KNITmuch | Issue 01

A better one-row buttonhole Glenna Harris
Whenever I go shopping for buttons I always
end up coming home with several
different kinds, even if I only need them
for one project at the time! Building up
a button collection of your own is a fun
task, so you’ll eventually be prepared and
ready for different button situations.
There are many different ways to knit a
button-hole. One of the first methods
many of us encounter is a two-row button-hole
method (shown second on that
page), where the knitter first binds off
stitches for the button-hole on the first
row, then on the second row coming back,
casts on new stitches over top of the gap
created by that first bind-off. This is an
easy way to get the hang of button-holes
at first, because all knitters know how to
do at least one basic bind-off and cast-on.
If you’re a knitter who has advanced to
sweaters – whether for adults or children
– you’ve probably encountered the need
for button-holes in your knitting! Button-holes
can be tricky to get the hang
of, and there are many different ways to
make them. Trying a new button-hole
technique could make all the difference
for your next cardigan project.
There’s also a huge variety of buttons out
there to choose from. I love the versatile
style of these round ones (pictured left),
each about an inch wide. But these adorable
owls and lobsters (pictured below)
would be amazing on a little children’s
sweater. They are longer than they are
wide – so choose your button-hole width
based on the narrower length.
36 KNITmuch | issue 1
Photos and video by Glenna Harris