Hello,
This week I have been working on couple of slip stitch patterns – the Bowknot stitch and the Butterfly stitch, taken from The Stitch Library by Claire Crompton.
Bowknot Stitch
Worked over multiple of 6 stitches + 5.
The sample shown is worked over 35 stitches.
The gathering stitch is worked as follows: Insert RH needle under the 4 loose strands and through st below next st on LH needle from front to back, yarn round needle and pull a loop through. Place loop on the LH needle, then k2tog tbl of new loop and the next st on the LH needle.
Row 1 (Foundation Row): Knit
Row 2 (WS): P4 [sl3 wyib, p3] 5 times, p1
Row 3: K4, [sl3 wyif, k3] 5 times, k1
Rows 4 and 5: Repeat rows 2 and 3
Row 6: Purl
Row 7: K5 [gathering st, k5] 5 times
Row 8: P1 [sl3 wyib, p3] 5 times, sl3 wyib, p1
Row 9: K1, [sl3 wyif, k3] 5 times, sl3 wyif, k1
Rows 10 and 11: Repeat rows 8 and 9
Row 12: Purl
Row 13: K2 [gathering st, k5] 5 times, gathering st, k2
Repeat rows 1 – 13
This pattern also looks good unblocked and also has an interesting reverse side pattern.
Unblocked and Reverse side of Bowknot Stitch
Butterfly Stitch
Worked over multiple of 10 stitches + 7.
The sample shown is worked over 37 stitches.
The gathering stitch is worked as follows: Insert RH needle from below under the 3 loose strands, purl next st on LH needle, pulling the loop through under the strands.
Row 1 (RS): K1, [K5, sl5 wyif] 3 times, k6
Row 2: Purl
Rows 3 and 4: Repeat rows 1 and 2
Row 5: Repeat row 1
Row 6: P8 [gathering st, p9] 3 times, gathering st, p8
Row 7: K1, [sl5 wyif, k5] 3 times, sl5 wyif, k1
Row 8: Purl
Rows 9 and 10: Repeat rows 7 and 8
Row 11: Repeat row 7
Row 12: P3 [gathering st, p9] 3 times, gathering st, p3
Repeat rows 1 – 12
Stitch Abbrevaitions
k– Knit
p – Purl
k2tog – Knit 2 stitches together
RH – Right hand needle
LH – Left hand needle
Wyif – with yarn in front
Wyib – with yarn in back
Sl – slip stitch
Tbl – through back loop
Happy knitting! x
jemarrowsmith.wordpress.com 
I like both these stitches – the bowknot stitch looks nicely reversible too which gives it many practical applications. I’m beginning to think if I knitted along with you, making square swatches in the same yarn I would end up with an intriguing granny square blanket 🙂
I think the bowknot stitch is one of my favourites so far. I think it would make a lovely hat in a chunkier yarn, I might get round to trying it out at some point!
That’s a great idea about the blanket. In the book I have been using the past few weeks they make a cushion out of samplers and it looks lovely!
I am currently trying to copy a hat that my sister has, that is chunkier yarn and the bowknots are bigger, so thank you for the pattern! Question, please. When you slip the stitches on both sides, do you slip them all as if to purl?
Thanks so much, again, for the pattern. This was the only good instruction I could find on the bowknot stitch.
Hello, I’m glad you found it useful. Yes you slip the sts purlwise. Happy hat knitting!
Oooh, pretty. 🙂