Butterfly Bag – Free Crochet Pattern Built from Two Butterflies

A bag shaped as a butterfly — or, more accurately, as two butterflies joined by the strap. Each butterfly is built from a small oval abdomen and four wings crocheted directly onto it, row by row, in five colours, then outlined in one continuous border that also closes the shape.

The construction is unusual and worth understanding before you start. Nothing is crocheted in the round except the abdomen. Each wing is worked as flat rows out from a single stitch of the abdomen, so the wing tips are free edges and the wing roots are the abdomen itself. Then the border travels right around all four wings in one run, and at four points it folds the butterfly in half and crochets the lower part of a forewing to the top of the hindwing — eleven stitches — so the wings stop being flat and become a pocket.

That fold is the whole design. Without it you have a butterfly; with it you have a bag with a butterfly on each side.

What you need

• Yarn: medium weight (size 4), cotton or acrylic; the original uses about 166 g of acrylic for the body and 330 g of cotton for the border and strap
• Hook: 4.5 mm
• Notions: yarn needle, scissors; lining is optional if your yarn is soft

Intermediate. Work with the right side out on every part — the tail from the foundation row sits on the left. Ch 1 counts as the turning chain and ch 3 counts as one dc, which means every dc row starts in the second stitch.

Abbreviations

ch chain, sc single crochet, dc double crochet, tr treble, hdc half double crochet, inc two stitches in one, sc3tog single crochet three together, hdc3tog half double crochet three together, sl st slip stitch, TO turn over.

Colours: light purple 1, medium purple 2, dark purple 3, blue 4, white 5.

Changing colour

Stop before pulling through the last two loops of the stitch, drop the old colour, lay the new yarn over the hook and pull it through those two loops to finish the stitch. This works for every stitch height. Fasten off the old colour when you are finished with it.

The abdomen

• Foundation: ch 17
• R1: sc in the 2nd chain from the hook, 14 sc, 3 sc in the next stitch, 14 sc, sc inc, sl st and ch 1 (34)
• R2: 16 sc, sc inc, 16 sc, sc inc, sl st and fasten off (36)

About 3.5 by 12.5 cm.

Left forewing

Attach yarn 2 to the 3rd stitch of the abdomen, right side up.

• R1: ch 1, sc in the same stitch (change to yarn 1), 3 dc, 1 sc, ch 3, TO (5)
• R2: 2 dc inc (change to yarn 2), 1 dc, dc inc, ch 3, TO (8)
• R3: dc in the same stitch, dc inc (change to yarn 1), 2 tr, 4 dc (change to yarn 2), ch 1, TO (10)
• R4: 1 sc (change to yarn 1), 5 sc (change to yarn 2), 1 sc, 2 dc, dc inc (change to yarn 3), ch 3, TO (11)
• R5: dc in the same stitch, 2 dc (change to yarn 2), dc inc, 2 dc, 2 tr inc, 1 dc (change to yarn 3), 2 dc, ch 1, TO (15)
• R6: 3 sc (change to yarn 2), 7 sc (change to yarn 3), 4 sc, sc inc, ch 3, TO (16)
• R7: dc in the same stitch, 2 dc, 4 tr, 4 dc, 5 sc (change to yarn 4), ch 1, TO (17)
• R8: sc across, ch 3, TO (17)
• R9: dc in the same stitch, 2 dc (change to yarn 5), 2 dc (change to yarn 4), 2 dc (change to yarn 5), 2 dc (change to yarn 4), 2 dc (change to yarn 5), 2 dc (change to yarn 4), 4 dc, ch 1, TO (18)
• R10: 4 sc (change to yarn 5), 2 dc (change to yarn 4), 2 dc (change to yarn 5), 2 dc (change to yarn 4), 2 dc (change to yarn 5), 2 dc (change to yarn 4), 3 dc, sc inc, ch 3, TO (19)
• R11: dc in the same stitch, 4 dc, 2 tr, ch 4, sl st to the 2nd tr, 2 tr, 4 dc, 2 hdc, 3 sc, sl st and fasten off (20)

Right forewing

Attach yarn 1 to the 28th stitch of the abdomen, right side up.

