Fluttering Butterfly - FREE pattern

My little girl is currently obsessed with anything butterfly's.  As her 7th birthday is approaching, I am making any thing and everything butterfly related.

These little butterfly's are something I learned how to make years ago.  It is so simple that I just memorized it.  If you look on line, you can find many versions of how to make these.  They are very popular and there are many free patterns available.

Since many of you asked, I went ahead and typed up the way I do it when I make them.

Materials:
*  WW yarn
*  I hook (or any size you prefer)
*  Pipe cleaner (one for each butterfly)

Start with a ch 6, slip stitch to first chain to form a ring
(crochet over the starting tail when you do rnd 1)

Rnd 1:  ch 3 (counts as 1st dc), work 2 more dc in ring, ch 2.  Work 3 dc, ch 2: 7 times.
*  You will have a total of EIGHT 3 dc clusters and EIGHT ch 2 spaces.

Rnd 2:  ch 3 (counts as 1st dc).  You will now be working 2 dc in the LAST ch 2 space from rnd 1.  It is the space right before your ch 3.  You will feel like you are working backwards. 

Work (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in each ch 2 space around.
When you get to the last ch 2 space, you only need to work 3 more dc and then ch 2.  Join to top of first ch 3 from the rnd.

Showing first ch 3 and 2 dc of rnd 2

Rnd 3:  ch 3 (counts as 1st dc), working in the last ch 2 space from rnd 2, work 3 more dc.  See Picture

Showing the first ch 3 and 3 dc of rnd 3

Sc in each space between dc clusters and work 10 dc in each ch 2 space.  

Showing first sc and first 10 dc group

Showing the sc in the space between the clusters

When you get to the last ch 2 space, you only need to work 6 more dc, join to the top of the first ch 3 for a total of 10 dc in that last space.

FINISH OFF

Showing last ch 2 space before working last 6 dc

Fold in half, matching up the 10dc groups evenly.

Fold pipe cleaner in half and position around butterfly as shown.  Twist close to the top about 4 times to secure. 

Use a pen or crochet hook to wrap the pipe cleaner into a curly.  My K hook works perfectly :-)

You now have a beautiful butterfly

*  Add a string and hang in your little girls room
*  Use as a Christmas tree ornament
*  Add magnets to the back for a fun 3D magnet
*  Make several of these into a bunting for a fun way to decorate a room or for a party.
*  Just play with it and have FUN!  :-)