Sapphire Flutter is a lace curtain panel made of framed butterflies. Each butterfly has cobalt blue fan-shaped wings with open mesh, a raised cream body with curled antennae, and a cream edging that ends in small lacy loops. A thin cream chain frame holds each butterfly inside a square block. When the blocks are joined, those frames turn into the airy lattice you see against the window.
The palette is just two colors: cobalt blue and cream. The style is classic thread lace with a bold, modern contrast. Light passes through the wing mesh and the open lattice, so the panel softens the light instead of blocking it.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. One finished panel measures 46 in x 79 in (116.8 cm x 200.7 cm) after the border. Make two panels for a pair.
The construction is easy to follow. You work the blue wings outward from a center ring and add a cream edging. Then you sew on a separate body, chain the antennae, and work a square chain frame around the butterfly. You join 112 identical blocks in an 8 x 14 grid and finish with a three-round border that ends in scalloped loops.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished panel size: 46 in x 79 in (116.8 cm x 200.7 cm)
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: DK / light (#3) mercerized cotton
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
- Number of pieces: 112 butterfly blocks
- Layout: 8 blocks across x 14 blocks down
- Block size: 5.5 in (14.0 cm) square, 25 sts per side
- Size before border: 44 in x 77 in (111.8 cm x 195.6 cm)
- Border depth: 1 in (2.5 cm) per side
Materials
Choose a smooth mercerized cotton or cotton blend. It shows the stitches clearly, holds up well in sunlight, and blocks crisp. Avoid fuzzy yarns because they blur the mesh.
Quantities are for one panel:
- Color A, cobalt blue: 400 g (about 960 m)
- Color B, cream: 700 g (about 1,680 m)
Both quantities include a margin of about 10%. Double them for a pair of panels.
Tools:
- 3.5 mm (E-4) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch markers
- Rust-proof pins and blocking mats
- Spray bottle
- Measuring tape
- Curtain clip rings for hanging
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- dc – double crochet
- tr – treble crochet
- sp(s) – space(s)
- BLO – back loop only
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- rep – repeat
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
Special stitch: Antenna. Ch 10, sl st in 4th ch from hook to form a small ring tip, then sl st in each of the next 6 ch.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 18 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm) with a 3.5 mm hook.
Make one full block before you start the panel, and check it at each stage:
- After the center ring: about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) across.
- After the blue wings: each upper wing extends about 2.25 in (5.7 cm) from the ring. Each lower wing extends about 1.5 in (3.8 cm).
- After the cream edging: the butterfly measures about 5 in (12.7 cm) wide x 4 in (10.2 cm) tall.
- After the frame and blocking: the block measures 5.5 in (14.0 cm) square.
If your block is more than 0.25 in (0.6 cm) too big, go down one hook size. If it is too small, go up one hook size. An error of 0.25 in (0.6 cm) per block adds up to 2 in (5.1 cm) across 8 blocks, so check your gauge carefully.
Butterfly Wings (Color A)
Center ring: With A, ch 4, sl st in first ch to form a ring.
Rnd 1: Ch 3 (counts as dc), 15 dc in ring, sl st in top of ch-3. Fasten off. (16 dc)
Number the stitches 1 to 16, with the ch-3 as stitch 1. Stitch 1 is the top of the body and stitch 9 is the bottom of the body. Leave both of these unworked.
Upper Right Wing (on stitches 2–5)
Row 1 (RS): Join A in st 2, ch 4 (counts as tr), 2 tr in same st, 3 tr in each of next 3 sts. Turn. (12 tr)
Row 2: Ch 5 (counts as tr and ch 1), [tr in next tr, ch 1] 10 times, tr in last tr. Turn. (12 tr, 11 ch-1 sps)
Row 3: Ch 6 (counts as dc and ch 3), [dc in next tr, ch 3] 10 times, dc in last tr. Turn. (12 dc, 11 ch-3 sps)
Row 4: Ch 7 (counts as dc and ch 4), [dc in next dc, ch 4] 10 times, dc in last dc. Fasten off. (12 dc, 11 ch-4 sps)
The tr spokes make the dense fan near the body. The chain spaces get longer each row, which opens up the net at the outer wing.
