Dancing Butterflies Crochet Sweater

· by · in Crochet Summer Apparel, Crochet Sweaters. ·

Perfect for spring and summer my Dancing Butterflies Sweater is lightweight and can be worn with skirts, shorts or if you make it longer, it could be a beach cover. 

The inspiration for this sweater came from the Dancing Butterflies Wrap that I made a few months ago. I modified the stitches in the original pattern for the lighter weight yarn and as I was making the wrap all I could think about was “this would make a great summer sweater”.

And I was right – it IS a great sweater!!!!

Dancing Butterflies Sweater Finished

What I really love about this sweater is that it looks great on anybody. I have made a lot of tops lately that I could have worn 20 years (and 20 pounds) ago but this one I designed totally for myself right now!

dancing butterflies sweater

This is a very versatile sweater design technique that can be modified in countless ways. I could have used the same stitch pattern to make this into a crew neck or a cardigan. The only difference in making each sweater style is where you decide to join the ends together. If I wanted a crew neck I would have joined at the very first row. If I wanted a cardigan I wouldn’t have joined at all. I chose a deep V neck for this design because I love wearing tank tops in the summer and this sweater really dresses it up. For the deep V neck I joined my rows together and started working in the round one row after the armpit joining row.dancing butterflies sweater beadsI had some iridescent beads that matched perfectly so I crocheted them into the neckline for a little bit of bling! I also made the pretty glass necklace to wear with this top too for a little bit of extra sparkle! 😀

I have had some requests to write up a pattern for this sweater. I would love to do that but I also would need to make another one from scratch and take notes as I went along. With this basic sweater design concept, after I have established the increases for the arm hole construction in the first row I don’t really count or pay attention to any details after that. Plus with this particular stitch pattern, once I started working the body of it in the round I didn’t join each row. I just continued around and around so there would be no joining seam going down the middle.

It is a very easy design though and I really love this one so I don’t need an excuse to make another one in order to write up a pattern.  No promises, but I will give it a go and see what I come up with. I’m pretty sure I will end up needing to make about five of these in order to get one pattern. I say that because I know I will forget that I’m supposed to write something down and not remember until I’m already done. Then I’ll need to make another one to pick up on the notes where I left off……..then I’ll forget again etc etc etc!! 😀

 

stash surprise 1

Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in Tealberry

One last thing – I don’t usually do yarn reviews and I am NOT a paid sponsor for Red Heart (but I wouldn’t say no to a gig like that!) – Red Heart Unforgettable Yarn is my absolute favorite yarn for making apparel like this! The color combinations are amazing!! The yarn for this sweater is named Dragonfly. I used a little more than two full skeins for this. If I wanted to add sleeves or make it longer I estimate you would need four skeins.

Thanks for reading!

~ Tami

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70 responses to “Dancing Butterflies Crochet Sweater”

    • Thanks Tony! The beads were completely unplanned. I was clearing some crafting stuff off of the kitchen table and found them under some yarn. I had forgotten that I even had them. 😀

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Stunning! You are rocking that top. It’s so pretty. I love the necklace. It so perfect. Why haven’t I made one yet?! I’m a sucker for those colors. All my favorite colors in one place. 🙂 You make patterns like I make patterns. Doh! I was supposed to write that down! I’ll write it down on the next one. LOL

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks Yolanda!! The necklace was super easy to make. I have a lot of decorative glass beads that I bought from the Dollar Store years ago. I just used some crochet thread and made a treble stitch to cradle the bead in then joined really tight and did a chain stitch long enough to fit over my head. I don’t know why I had never made one before either LOL!!! I’m going to try my hardest to write up something for this sweater. It is a little tricky because the butterflies in the body of the sweater came from the paid pattern and I want to be careful not to be disrespectful of her work in creating her pattern. I do want to write up the technique I use to make the yoke because it will be really easy for everyone to design their own unique sweaters. I would rather inspire and give the info for everyone to explore and discover their own “inner designer”. 😀

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you so much Kate!!! It really is a very easy design. I will be making a lot more sweaters and I’ll be sure to write up some instructions or a pattern so that everyone will see just how easy it is to make! 😀

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks Julia! I’m going to need to make another one with this same color yarn and put some sleeves on it so I can wear it in the winter! I actually didn’t like working with the Unforgettable yarn at first. But I LOVED the colors and after a few rows I got used to it and really enjoyed it. Be careful though it is a nightmare if you have to frog it! 😀

      Liked by 1 person

  14. FAbulous make Tami …. LOVE LOVE LOVE the colours. They have a fairy magic about them.
    Adore the whole sweater. I agree, this would suit just about anyone.
    GREAT make, miss clever fingers!
    Oooo… ‘Fairy Clever Fingers’. It has a ring about it. 😀
    Cobs. xxx 🌷 🌷 🌷

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hello and thank you dearest Cobs!
      It does look very fairyish! I believe that the yarn was enchanted because even I was surprised at how well it came out!
      Ms. Fairy Clever Fingers – I love it! I should get business cards made up! ❤ ❤ ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      • Yes … I think that would sound rather catchy!
        And … I cannot imagine anyone better suiting the title.

