Butterfly Stitch Washcloth Knitting Pattern

Welcome spring with a butterfly stitch washcloth! A simple pattern of slip stitches creates the floating strands of yarn that form this unique texture.

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Knitted Kitchen Blog Hop

The Butterfly Stitch washcloth is pattern #20 in the 2017 Knitted Kitchen Blog Hop, hosted by the Underground Crafter. Knit your way through 48 washcloth patterns throughout the year! Each pattern will include a photo and/or video tutorial, so it’s a fun way to learn new stitches and techniques.

For more information about the event and links to the patterns, be sure to visit the main Knitted Kitchen post. I hope you’ll join in the fun!

Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton Yarn

Lion Brand has generously provided all the designers in the blog hop with yarn for our designs. I’ve chosen 24/7 Cotton for all my washcloths and am really enjoying working with it. For this washcloth I used color #143D – Lilac

Modified Butterfly Stitch

This is not the most common version of the butterfly stitch. I modified it slightly so that all the work is done on the right side rows. To see a more common version of this stitch, check out this Lunchtime Live episode.

Butterfly Stitch Washcloth

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Materials:

• Yarn: 80 [140] yds Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton yarn – shown in Lilac
• Needles: US size 6 (4mm) knitting needles or size needed to obtain gauge
• Notions: Yarn needle

Project Level:

Easy – Basic stitches and slipped stitches.

Sizes:

9″ square [12″ square]

Gauge:

20 sts x 28 rows = 4 inches in stockinette.

Abbreviations used:

• k = knit
• p = purl
• sl = slip knitwise with yarn at back
• sl5wyif = slip next 5 stitches purlwise with yarn in front
• b = butterfly stitch (see Special Stitches)
• st(s) = stitch(es)
• RS = Right Side
• WS = Wrong Side 

Recommended Resources:

• The German Twisted Cast On by New Stitch a Day
• The Decrease Bind Off by New Stitch a Day

 Stitch Multiples:

• Butterfly stitch center section only: multiple of 10 + 7 [11] sts, multiple of 16 + 1 [9] rows
• Entire square: multiple of 10 + 15 [19] sts, multiple of 16 + 11 [19] rows

Special Stitch:

Butterfly Stitch (b): Insert working needle under the 3 loose strands below.

Knit through the picked-up strands and the next st together.

Instructions:

(Scroll down for charts)

Cast on 45 [59]

Seed stitch bottom border:

Row 1 (RS): K 1, (k 1, p 1) across.

Row 2-5: Sl 1, (k 1, p 1) across.

Main butterfly stitch section

Row 6: Sl1, k1, p1, k1, p across to last 4 sts, (k1, p1) twice.

Row 7: Sl1, k1, p1, k2 [4], (sl5wyif, k5) 3 [4] times, sl5wyif, k1 [3], (k1, p1) twice.

Rows 8-12: Repeat rows 6-7 twice, then repeat row 6 once more.

Row 13: Sl1, k1, p1, k4 [6], b, (k9, b) 3 [4] times, k3 [5], (k1, p1) twice. (4 [5] butterflies)

Row 14: Sl1, k1, p1, k1, p across to last 4 sts, (k1, p1) twice.

Row 15: Sl1, k1, p1, k2 [4] ( k5, sl5wyif) 3 [4] times, k6 [8], (k1, p1) twice.

Rows 16-20: Repeat rows 14-15 twice, then repeat row 14 once more.

Row 21: Sl1, k1, p1, k9 [11], b, (k9, b) 2 [3] times, k8 [10], (k1, p1) twice. (3 [4] butterflies)

Rows 22-70 [86]: Repeat rows 6-21 three [four] times, then repeat row 6 once more.

12″ size only – Rows 87-94: Repeat rows 7-14.

Seed stitch top border:

Rows 71-75 [95-99]: Repeat row 2.

Bind off all stitches and weave in ends.

Charts:

 Video Tutorial:

Watch this video on YouTube

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I hope you enjoyed this butterfly stitch washcloth pattern. 

A downloadable pdf of this pattern is available on Ravelry for a small fee. The fee for the pdf format is to offset the advertising revenue lost when you print or download the pattern rather than viewing it online.

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