knitted piece is which. I used blue, green, red and yellow (alphabetical order) to correspond with the order I have done them in the pattern, laying the pinned knitted pieces on the side in the correct layout. Definitely saves time when sewing them up. You may of course choose any colour-coding method you wish.
How to Make it…
Made from eight knitted wing pieces, one knitted body piece, and either using yarn ends or a finger-knitted length to make up both of the antennae. All pieces are sewn together, with optional added stitching to the wings for personalisation or added prettiness.
Lower Wing Piece 1 – Blue Pin
Make 2 for each butterfly – Front right and back left
Time – 10 Minutes each piece
Piece Size – 3.5 cm (width) x 4.5 cm (height)
Needles 3.25 mm
Yarn As per preference (light blue shown)
Begin at the centre side of the wing and work outwards to the edge
Cast on 5 sts
Next row P
Next row Inc Kwise, K2, inc Kwise, K1 (7sts)
P 1 row
Next row Inc Kwise, K6 (8sts)
P 1 row
Next row Inc Kwise, K7 (9sts)
St-st 3 rows
Next row K1, K2tog, K3, K2tog, K1 (7sts)
Next row P
Next row K1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K1 (5sts)
Next row P
Next row K2tog, K1, K2tog (3sts)
Cast off Pwise
Lower Wing Piece 2 – Green Pin
Make 2 for each butterfly – Front left and back right
Time – 10 Minutes each piece
Piece Size – 3.5 cm (width) x 4.5 cm (height)
Needles 3.25 mm
Yarn As per preference (light blue shown)
Begin at the centre side of the wing and work outwards to the edge
Cast on 5 sts
Next row P
Next row Inc Kwise, K2, inc Kwise, K1 (7sts)
P 1 row
Next row K5, Inc Kwise, K1 (8sts)
P 1 row
Next row K6, Inc Kwise, K1 (9sts)
St-st 3 rows
Next row K1, K2tog, K3, K2tog, K1 (7sts)
Next row P
Next row K1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K1 (5sts)
Next row P
Next row K2tog, K1, K2tog (3sts)
Cast off Pwise
Upper Wing Piece 1 – Red Pin
Make 2 for each butterfly – Front right and back left
Time – 15 Minutes each piece
Piece Size – 4 cm (width) x 7.5 cm (height)
Needles 3.25 mm
Yarn As per preference (light blue shown)
Begin at the centre side of the wing and work outwards to the edge
Cast on 3sts
Next row P
Next row K2, inc Kwise (4sts)
P 1 row
Next row K2, Inc Kwise, K1 (5sts)
P 1 row
Next row K3, Inc Kwise, K1 (6sts)
P 1 row
Next row K4, Inc Kwise, K1 (7sts)
P 1 row
Next row Inc Kwise, K4, Inc Kwise, K1 (9sts)
P 1 row
Next row Inc Kwise, K6, Inc Kwise, K1 (11sts)
St-st 3 rows
Next row K1, K2tog, K5, K2tog, K1 (9sts)
Next row P
Next row K1, K2tog, K3, K2tog, K1 (7sts)
Next row P
Next row K1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K1 (5sts)
Next row P
Next row K2tog, K1, K2tog (3sts)
Next row P
sl2tog, K1, p2sso
Upper Wing Piece 2 – Yellow Pin
Make 2 for each butterfly – front left and back right
Time – 15 Minutes each piece
Piece Size – 4 cm (width) x 7.5 cm (height)
Needles 3.25 mm
Yarn As per preference (light blue shown)
Begin at the centre side of the wing and work outwards to the edge
Cast on 3sts
Next row P
Next row Inc Kwise, K2 (4sts)
P 1 row
Next row Inc Kwise, K3 (5sts)
P 1 row
Next row Inc Kwise, K4 (6sts)
P 1 row
Next row Inc Kwise, K5 (7sts)
P 1 row
Next row Inc Kwise, K4, Inc Kwise, K1 (9sts)
P 1 row
Next row Inc Kwise, K6, Inc Kwise, K1 (11sts)
St-st 3 rows
Next row K1, K2tog, K5, K2tog, K1 (9sts)
Next row P
Next row K1, K2tog, K3, K2tog, K1 (7sts)
Next row P
Next row K1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K1 (5sts)
Next row P
Next row K2tog, K1, K2tog (3sts)
Next row P
sl2tog, K1, p2sso
Body Piece
Make 1
Time – 5 Minutes each piece
Piece Size 5 cm width x 1.5 cm height
Needles 3.25 mm
Yarn Medium Brown
These are knitted from side to side rather than top to bottom.
