Butterfly Stitch knitting tutorial

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It’s not as complicated as it looks and will give an interesting touch to your garments: the Butterfly Stitch is just so easy and quick to knit that even beginner knitters will be blown away! ;)

The swatch you see in the picture features our Pima Cotton yarn and has been knitted with our 4 mm / US 6 Beechwood Knitting Needles.

Find out how it’s made here below!

How to knit the Butterfly Stitch

Cast on a multiple of 10 + 5 stitches.

Row #1:

  • Knit row.

Row #2:

  • Purl 5 stitches.
  • *Slip 5 stitches purl-wise (bring the yarn to the front of the work, slip 5 stitches purl-wise), purl 5 stitches*.
  • Repeat from * to * until the end of the row.

Rows #3 – #5 – #7 – #9 – #13 – #15 – #17 – #19:

  • Repeat Row #1.

Rows #4 – #6 – #8 – #10:

  • Repeat Row #2.

Row #11:

  • *Knit 7 stitches.
  • 1 spike stitch (with your right needle, lift the threads hanging from the previous rows, knit 1 stitch and bring it in front of the lifted threads, taking the needle under and around them), knit 2 stitches*.
  • Repeat from * to *. Knit the last 5 stitches.

Row #12:

  • Slip 5 stitches purl-wise.
  • *Purl 5 stitches, slip 5 stitches purl-wise*.
  • Repeat from * to * until the end of the row.

Rows #14 – #16 – #18 – #20:

  • Repeat Row #12.

Row #21:

  • * Knit 2 stitches.
  • 1 spike stitch, knit 7 stitches*.
  • Repeat from * to * until you have 5 stitches left.
  • Knit 2 stitches, 1 spike stitch, knit 2 stitches.

Continue knitting repeating Rows #2 – #21 until your piece is the length your project requires.

Butterfly Stitch Chart

The little butterfly shapes are simply created by the 5 threads of yarn hanging horizontally in front of the 5 slipped stitches on the right side of the work. The spike stitch, i.e. the “body” of the butterfly, ties up the 5 threads, squeezing them at the center and therefore creating the “wings”. It’s just unbelievably easy and fun! :)

If knitting with a medium to tight tension (or using needles that are a size smaller than the ones recommended for your yarn), you will get a 3D “bubble” texture, quite similar to the Bubble Stitch (which we designed our Sweet Candy Vest with!).

If you’re looking for inspiration…

Endless possibilities and so many projects to use this stitch: from scarves to spring vests, summer tops, and baby blankets (check out our Diagonal Basketweave Stitch for your newborn hand-knitted garments).

What’s your next Butterfly Stitch knitting project? 🦋 Let us know in the comment section and share your creations on Instagram using the hashtag #bettaknit!