• R1: ch 1, sc in the same stitch, 3 dc (change to yarn 2), 1 sc, ch 3, TO (5)
• R2: dc in the same stitch, 1 dc (change to yarn 1), 2 dc inc, 1 dc, ch 3, TO (8)
• R3: 3 dc, 2 tr (change to yarn 2), 2 dc inc, ch 3, TO (10)
• R4: dc in the same stitch, 2 dc, 1 sc (change to yarn 1), 5 sc (change to yarn 2), 1 sc (change to yarn 3), ch 3, TO (11)
• R5: 1 dc (change to yarn 2), 1 dc, 2 tr inc, 2 dc, dc inc (change to yarn 3), 2 dc, dc inc, ch 1, TO (15)
• R6: sc inc, 4 sc (change to yarn 2), 7 sc (change to yarn 3), 3 sc, ch 1, TO (16)
• R7: 5 sc, 4 dc, 4 tr, 2 dc, dc inc (change to yarn 4), ch 1, TO (17)
• R8: sc across, ch 3, TO (17)
• R9: 3 dc (change to yarn 5), 2 dc (change to yarn 4), 2 dc (change to yarn 5), 2 dc (change to yarn 4), 2 dc (change to yarn 5), 2 dc (change to yarn 4), 2 dc, dc inc, ch 1, TO (18)
• R10: sc inc, 3 dc (change to yarn 5), 2 dc (change to yarn 4), 2 dc (change to yarn 5), 2 dc (change to yarn 4), 2 dc (change to yarn 5), 2 dc (change to yarn 4), 4 sc, ch 1, TO (19)
• R11: sl st, 3 sc, 2 hdc, 4 dc, 2 tr, ch 4, sl st to the 2nd tr, 2 tr, 4 dc, dc inc and fasten off (20)

Left hindwing

Attach yarn 1 to the 10th stitch of the abdomen, right side up.

• R1: ch 3, dc in the next stitch, 3 tr in one stitch, dc inc, sc inc, ch 1, TO (9)
• R2: sc inc, 3 hdc, 1 dc, dc inc, 1 dc, 2 tr (change to yarn 2), ch 1, TO (11)
• R3: 1 sc, 2 hdc, dc inc, 2 tr, 2 dc, 2 hdc, 1 sc (change to yarn 3), ch 1, TO (12)
• R4: 5 sc, hdc inc, 2 dc, tr inc, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc (change to yarn 4), ch 1, TO (14)
• R5: 3 sc, sc inc, 5 sc, sc inc, 4 sc, ch 1, TO (16)
• R6: 9 sc, hdc inc, dc inc, 2 dc (change to yarn 5), 2 dc (change to yarn 4), 1 sc, ch 3, TO (18)
• R7: 5 dc, 3 dc inc, 3 dc, ch 4, sl st to the last dc, 4 sc, sl st 2 and fasten off (21)

Right hindwing

Attach yarn 1 to the 21st stitch of the abdomen, right side up.

• R1: ch 1, sc inc in the same stitch, dc inc, 3 tr in the same stitch, 2 dc, ch 4, TO (9)
• R2: 1 tr, 1 dc, dc inc, 1 dc, 3 hdc, sc inc (change to yarn 2), ch 1, TO (11)
• R3: 1 sc, 2 hdc, 2 dc, 2 tr, dc inc, 2 hdc, 1 sc (change to yarn 3), ch 1, TO (12)
• R4: 1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, tr inc, 2 dc, hdc inc, 5 sc (change to yarn 4), ch 1, TO (14)
• R5: 4 sc, sc inc, 5 sc, sc inc, 3 sc, ch 1, TO (16)
• R6: 1 sc (change to yarn 5), 2 dc (change to yarn 4), 2 dc, dc inc, hdc inc, 9 sc, ch 1, TO (18)
• R7: sl st 2, 4 sc, ch 4, sl st to the 4th sc, 3 dc, 3 dc inc, 6 dc and fasten off (21)

The border

Attach the yarn to the last stitch of the abdomen, right side up. The border is worked in one run: the four segments below follow each other without fastening off.

