So, I’m a fairly new knitter, and I’m knitting the Butterfly Hat that’s listed on Ravelry. To make the butterfly, the instructions say, “With your right needle, pick up the five floats by inserting the needle under the floats…” I don’t know what the floats are to begin with… are they the slipped stitches? I tried to google it but couldn’t find any info. on it. I know this is probably really simple, but I tend to be pretty technical and hate when things don’t make sense to me, haha. Anyway, any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Here’s the pattern:
When you follow the instructions for the odd numbered rounds you will be making a “float” on each round. The float is the strand of yarn that you will have going across the front of the 5 stitches that you slip. Here is what it says to do for the odd rounds 1-9:
Round 1, 3, 5, 7, 9: [k5, yif, s5, yib] repeat to end.
To do that knit 5 in the regular way and then move the yarn to the front and slip the next 5 stitches purlwise to the right needle. Then move the yarn to the back and start the directions again that are in the bracket. In other words K5 again and then move the yarn front and slip 5, move yarn back, etc. When you slip the 5 stitches with the yarn in front, then knit the next stitches there will be a strand of yarn stretching across from the last of the first 5 stitches you do to the first of the next 5 stitches you knit. That is a ‘float’. The instructions for slipping are these:
s = slip (when slipping stitches, make sure to spread them out, so that your floats are even and don’t bunch up).
Have you ever done standed colorwork? It is a float just like you get with that only those are in the back and these will be in front and make the butterfly. Just like with stranded colorwork you need to stretch the floats so they don’t cause the work to pucker (‘bunch up’ as the pattern said). Really to do that you don’t need to spread out the slipped stitches as you slip them so much as to stretch things from side to side after you do the FIRST knit stitch after the slipped stitches. Put the yarn in front, slip the 5 stitches, move the yarn to the back and knit 1 stitch. Then stop and stretch that float out so that it is plenty long enough to go comfortably across in front of the 5 slipped stitches without making anything draw in. Then knit the other 4 stitches. Repeat.
You do a whole round of that and then you knit a round even with nothing but knit each stitch. Then repeat the first round again. You do that sequence 5 times and each time you knit the odd row you get another ‘float’. So after 5 repeats you have 5 floats going across the front of every other 5 stitches. Then instead of row 10 just being another straight knit row it is a “butterfly row”.
The instructions say:
Round 10: [k7, make butterfly, k2] repeat to end.
So knit 7 stitches. You are now at the middle of the 5 floats you have made. Put the right needle under the 5 floats and knit the next stitch. You don’t really knit the floats at all, you just knit under them and that catches them up to make the middle of the butterfly. In detail: Stick the right hand needle under the 5 floats and into the next stitch on the left hand needle, yarn around as usual and draw the yarn through the stitch on the needle and under the 5 strands and then let the stitch off the left needle. Knit 1 more so that you have your K2 and then start the stuff in the brackets again. So after the first one in the round you will be knitting 9 and then making a butterfly over and over.
This what how they describe the butterfly:
make butterfly = With your right needle pick up the 5 floats by inserting the needle under the floats from the bottom up, then insert the right needle into the next stitch on the left needle. Knit the stitch and the 5 floats together.
I hope that is clear and helpful.
Wow, I couldn’t believe how much easier your post made it! It was just really difficult to visualize, and to answer your question, no, I haven’t done any stranded colorwork, which is maybe why this is so new to me. I really appreciate the time and effort you took to help me understand. Thanks so much!
You’re welcome. Glad to help.