Fuchsia Flutter Dragonfly Garland Crochet Pattern

This garland has seven bright fuchsia dragonflies on a crocheted chain cord, with a natural wooden bead between each one. Each dragonfly has a round head with two knobbed antennae, a short thorax, a long ridged tail, and four open, lacy wings that catch the light in a window.

The whole garland uses one color, a strong hot pink cotton. The wooden beads add a warm Scandinavian touch. It suits spring, a nursery, a craft room, or a bright winter window.

The pattern uses US crochet terms. The decorated section is about 45.8 in (116.3 cm) from the first bead to the last. With a 6 in (15.2 cm) tie end on each side, the total length is 57.8 in (146.8 cm). Each dragonfly is about 6.2 in (15.7 cm) across the wings and 4.5 in (11.4 cm) long including the antennae.

Construction is simple. You crochet the head and body as one piece, make four separate wings, and sew them to the thorax. Then you chain the cord, sliding on beads and attaching each dragonfly with a short chain drop as you go. A slip stitch return row makes the cord firmer.

Finished Size and Construction

• Finished size: 57.8 in (146.8 cm) total; decorated section 45.8 in (116.3 cm)
• Skill level: Advanced beginner
• Terminology: US crochet terms
• Yarn weight: DK / light worsted (#3) cotton
• Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
• Number of pieces: 7 dragonflies (each is 1 body, 2 large wings and 2 small wings), plus 1 cord
• Layout: 7 dragonflies in a single line with 8 beads: one between each pair and one at each end
• Piece size: one dragonfly is 6.2 in (15.7 cm) wide x 4.5 in (11.4 cm) long
• Size before border: the cord is 57.8 in (146.8 cm) after the chain row
• Border depth: one slip stitch row. It adds no length and makes the cord about 1/4 in (0.6 cm) thick.

Materials

Use a smooth mercerized or combed cotton in DK weight. Cotton holds the wing shape well and shows the open cells clearly. Avoid fuzzy acrylic, which blurs the lace.

Yarn

• Fuchsia: 75 g, about 172 m. One dragonfly uses about 7.4 g / 17 m, and the cord uses about 5 g / 12 m.

These amounts include a margin of about 18 g (about 40 m) for swatching and sewing.

Tools and notions

• 3.5 mm (E-4) crochet hook
• 8 natural wooden round beads, 5/8 in (1.6 cm), with holes of at least 4 mm
• Tapestry needle
• Stitch markers
• Scissors
• Yarn scraps or a little fiberfill for the heads
• Blocking mat, rust-proof pins and a spray bottle
• Optional: fabric stiffener for crisper wings

Abbreviations (US Terms)

• ch: chain
• sl st: slip stitch
• sc: single crochet
• hdc: half double crochet
• dc: double crochet
• tr: treble crochet
• sc2tog: single crochet 2 together
• BLO: back loop only
• MR: magic ring
• sp(s): space(s)
• st(s): stitch(es)

Special stitch: picot knob. Ch 3, then sl st in the 3rd ch from the hook. This makes the antenna tips.

Bead chain: Slide one bead up against the hook, yarn over beyond the bead and pull through. This locks the bead inside that chain. Each bead chain counts as 1 cord chain.

Gauge and Checkpoints

• Gauge: 18 sc and 20 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm)
• Chain gauge: 5 ch = 1 in (2.5 cm), so 10 ch = 2 in (5.1 cm)

Make one complete dragonfly first. It is your real gauge test.

Checkpoints

• Head: about 0.6 in (1.5 cm) across
• Thorax (Rows 1-4): 0.8 in (2.0 cm) long, 0.7 in (1.8 cm) wide
• Tail (Rows 5-17): 2.6 in (6.6 cm)
• Large wing: 2.6 in (6.6 cm) x 1.0 in (2.5 cm) after Round 1, and 2.75 in (7.0 cm) x 1.25 in (3.2 cm) after Round 2
• Small wing: 2.2 in (5.6 cm) x 0.9 in (2.3 cm) after Round 1, and 2.25 in (5.7 cm) x 1.1 in (2.8 cm) after Round 2
• Assembled dragonfly: 6.2 in (15.7 cm) across the wings

If your pieces come out more than 1/8 in (0.3 cm) too big, go down to a 3.25 mm hook. If they are too small, go up to a 3.75 mm hook. Check your cord chain gauge separately, because many people chain tighter than they stitch.

Dragonfly Pattern

Head and Body (make 1 per dragonfly)

Head (worked in the round)

• Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR. (6)
• Rnd 2: [sc in next st, 2 sc in next st] 3 times. (9)
• Rnd 3: sc in each st around. (9)
• Rnd 4: [sc in next st, sc2tog] 3 times. (6)

Stuff the head firmly with the starting tail and some yarn scraps. Flatten the 6-st opening so that 3 sts sit in front and 3 behind.

