Butterfly Kisses KAL: Bowknot Stitch

Now that we have cast on the stitches for our earwarmer, let me show you how to do the Bowknot Stitch.

If you need to review any of the Butterfly Kisses KAL lessons along the way, a complete list of tutorial links is available on the KAL Introduction page. My thanks to Skacel for providing me with the HiKoo Sueño Tonal yarn and addi Natura dpns for this KAL. These products are available locally at many yarn shops and online at Makers' Mercantile.

Lesson 2: The Bowknot Stitch

I have wanted to use the Bowknot Stitch in a pattern for awhile, but for some reason, I had it in my head that the stitch was too complicated. Surprise! This stitch is actually pretty simple to work in the round.

Abbreviations

yfwd - yarn forward

ybk - yarn back

sl - slip sts purlwise

Set-Up

To make it easier to photograph, I have already worked 22 rows of the Bowknot Stitch and I am ready to start the third set of knots. (The process is identical for the first set of knots.)

To begin, bring the yarn forward between your needles, slip 5 stitches purlwise, then bring the yarn back between your needles. You are basically laying the working yarn across the slipped stitches. You don't have to pull the working yarn excessively tight. Then knit the next 5 stitches. Repeat the same process on each of your dpns.

Knit one round, [yfwd, sl5, ybk, k5] 3 times, knit one round, [yfwd, sl5, ybk, k5] 3 times.

Making the Bowknot

Now for the "fancy" round.

Your work should look like this, with three parallel strands of yarn on the right side. (Make sure you DO NOT knit another round after that third strand.)

Knit 2 stitches.

Bring the right needle up under the three strands from the bottom to the top.

Insert the right needle to knit the next stitch.

Pull the working yarn through the stitch on your left needle...

then under the three strands...

bring your right needle up to continue knitting...

and drop the stitch you just knit into off your left needle.

 Then continue kitting across the next 7 stitches. Your Bowknot should look like this.

Here is a quick (quiet) video to demonstrate the process so you can see the motion I use to create the Bowknot.

After your first set of Bowknots is complete, knit four rounds. Then the next set of Bowknots is worked across the last 5 sts on each needle.

Now it's time for you to make a bunch of Bowknots and knit your earwarmer.

Pattern

(If you would like a printable copy of the entire pattern, Butterfly Kisses is available in my shop.)

Note: Remember, Rnd 1 and 2 were already completed in Lesson 1.

Rnd 1, 2, 4, 6: k all sts.

Rnd 3, 5, 7: [yfwd, sl5, ybk, k5] 3 times.

Rnd 8: [k2, make Bowknot, k7] 3 times.

Rnd 9-10: k all sts.

Rnd 11, 12, 14, 16: k all sts.

Rnd 13, 15, 17: [k5, yfwd, sl5, ybk] 3 times.

Rnd 18: [k7, make Bowknot, k2] 3 times.

Rnd 19-20: k all sts.

Repeat Rnd 1-20 until piece measures 19 inches, or approximately 3 inches less than your head circumference, ending after either Rnd 10 or Rnd 20.

In the next lesson I'll show you how to use the Kitchener Stitch to invisibly graft the ends of the earwarmer together.

Post Your Progress

Don't forget to share pictures of your work on Facebook and Instagram with #thechillydog and tag me @thechillydog. I'd love to see how you are doing.