        I’m hoping that your card will arrive by the weekend …. but … the last thing I posted to the US took almost 3 weeks! I think it’s the extra thorough customs checks that they do now. If it is held up in customs, I do hope that they treat it with love if they open it. I don’t want it arriving damaged, ’cause that will make me want to wave a magic wand and put a spell over them which makes them stick holes in their socks or nylons, with their toe nails! hmpft.

        Crossing my fingers that it get their this week…. and my eyes, and my legs. (not looking my most attractive at the moment, but hey, if it helps, I’ll do it!).

        Liked by 1 person

      • I’ll let you know the minute the precious cargo is in my hands!! If there is a delay at customs I suspect it would be because the national security teams would either:
        1) Immediately contact the Louvre to see if the card had been stolen from them
        or
        2) Your lovely card is on it’s way to a museum because it has been determined to be a national treasure and confiscated by the authorities in order to serve the greater good of humanity.
        I have my fingers, arms, legs and eyes crossed too that it arrives soon!
        ❤ ❤ ❤

        Liked by 1 person

    • Awww thanks Brenna!! I wish I was better at taking notes and writing things down as I go along. I always think I’ll remember and just write it down later but I never do. 😀

      Liked by 1 person

  18. FIRSTLY, Unforgettable yarn is beautiful! It reminds just like Cygnet boho. Secondly that jumper is so cute! I love it. I am actually looking at your future, cute necklaces and bracelets like the one you’ve made in a little shop with really nice sweaters and gypsy skirts and all kinds of boho crochet items ❤ The beads was a super nice touch x

    Liked by 1 person

    • I have a big jar full of those glass beads so I will definitely be making more necklaces and bracelets!! They’re super easy – you should whip some up for your stall at the craft show!! I LOVE this yarn!! I’m going to be keeping an eye out for sales because it is a little expensive for me, but I definitely want to get more into my stash!! 😀

      Liked by 1 person

  19. Ooooo guuuuuurl you should!!! Funny I was looking at my stash of jewellery making stuff the other day and thought about making bracelets again! Yeh it is expensive, but the expensive stuff is so worth it sometimes if its for yourself. If you ever find local businesses that sell yarn and do deliver check them out they might have discount codes or something. I bet with Xmas coming up though plenty of places will do yarn sales!

    Liked by 1 person

  20. so fun! how creative your mind is, Tami! I think it’s wonderful that you made this as a one-of-a-kind piece, and that’s terrific. Perhaps the sweater was not meant to be duplicated … it may have a mind of its own! bwah, ha ha! (evil laugh) 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Wow, what a gorgeous sweater! I’m glad you liked the butterfly pattern enough to use it in a design! Love what the self-striping yarn did in the sweater, and the beads are to die for!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you Erica!! 😀 It’s a fantastic little stitch pattern. I may make a winter version of this sweater with the shorter stitches from your original pattern and add some sleeves to it. The beads weren’t part of my original design but then I found them while tidying up some of my crafting supplies and knew they would be perfect! 😀

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    • Thanks Lyn!! I am so in love with the color of this yarn. The sweater came out exactly how I envisioned it and I think that the yarn was why it all came together!! I wish I had made it earlier in the summer because I’m not going to want to pack it away when the warm weather ends. 😀

      Liked by 1 person

  25. Tami, You’re right. It does make up a pretty summer sweater! I’ve downloaded the pattern from the link in the comment above, because, like you said, once the arm holes are worked out and you determine the neckline it would be smooth sailing in the round.
    When it turns cooler, and I don’t mind a pile of yarn in my lap, I’ll finish up some projects and I will start one of these sweaters! I’ve saved a pattern for a boatneck sweater that also goes into the round after the armholes. Maybe between the pattern you used and the one I have I’ll be able to figure that out and make one of these up.
    Thanks for your inspiration!
    Jan

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you Jan!! Oh I can’t wait to see what you design! I already have dozens more sweaters in mind – I just don’t have the time to make them all. Fortunately once you get the top section done down to the armhole join it goes pretty quick after that. I was so shocked how easy it was and wish that I had learned how to do this years ago. I have a ton of things to make before Christmas but I think I’m going to spend all of January and February making sweaters!! 😀

      Like

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