These ones or those ones?

Button time, today its all about buttons, because thats where I am up to with my tangled yoke cardigan, choosing the buttons. I've picked up the stitches along the left front edge and knit most of the button band, I'm leaving the right side until I know what size and shape buttons I will use, then I can make the button holes the perfect size. I always remember what side the button holes go on because my first uni teacher of construction told us Women are always right, meaning in womens wear the right laps over left, and so the button holes go in the top or right side layer. And if you are slightly left-right confused like me, its the right when you are wearing it.

But back to the buttons, I'm going to have to compromise ... the ones I like most might not be the best choice. Not as much knitting was done as I had planned this week, I've been away for work, looking at students work at another institution, leaving home at 5am, don't ask what time the alarm went off I don't like to think about that. There was the associated socialising that went with 'away' trips, the evening meal out and the talking about things academic as you do when with others teaching in the same area. I did take a book to read, old and maybe redundant in places, and some knitting - yet another wash cloth, which grew only a little. I found references to knitting in at least two chapters - so that brightened my trip, now I am wondering how I can work that into my next paper should it be accepted.



First up is my favorite button choice, well .. these are my favorite buttons, cast in pewter, small, and rustic, and I think a good size, colour and texture for this knit. There are the last I was able to buy from a New Zealand Jeweller/Actor who at one stage made buttons, Sarah Smutts-Kennedy(SSK), but she no longer makes, so I can no longer buy. But ...
yes there is a but, they are small, and light, but still probably to heavy for this knit ... so although I am so very tempted to use these I probably won't.




Which means I will revert to an old classic choice, the designers quality stand by, the shell button. This time in dark shell, a small 4 hole button that is a much lighter weight. Like most things made from natural materials the colour varies, some are lighter, some darker, and with these the polished shine makes them look much lighter in colour.

So I will borrow a trick I learned a long time ago and turn them over and sew them on upside down. They are still shiny but much darker, and more rustic. I will make one last round of all the button shops in town, just to see if there is anything better that is not obviously plastic, but I think these will be the ones.

so take care,
more next week I promise, this Friday is officially my last day of work before the summer holidays - but I have some things undone that mean I will need pop in to work next week to sort them, but essentially, after graduation on Friday I will have 5 weeks off, to knit and spin, and cook, and family, and garden, and walk, and not work. And of course go thru all my knitting books looking for the perfect button hole technique.
na Stella