crochetguideKnow these stitches: half double crochet, double crochet decrease, single crochet, chain, slip stitch
Materials and yarn planning
Yarns we’ve reviewed that suit it: Bernat Softee Cotton yarn, Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton DK yarn. For the hook, choose by size and handle.
This pattern has about 1,348 stitches in the four wings and the body. For a closer figure in your own yarn, weigh what you have made once a good part is done, divide by the stitches made so far, multiply by 1,348 and divide by the ball weight on the label. Taller stitches use more yarn than short ones, so allow a margin.
Finished size and gauge
Sized from the Craft Yarn Council’s women’s chest measurements. Each upper wing starts a quarter of the chest less 2 cm wide, so the two wings and the body cover the front of the bust; the lower wings start about two-thirds as wide. The counts below are size Medium (91.5–96.5 cm chest): at 16 half double crochets and 12 rows per 10 cm, the upper wings start with 34 stitches (about 21 cm) and stand about 20 cm tall, and the lower wings start with 22 (about 14 cm). The ties do the rest, so the fit at the neck and back is set when you tie them. For your size and swatch, read the stitches from the size table below. On the largest sizes the upper wings grow tall: if a point would reach above your collarbone, lose a stitch at each end of every row for the last part. These are calculations from the counts, not a measured sample.
Sizes from your swatch
Example: 16 half double crochets in 10 cm, the gauge the steps are written for. Type your own swatch over it to see your counts.
| Size | Upper wings, Row 1 | Lower wings, Row 1 | Upper-wing stitches | Lower-wing stitches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| X-Small (71–76 cm chest) | 16.4 cm (6.5 in) | 10.7 cm (4.25 in) | 26 (chain 28) | 18 |
| Small (81–86 cm chest) | 18.9 cm (7.5 in) | 12.3 cm (4.75 in) | 30 (chain 32) | 20 |
| Medium (91.5–96.5 cm chest) | 21.5 cm (8.5 in) | 14 cm (5.5 in) | 34 (chain 36) | 22 |
| Large (101.5–106.5 cm chest) | 24 cm (9.5 in) | 15.6 cm (6.25 in) | 38 (chain 40) | 24 |
| X-Large (111.5–117 cm chest) | 26.6 cm (10.5 in) | 17.3 cm (6.75 in) | 42 (chain 44) | 28 |
| 2X (122–127 cm chest) | 29.1 cm (11.5 in) | 18.9 cm (7.5 in) | 46 (chain 48) | 30 |
| 3X (132–137 cm chest) | 31.6 cm (12.5 in) | 20.5 cm (8 in) | 50 (chain 52) | 32 |
| 4X (142–147 cm chest) | 34.1 cm (13.5 in) | 22.2 cm (8.75 in) | 54 (chain 56) | 36 |
| 5X (152–158 cm chest) | 36.8 cm (14.5 in) | 23.9 cm (9.5 in) | 58 (chain 60) | 38 |
Counts are rounded to whole stitches and rows and to the pattern’s repeat. Check the first rows against your swatch.
The gauge calculator compares your swatch with the pattern. A stitch name you do not know is in the abbreviation chart; a UK pattern’s names are in the US/UK term reference.
The pattern
Count rows for this patternUpper wings: make 2
- Chain 36. Row 1: half double crochet in the third chain from the hook and in each chain across: 34 half double crochets. The skipped chains do not count as a stitch.
- Row 2: chain 2 and turn (it does not count), half double crochet 2 together over the first 2 stitches, half double crochet in each stitch to the last 2, half double crochet 2 together over those: 32 stitches. Row 3: the same: 30 stitches.
- Row 4: chain 2 and turn, half double crochet in each stitch across: 30 stitches. Rows 2–4 are the repeat: two rows that lose a stitch at each end, then one straight row.
- Rows 5–24: repeat Rows 2–4 until 2 stitches remain at the end of Row 24. Row 25: chain 2 and turn, half double crochet 2 together: 1 stitch, the point. Fasten off.
Lower wings: make 2
- Chain 24. Row 1: half double crochet in the third chain from the hook and in each chain across: 22 stitches.
- Rows 2–15: work the same three-row repeat as the upper wings until 2 stitches remain at the end of Row 15. Row 16: chain 2 and turn, half double crochet 2 together: 1 stitch. Fasten off.
Body
- In the second color, chain 21. Row 1: single crochet in the second chain from the hook and in each chain across: 20 stitches.
- Rows 2–6: chain 1 and turn, single crochet in each stitch across: 20 stitches. Fasten off, leaving a tail about 40 cm long for sewing.
Joining and ties
- Lay the four wings out as a butterfly, right sides up: the upper wings with their Row 1 edges at the bottom and their points up, the lower wings below them with their Row 1 edges at the top and their points down. Push both lower wings in to the middle, so each upper wing reaches about 7 cm further out at the side.
- Sew each lower wing’s Row 1 edge to the inner part of the upper wing’s Row 1 edge with the yarn needle, stitch to stitch.
- Stand the body upright down the middle, its center on the line where the wings meet. Sew the inner corners of all four wings to its sides, about 3 cm each, so the wings fan out from it.
- Ties: make 4. Chain a cord and slip stitch into the back bump of each chain back along it. Make 2 neck ties about 40 cm long and sew one to the point of each upper wing. Make 2 back ties, each half the gap between the upper wings around your back plus 25 cm for the bow (about 50 cm for size Medium), and sew one to the outer corner of each upper wing’s Row 1 edge.
- Try it on: tie the neck ties behind your neck and the back ties in a bow at your back. The bows set the fit.
Check the work
Both upper wings end Row 24 with 2 stitches and both lower wings end Row 15 with 2, so each pair is the same height and the butterfly is even.
- If a wing leans to one side, a decrease was missed at one end: count the stitches every row; both ends lose one together.
- If the upper wings gape at the top, tie the neck ties shorter; if they pull flat, tie them longer.
- If the wings look too small on you, your stitches are smaller than in your swatch: measure Row 1 against the size table and change hook if needed.
Updated . Stitch counts checked row by row; we haven’t crocheted a sample of this one yet. How the patterns are checked. Keep your yarn label, hook and swatch on the printable project worksheet.