Thorax (worked in rows)

• Row 1: Working through both layers, sc in each of the next 3 pairs of sts. (3) This closes the head.
• Rows 2-4: ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (3)

Tail

• Row 5: ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc in last st. (2)
• Rows 6-16: ch 1, turn, sc BLO in each st across. (2)
• Row 17: ch 1, turn, sc2tog. (1)

Fasten off. Working in BLO leaves a raised ridge on every row, which gives the tail its segmented look.

Antennae

1. Join yarn at the top of the head, one st to the left of center.
2. Ch 3, make a picot knob, sl st in each of the 3 stalk chs, then sl st in the next head st.
3. Skip the center st and sl st in the next st.
4. Ch 3, make a picot knob and sl st in each of the 3 stalk chs.
5. Fasten off.

Each antenna is about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) long. Mark the skipped center st, because the garland drop attaches there.

Large Wing (make 2 per dragonfly)

The wing is worked around both sides of a foundation chain. The chain becomes the center vein, and the dc and tr spokes make the open cells.

Ch 14. Starting with the 2nd ch from the hook, number the working chs 1 to 13.

• Rnd 1, side 1: sc in ch 1, hdc in ch 2, dc in ch 3, ch 1, sk ch 4, tr in ch 5, ch 1, sk ch 6, tr in ch 7, ch 1, sk ch 8, tr in ch 9, ch 1, sk ch 10, dc in ch 11, hdc in ch 12.
• Tip: (sc, ch 2, sc) in ch 13.
• Side 2: Turn the work and stitch into the free loops of the same chs: hdc in ch 12, dc in ch 11, ch 1, tr in ch 9, ch 1, tr in ch 7, ch 1, tr in ch 5, ch 1, dc in ch 3, hdc in ch 2.
• Base: (sc, ch 2) in ch 1, sl st to the first sc.

Round 1 count: 8 sts on side 1, 2 sc at the tip, 7 sts on side 2 and 1 sc at the base. That makes 18 sts, 8 ch-1 sps and 2 ch-2 sps. Each side has 5 spokes.

• Rnd 2: ch 1, sc in each st, 2 sc in each ch-1 sp, 3 sc in each ch-2 sp, sl st to the first sc. (18 + 22 = 40 sc)

The 22 extra sc are 16 from the ch-1 sps (8 x 2) and 6 from the ch-2 sps (2 x 3). Fasten off, leaving a 10 in (25.4 cm) tail for sewing.

Small Wing (make 2 per dragonfly)

Ch 12. Number the working chs 1 to 11.

• Rnd 1, side 1: sc in ch 1, hdc in ch 2, dc in ch 3, ch 1, sk ch 4, tr in ch 5, ch 1, sk ch 6, tr in ch 7, ch 1, sk ch 8, dc in ch 9, hdc in ch 10.
• Tip: (sc, ch 2, sc) in ch 11.
• Side 2: hdc in ch 10, dc in ch 9, ch 1, tr in ch 7, ch 1, tr in ch 5, ch 1, dc in ch 3, hdc in ch 2.
• Base: (sc, ch 2) in ch 1, sl st to the first sc.

Round 1 count: 7 + 2 + 6 + 1 = 16 sts, plus 6 ch-1 sps and 2 ch-2 sps. Each side has 4 spokes.

• Rnd 2: ch 1, sc in each st, 2 sc in each ch-1 sp, 3 sc in each ch-2 sp, sl st to the first sc. (16 + 18 = 34 sc)

The 18 extra sc are 12 from the ch-1 sps and 6 from the ch-2 sps. Fasten off with a 10 in (25.4 cm) tail.

Assembling One Dragonfly

The base of each wing is the ch 1 end, where you joined the rounds.

1. Sew the base of one large wing to one side of thorax Row 2, angled slightly upward.
2. Sew the base of one small wing to the same side at Row 4, angled slightly downward.
3. Repeat on the other side so the wings mirror each other.
4. Use 3-4 small stitches per wing so each wing base sits snugly against the body.

Checkpoint: the dragonfly should measure 6.2 in (15.7 cm) across: 2.75 in (7.0 cm) + 0.7 in (1.8 cm) + 2.75 in (7.0 cm).

Make All Pieces

Every piece is Fuchsia.

• Bodies: 7 (about 2 g / 4.6 m each)
• Large wings: 14 (about 1.5 g / 3.5 m each)
• Small wings: 14 (about 1.2 g / 2.8 m each)
• Cord: 1 (about 5 g / 12 m)

Wing layout for each dragonfly

ROW 1: LARGE WING - THORAX - LARGE WING
ROW 2: SMALL WING - THORAX - SMALL WING

Garland layout

CORD: LEAD - B1 - DF1 - B2 - DF2 - B3 - DF3 - B4 - DF4 - B5 - DF5 - B6 - DF6 - B7 - DF7 - B8 - LEAD

B = bead and DF = dragonfly. Block all seven dragonflies before joining, because flat wings are much easier to space evenly.

Joining

The dragonflies are attached to the cord with chain drops as you go. Thread all 8 beads onto the yarn from the ball end before you start.

