How to Make Buttonholes

Buttonholes seem like the simplest of closures but you will want to take careful consideration of the size of your buttons relative to the size of your garment as well as the function of the button (is it decorative or utilitarian?). To help make this potentially tricky process a bit easier, we have created a guide to three different buttonhole styles – including the one row buttonhole, two row buttonhole, as well as a buttonhole for ribbing.

Usually shank buttons are best for knitted garments since the button shank gives more vertical clearance for the thickness of the knit fabric. If you are using a flat button, you may want to create a shank by wrapping thread or yarn around the stitches that attach the button to the fabric. Wrap the stitches between the button and the fabric, then secure the thread or yarn with a knot at the back side of the fabric.

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Have you any wool?

Why, three bags full in fact!

Actually, I have so much more than that! But I did get those at the Columbia Gorge Fiber Festival last weekend!

I can’t really pass up a deal like that – it’s scraps and seconds,
but $6 for 8 oz of fiber is just too good. Unfortunately I must come
across deals like that too often, because I have so, so, so much
spinning fiber that I’m quickly running out of places to put it.

So, obviously knitting is not my only pastime. Spinning is certainly
one of them, and although I wouldn’t consider myself to be a great
spinner, I love the process of watching a big ball of fluff turn into
something wonderful and useable.

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Podcast Episode 185: Cotton Yarns for Warm Weather Projects

As the days get both longer and warmer, cotton yarns come to mind as we get ready for breezy summer projects. This week, Kelley catches up with Alison to review the variety of cotton yarns that are available through Knit Picks! Get inspired for your next summer project as Kelley and Alison discuss the different properties, characteristics and uses for the different Knit Picks cotton and cotton blend yarns. Kelley also shares behind-the-scenes details on what inspired her to expand the cotton selection to include customer favorites like Shine and CotLin. Not only will this mini crash-course in cotton yarns help you pick out the right yarn for your next project, you just might be tempted by Kelley and Alison’s project ideas that make the most of the unique properties of the variety of cotton and cotton blends that are available.
 
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Cable Cast On

The cable cast on is a great cast on method to have in your arsenal of knitting tricks, and yet oddly enough, it actually doesn’t have a lot to do with cables at all! The Cable Cast On is a way of casting on your stitches in a way that creates a strong, yet flexible foundation row that works well for edges that you don’t want to stretch out. This method also leaves you with a neat appearance on both the right and wrong sides of your work. Additionally, because it produces a firm and strong cast on edge, the cable cast on is one of my favorite ways to cast on stitches in the middle or end of a row and it also works particularly well on top of a section of bound of stitches, like a buttonhole.

And if you are anything like me, instructions can sometimes tend to turn into a jumbled mess when I am trying to learn a new technique on my own. However, watching the fluid motion of a technique is all it takes for things to click and make sense – which is why we have a video tutorial to help you through your first cable cast on! Like all new techniques, this cast on can seem a bit tricky at first but it is a great cast on to know as every method has its unique advantages.

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