Row 1, left forewing to the abdomen: ch 1, 17 sc, 2 hdc, 2 dc, ch 3, sl st to the 2nd dc, dc in the same stitch, 1 dc, 2 tr, 4 dc, 16 sc, ch 3, sl st to the last sc, sc in the same stitch, 16 sc.

Row 1, left hindwing to the bottom of the abdomen: 10 sc, ch 2, sl st to the last sc, sc in the same stitch, 3 sc, 2 hdc, 4 dc, 2 hdc, 13 sc, ch 3, sl st to the last sc, sc in the same stitch, 3 sc, 2 hdc, 2 dc, 4 sc, 1 dc.

Row 1, right hindwing to the abdomen: 1 dc, 2 hdc, 4 sc, ch 3, sl st to the last sc, sc in the same stitch, 12 sc, 2 hdc, 4 dc, 2 hdc, 4 sc, ch 2, sl st to the last sc, sc in the same stitch, 11 sc.

Row 1, right forewing: 15 sc, ch 3, sl st to the last sc, sc in the same stitch, 15 sc, 4 dc, 2 tr, 2 dc, ch 3, sl st to the last dc, dc in the same stitch, 1 dc, 2 hdc, 17 sc, sl st and ch 1. That is 214 stitches.

Row 2: 1 sc, sc3tog, 8 sc, 5 hdc, 4 dc, 3 tr, 3 dc, 5 tr, 4 dc, 5 hdc, 14 sc — then fold the butterfly in half with right sides in and join the lower part of the forewing to the top of the hindwing with 11 sc. Fasten off.

Attach the yarn to the 2nd chain of the top left corner of the left hindwing: ch 1, sc in the same stitch, 4 sc, 2 hdc, 2 dc inc, 9 dc, 9 hdc, hdc inc, 7 hdc, hdc3tog, sl st 2, hdc3tog, 7 hdc, hdc inc, 9 hdc, 9 dc, 2 dc inc, 2 hdc, 5 sc. Join the two wings again with 11 sc and fasten off.

Attach the yarn to the 4th stitch counting from the right, after the ch 3, at the bottom of the right forewing: ch 1, sc in the same stitch, 13 sc, 5 hdc, 4 dc, 5 tr, 3 dc, 3 tr, 4 dc, 5 hdc, 8 sc, sc3tog, 1 sc, sl st and fasten off. Row 2 comes to 208 stitches.

That is one butterfly. Make two and press them if they curl.

The strap

Ch 8, or as many as you want the strap wide. Sc in the 2nd chain from the hook, then (sc across, ch 1, TO) until the strap is the length you want — remembering that the length must include the butterfly’s own border, not just the strap. Join the two ends with sc, sl st or a seam, wrong sides out.

Assembly

Join the strap to a butterfly starting at the bottom centre of the abdomen, right sides up. Sc across the left side of the butterfly, carry straight on along the edge of the strap, come back to the top of the right wing, sc across to the bottom of the abdomen again, sl st and fasten off. Repeat for the second butterfly.

Notes

The wing rows all begin with ch 3 counting as the first dc, which is why every dc row starts in the second stitch — but the sc and hdc rows also begin with a ch 1 and start in the same stitch as the turning chain. Mixing the two is the most common mistake here, and it shows as a wing that grows on one side only.

The ch 4 loops in R11 of the forewings and R7 of the hindwings are the scalloped tips. They are anchored back into the same treble, so they stand out from the wing edge rather than lying flat.

Sizing is genuinely free: the lookbook in the pattern runs from a 20 cm bag on 3.5 mm to a 50-inch strap bag, all from these same rows. If you change hook, change the abdomen chain by the same proportion.

More bags: Floral Crossbody Bag is the granny square one with a zip, Slice Handbag in Cord is the shaped cord one, and Pig in a Granny Square Blanket uses the same square logic for something else entirely. Everything is on the patterns page.

Pattern source: Butterfly Bag.

The lightest bag on the site is Crochet Market Bag, 400 g of cotton cord and thirty-one identical rows.