Cord

1. Leave a short tail and ch 30 for the first lead.
2. Make 1 bead chain (B1).
3. Unit: Ch 14. Make the drop: ch 3, insert the hook from front to back through the marked center st of a dragonfly head, and sl st. Sl st in each of the 3 drop chs to work back up to the cord. Ch 14.
4. Make 1 bead chain.
5. Repeat Steps 3-4 six more times, for 7 dragonflies and 8 beads in all.
6. Ch 30 for the second lead.

Stitch logic

Each unit has 14 + 14 = 28 cord chs. Adding the bead chain that follows gives 29 cord chs from one bead to the next. The drop chains hang off the cord and are not counted in it. Total cord chs: 30 + 1 + (7 x 29) + 30 = 264.

Tension

Chain at your swatch gauge of 5 ch = 1 in (2.5 cm). Keep the drop sl sts relaxed. Each dragonfly should hang 0.6 in (1.5 cm) below the cord with its wings level.

Size checkpoint

After the first unit, measure from the center of B1 to the center of B2. It should be about 6.4 in (16.3 cm): 29 ch make 5.8 in (14.7 cm), plus one 5/8 in (1.6 cm) bead width. The dragonflies are spaced the same way, so the 6.2 in (15.7 cm) wingspans leave a small gap between neighboring wing tips.

Border

The border is a slip stitch row worked back along the cord. It rounds out the cord and keeps it from stretching under the weight of the dragonflies.

Border gauge: 5 sl st = 1 in (2.5 cm). Work them loosely so the cord doesn’t get shorter.

• Border row: Ch 1 (turning chain, not counted) and turn. Sl st in the back bump of each cord ch across, including the bead chains. The beads stay on the front loops. Skip the drops entirely.

Count per section:

• Lead: 30 sl st
• Each bead chain: 1 sl st (8 total)
• Each unit: 14 sl st, pass the drop, 14 sl st (28 per unit, 196 total)
• Lead: 30 sl st

Total: 30 + 8 + 196 + 30 = 264 sl st. Fasten off and weave in both ends.

Why the math works: The border row has exactly one sl st per cord ch, so the cord stays 57.8 in (146.8 cm) long. Each drop keeps 14 sts on each side, so every dragonfly stays centered between its two beads, and the leads stay 6 in (15.2 cm) long.

Final Blocking

1. Pin each dragonfly face up on the blocking mat. Pin the wing tips first, then the wing edges.
2. Use a pin to open each cell so the spokes sit straight.
3. Keep the tail straight and spread the antennae into a gentle V.
4. Mist with water until damp, or brush on fabric stiffener for stiffer wings.
5. Let dry completely, about 24 hours.
6. Unpin and check that the wingspan is 6.2 in (15.7 cm).
7. After joining, hang the garland and steam the cord lightly from 2 in (5.1 cm) away to relax any twist.

Final Quality-Control Checklist

• Large wings have 40 sc in Round 2, and small wings have 34 sc
• Large wings have 5 spokes and small wings have 4 spokes on each side of the vein
• The head is firm and round, about 0.6 in (1.5 cm)
• The tail is 2.6 in (6.6 cm) long with visible ridges
• The wings mirror each other, with large wings angled up and small wings angled down
• The cord has 264 chs and 264 border sl sts
• There are 14 cord chs on each side of every drop
• All 8 beads are locked in place
• The decorated section is 45.8 in (116.3 cm), and the total length is 57.8 in (146.8 cm)
• All ends are woven in securely

Troubleshooting

• Wings curl or cup: Round 2 is too tight. Use a larger hook for Round 2 only, or block with stiffener.
• Wings ruffle: There are too many sc in the spaces. Check that you have 2 sc per ch-1 sp and 3 sc per ch-2 sp.
• The cells are hard to see: You probably worked into chs that should be skipped. On side 1, skip chs 4, 6, 8 and 10 on large wings, or chs 4, 6 and 8 on small wings.
• The tail twists: This is normal with BLO rows. Block it straight while damp.
• Dragonflies overlap on the cord: Your chains are too loose or your wings are too wide. Check both gauges.
• Dragonflies tilt: The drop is off center. Attach it to the marked st between the antennae.
• Beads slide: Each bead needs its own bead chain. Undo and rework it.

Care

Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, press out the water in a towel, and reshape the wings flat to dry. Avoid long periods in strong direct sun so the fuchsia doesn’t fade.

Final Notes

Here is the full measurement chain. Gauge is 18 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm) and 5 ch = 1 in (2.5 cm). Large wings finish at 2.75 in (7.0 cm), small wings at 2.25 in (5.7 cm), and the body at 4.5 in (11.4 cm) with antennae. One dragonfly is 6.2 in (15.7 cm) wide.

On the cord, 29 chs plus a 5/8 in (1.6 cm) bead space the dragonflies 6.4 in (16.3 cm) apart. Seven units and eight beads make the 45.8 in (116.3 cm) decorated section. With two 6 in (15.2 cm) leads, the garland is 57.8 in (146.8 cm) long, and the 264-stitch border matches the 264-chain cord exactly.

Check your first dragonfly and your first cord unit, and the rest will follow.

Happy crocheting!