Flutters

This is a simple butterfly pattern that you can make with that little bit of thread left from a project.

Most butterfly patterns available show the four wings, but these are shown in profile.  Just something different from the usual ones.

Each butterfly takes up about 90cm (3ft) of thread, uses shuttle only (no ball thread), contains rings and split rings, and a little bit of finger tatting.  The finished size measured about 2cm from the tip of the upper wing to the tip of the lower ring.

Start the first ring about 10cm (4 inches) from the beginning of the thread.
Begin with the big wing of the butterfly,

R1(11-1-1-9-2). Make the picots graduated picots.
R2(2+[to last picot of R1]8-10)
R3(3-3)

The next two rings are split rings. For the split rings, finger tat the second half of the split rings using the 10cm thread that was left at the beginning.

Split ring SR1(3-1-1-1/3).
Split ring SR2(3/3).

Cut off the threads to required length to make the feelers. Snip off the picots in SR1 to make the legs.

If adding beads to the butterfly, you need 6 beads on the thread. Make rings 1, 2 and 3 as follows.

R1(12[3b:1b]10-2), where [3b:1b] means 3 beads from the loop thread round the fingers, and 1 bead on the shuttle thread.
R2(2+8[1b]10
R3(3[1b]3)

Happy Tatting