Lower Right Wing (on stitches 6–8)
Row 1 (RS): Join A in st 6, ch 3 (counts as dc), 2 dc in same st, 3 dc in each of next 2 sts. Turn. (9 dc)
Row 2: Ch 4 (counts as dc and ch 1), [dc in next dc, ch 1] 7 times, dc in last dc. Turn. (9 dc, 8 ch-1 sps)
Row 3: Ch 5 (counts as dc and ch 2), [dc in next dc, ch 2] 7 times, dc in last dc. Fasten off. (9 dc, 8 ch-2 sps)
Left Wings
Work the lower left wing on sts 10–12 exactly like the lower right wing. Work the upper left wing on sts 13–16 exactly like the upper right wing.
Cream Edging (Color B)
Rnd 1 (RS): Join B in st 1 (top of body). Ch 1, sc in st 1. Then work clockwise around the whole butterfly:
- Each upper wing: 2 sc in each row end along the first side (8 sc). Along the outer edge, sc in each dc and 3 sc in each ch-4 sp (45 sc). Then 2 sc in each row end along the second side (8 sc). (61 sc per upper wing)
- Each lower wing: 2 sc in each row end (6 sc). Along the outer edge, sc in each dc and 2 sc in each ch-2 sp (25 sc). Then 2 sc in each row end (6 sc). (37 sc per lower wing)
- St 9: sc in st 9 (bottom of body).
Sl st in first sc to join. (198 sc: 1 + 61 + 37 + 1 + 37 + 61)
Rnd 2: Ch 1. Sc in each sc along all wing sides and in both body sts. On the outer edge of each upper wing, sc in first sc, [ch 4, sk 1, sc in next sc] 22 times. On the outer edge of each lower wing, sc in first sc, [ch 5, sk 1, sc in next sc] 12 times. Sl st in first sc to join. Fasten off.
Stitch count: 130 sc and 68 loops. Each upper wing has 23 sc and 22 ch-4 loops on its outer edge. Each lower wing has 13 sc and 12 ch-5 loops. The remaining 58 sc are on the wing sides and the two body sts.
The longer ch-5 loops give the lower wings their fuller scalloped edge.
Body and Antennae (Color B)
Body: With B, ch 14.
Rnd 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in next 11 ch, 3 sc in last ch. Working along the other side of the chain, sc in next 11 ch, 2 sc in last ch (same ch as first sc). Sl st to join. (28 sc)
Rnd 2: Ch 1, sl st in BLO of each st around. Fasten off and leave a long tail. (28 sl sts)
The slip-stitch ridge gives the body its raised, beaded look. The body measures about 2.75 in (7.0 cm) long.
Sew the body vertically over the center ring so it covers sts 1 and 9.
Antennae: Join B at the top tip of the body. Work 1 Antenna, sl st in next st on the body, and work a second Antenna. Fasten off. Each antenna measures about 1.5 in (3.8 cm). Angle them out in a V shape.
Square Frame (Color B)
The four corners of the frame are anchored in these loops:
- Upper wings: ch-4 loop 11, counted from the antenna end.
- Lower wings: ch-5 loop 6, counted from the end nearest the gap between the wings.
Rnd 1: Join B with sc in the upper right anchor loop, ch 3, sc in same loop (corner).
- Right side: ch 19, (sc, ch 3, sc) in lower right anchor loop.
- Bottom: ch 19, (sc, ch 3, sc) in lower left anchor loop.
- Left side: ch 19, (sc, ch 3, sc) in upper left anchor loop.
- Top: ch 6, sc in ring of left antenna, ch 5, sc in ring of right antenna, ch 6, sl st in first sc to join.
Each side now has 19 sts between corners. On the top, that is 6 + 1 + 5 + 1 + 6 = 19. Total: 4 corners x 5 sts + 4 sides x 19 = 96 sts.
Rnd 2: Sl st into corner ch-3 sp, ch 1, 3 sc in same sp. *Sc in each sc and ch to the next corner (21 sc), 3 sc in corner ch-3 sp; rep from * around, omitting the last corner. Sl st in first sc to join. Fasten off. (96 sc)
Each side has 25 sts including both corner sts: 1 corner middle + 1 + 21 + 1 + 1 corner middle. Check: 4 x 25 − 4 shared corners = 96.
Block the finished block to 5.5 in (14.0 cm) square. Pin the frame straight and open up the wing mesh.
Make All Pieces
Make 112 blocks for one panel. Each block uses about 3.2 g of A and 5.3 g of B. The extra cream in the yarn totals covers joining and the border.