Cast on 12 sts
Beginning with a P row, st-st 3 rows
Cast off
Piece it Together…
Pinning and Sewing-up time – Approximately 70 Minutes
Sewing up Wing Pieces – If you are planning to add any decorative stitching to your butterfly wings, it is advised to do this before moving on to this next stage (see ‘Make it Different’ below for further information or ideas.) Lay out all eight pieces in the correct positioning to ensure they don’t get mixed up, placing two corresponding wing pieces together i.e. blue and green pinned wings together, or red and yellow pinned wings together, with wrong side of st-st on the inside. Oversew row ends, and cast on and cast off edges. Fasten off all loose ends other than leaving one length for each pair to use for further sewing up at the next stage. After completing all four wing pairs, keep them pinned and laid out in the correct positioning to avoid any confusion.
Making up the Wings – With all four pairs oversewn and keeping in the correct position, use more pins of a different colour to link the left two pairs together, and the right two pairs together, to form the two sides of the butterfly, as shown below. Then turn each pinned wing over and sew across row ends from the back, to approximately half way across the wing, where the wing pairs begin to separate. Sewing from the reverse allows a neater finish from the front, giving the idea that the wings are separate, while also being made more sturdy. Fasten off loose ends, other than leaving enough to later sew these on to the body.
Making up the Body – With the wrong side of st-st on the outside, roll the cast-off edge of the body piece over towards the cast-on edge and oversew these stitches together, along its length as shown below. No stuffing is required due to its compact shape. Ensure the row ends are also oversewn and when fastening off, leave two small lengths of yarn poking out of the top, evenly on either side, to form the two antennae. (This is the quick way to form the antennae, but finger knitted lengths may be made and sewn on instead, but this is not added to the pattern timing – See Make it Different below for more information.)
Completing Your Butterfly – Turning your wing pieces and body piece over, place the two completed edges of the butterfly wings on each side of the completed body, leaving a roughly equal amount of body poking out above and below the wings. Sew the wings securely from the back of the butterfly, just adjacent to the sewn seam of the body. Ensure all pins are removed when complete. Fasten off all loose ends, turn over and enjoy!
Make it Different…
Instead of leaving long ends of yarn to form the antennae, you may wish to spend a little more time and finger knit a single length of yarn instead. The example below started as a 5 cm finger-knitted total length but this may vary according to the species of butterfly or your preference. Fold this length in the centre to create two antennae as shown and sew this centre point to the top of the body piece.
You may of course leave the butterflies simple as they are, but you may also wish to add some decorative spots or patterns. The example below also shows the sewn-on date of birth of my new nephew to the reverse side of the butterfly, as I chose to make one as a knitted newborn baby gift. Take a look at the little Christmas tree for other ideas on how to decorate your butterfly. Using butterfly images or some garden inspiration, you could even follow a natural design and colouring to represent a particular species. It is advised to sew on any extra stitching before the wing pieces are sewn up back to back – this will allow a neater and easier finishing off loose ends.
Yes, so as with many of my other patterns, they can also be sewn onto a hairband (I’m going to end up with the best-decorated 5 year-old at this rate!) But as they are fairly small and flexible, these knitted butterflies make great little portable keepsakes. Alternatively, they can be sewn onto other materials directly such as a blanket or cushion, or even hung around on some added finger-knitted loops to cheer up the home or furniture. They may also be combined with flowers, such as the knitted daisy, knitted daffodil, knitted poppy and knitted fuchsia to make a nice little knitted picture, similar to the space scene picture I made for my other nephew when he was born!
Behind the Scenes!
These patterns are all made up as I go along, learning from mistakes along the way. Every time I create a new pattern, I record it in the Updates part of this site (effectively my blog…) There is a story behind each creation, and this can help give you some more ideas and encouragement. See the Update info….
All done?
Feel free to share your successes or any other tips or suggestions by contacting me. If it’s all gone swimmingly and you’re ready for your next challenge, have a look at what to try next! My next pattern!