Butterfly Stitch: Winter Stitch Sampler Knit Along 1

Butterfly Stitch is the featured stitch for Week 1 of the Winter Stitch Sampler Knit Along!

Just getting started? Visit the Winter Stitch Sampler Knit Along main page here
or download the free pattern in its entirety here.

Welcome to the Winter Stitch Sampler Knit Along!

The Winter Stitch Sampler celebrates nature with patterns inspired by leaves, flowers, fruits, and animals! Each week, we’ll work one of the twelve squares of this patchwork pattern.

Winter Stitch Sampler Knit Along Overview
Ravelry

Week 1 – Butterfly Stitch ⬅️
Week 2 – Vine Stripe Stitch
Week 3 – Owl’s Eye Stitch
Week 4 – Traveling Vine Stitch
Week 5 – Little Blossoms Stitch
Week 6 – Bunches of Grapes Stitch
Week 7 – Sweet Shells Stitch
Week 8 – Wildflower Knot Stitch
Week 9 – Gooseberries Stitch
Week 10 – Cockleshells Stitch
Week 11 – Apple Leaves Stitch
Week 12 – Bear Claw Stitch

About Butterfly Stitch

Butterfly Stitch has a delicate allover texture that looks like butterflies flying in formation. It is worked on a background of Stockinette Stitch.

After I blocked it, I couldn’t really tell which was the top or bottom, except for the position of the butterfly wings. If you like the wings better pointing up, you can flip this panel of the afghan upside down and it will still fit overall. I like them flipped. I think they look less like spiders that way!

I used 166 yards (152 meters) of yarn to complete this panel. Your mileage may vary, but you can compare your usage to mine and that can help you determine how much yarn you’ll use in future panels.

This stitch pattern was adapted from A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara Walker.

Abbreviations

BO – bind off
CO – cast on
k – knit
p – purl
pwise – purlwise
sl – slip
st(s) – stitch(es)
St st – Stockinette stitch
wyib – with yarn in back

Instructions

CO 66 sts.

Setup Row: K all

Row 1 (WS) – P3, *p5, wyib sl 5 pwise; rep from * until 3 sts remain, p3

Rows 2 and 4 – K all

Rows 3 and 5 – as Row 1

Row 6 – K3, *k2, insert working needle under 3 slipped strands below and k into st pulling loop around strands, k7; rep from * until 3 sts remain, k3

Rows 7 to 12 – Work in St st

Rows 13, 15, and 17 – P3, *wyib sl 5 pwise, p5; rep from * until 3 sts remain, p3

Rows 14 and 16 – K all

Row 18 – K3, *k7, insert working needle under 3 slipped strands below and k into st pulling loop around strands, k2; rep from * until 3 sts remain, k3

Rows 19 to 24 – Work in St st

Work these 24 rows 4 times for a total of 96 rows. There are now 97 rows including the Setup Row.

BO all sts. Weave in ends.

For General Use

I added 2 stitches and 1 row to this pattern so that we could use it in the Winter Stitch Sampler Knit Along. If you wish to use this stitch pattern in a different project, use the instructions below, which have not been modified.

This stitch is worked in multiples of 10 + 4 stitches across 12 rows and the pattern begins on the wrong side.

Rows 1, 3, and 5 – P2, *p5, wyib sl 5 pwise; rep from * until 2 sts remain, p2

Rows 2 and 4 – K all

Row 6 – K2, *k2, insert working needle under 3 slipped strands below and k into st pulling loop around strands, k7; rep from * until 2 sts remain, k2

Rows 7 to 12 – Work in St st

Rows 13, 15, and 17 – P2, *wyib sl 5 pwise, p5; rep from * until 2 sts remain, p2

Rows 14 and 16 – K all

Row 18 – K2, *k7, insert working needle under 3 slipped strands below and k into st pulling loop around strands, k2; rep from * until 2 sts remain, k2

Rows 19 to 24 – Work in St st

Repeat Rows 1 to 24 to form the pattern.