Layout (B = butterfly block, antennae pointing up):
Rows 1–14: B B B B B B B B
That is 14 rows of 8 blocks each, all facing the same way.
Joining
Method: Flat slip-stitch join with B.
Place two blocks side by side, RS up. Sl st through the back loops of matching sts on each edge. Join the 25 sts of one side to the 25 sts of the other, one to one, from corner st to corner st. No stitches are added or skipped, so the seam adds no width.
First join 8 blocks into a horizontal row. Make 14 rows, then join the rows along their long edges the same way. Where four corners meet, sl st through all four corner sts.
Tension: Keep the slip stitches as loose as the frame sc. Tight joins pucker the lattice and shrink the panel.
Checkpoint: One row of 8 blocks measures 44 in (111.8 cm). The joined panel measures 44 in x 77 in (111.8 cm x 195.6 cm).
Border
Border gauge: Same as the block gauge, 18 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm).
Starting counts: The top and bottom edges each have 8 x 25 = 200 sts. The long sides each have 14 x 25 = 350 sts. These counts include every block’s corner sts. No stitches are added at the seams.
Rnd 1: Join B in any panel corner st. Ch 1, 3 sc in each panel corner st and sc in every other st around. Sl st to join. (1,104 sc)
The top and bottom have 202 sts per side and the long sides have 352 per side, including corners. Check: 2 x 202 + 2 x 352 − 4 = 1,104.
Rnd 2: Sl st to the center corner sc. Ch 6 (counts as dc and ch 3), dc in same st. *Dc in each st to the next center corner sc, (dc, ch 3, dc) in corner st; rep from * around, omitting the last corner. Sl st in 3rd ch of ch-6.
This gives 202 dc per top and bottom side and 352 dc per long side, counting the corner dc. There are also 4 corner ch-3 sps. (1,108 dc)
Rnd 3: Sl st into corner ch-3 sp, ch 1, (sc, ch 5, sc) in same sp. *[Ch 5, sk 1 dc, sc in next dc] across to the next corner sp, ch 5, (sc, ch 5, sc) in corner sp; rep from * around, omitting the last corner. Sl st to join. Fasten off.
Top and bottom: 101 sc and 102 loops per side. Long sides: 176 sc and 177 loops per side. Each corner has one loop. (562 sc, 562 loops)
Why the math works: The Rnd 2 count on every side is even (202 and 352). Skipping 1 dc between sc means the last sc lands exactly on the last dc before each corner, so the scallops come out even.
The border adds 1 in (2.5 cm) per side, for a final size of 46 in x 79 in (116.8 cm x 200.7 cm).
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends first, through solid stitches only.
- Lay the panel flat on blocking mats. Work in sections if it doesn’t all fit.
- Pin the outer edges to 46 in x 79 in (116.8 cm x 200.7 cm).
- Pin the lattice lines straight, every 5.5 in (14.0 cm).
- Pin out each border scallop.
- Spray until damp, then open the wing mesh with your fingers.
- Let it dry completely before unpinning.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- All 112 blocks measure 5.5 in (14.0 cm) square.
- Every block has 96 sts in Frame Rnd 2.
- All antennae point up.
- Seams are flat and matched stitch to stitch.
- Border Rnd 1 starts from 200 and 350 sts per side.
- All scallops are the same size.
- The panel measures 46 in x 79 in (116.8 cm x 200.7 cm).
Troubleshooting
Wings cup: Your chains are too tight. Loosen the chain spaces or go up a hook size for wing Rows 2–4.
Wings ruffle: You may have extra tr in Row 1. Recount: 12 for the upper wings, 9 for the lower wings.
Frame pulls the butterfly out of shape: The frame chains are too tight. Rework Frame Rnd 1 with a looser hand.
Body twists: Pin it straight before sewing.
Blocks differ in size: Re-block them all to 5.5 in (14.0 cm) before joining.
Border ruffles: Recount Rnd 1. It should be 202 and 352 per side.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, roll in a towel to remove water, and dry flat. Re-pin the edges while damp to keep the lattice straight.
Final Notes
The measurement chain is simple. A gauge of 18 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm) gives a 25-st block side of 5.5 in (14.0 cm). Eight blocks make 44 in (111.8 cm) and 14 blocks make 77 in (195.6 cm). A 1 in (2.5 cm) border brings the panel to 46 in x 79 in (116.8 cm x 200.7 cm). Check each stage, and the panel will hang straight.
Happy crocheting!