No words, just photos...
:-D
Stella
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Buttons - a how to
I always just sew on the buttons, you know, as I was taught to, using a few ticks that I've picked up along the way. I've never given much thought to sewing on buttons, but Crafty Gryphon asked if I could do a button sewing on tutorial, and yes M'am, I can. So today lots and lots of photos, Bear wasn't around to hold the camera so its a photo essay not a video. This also means that TYC is done, finished and worn, I'm wearing her as I type! Soft and warm - modeling photos to come, soon I promise. First up is EZ one row no turn button hole, I love it! neat, simple, not fussy to work,in short the epitome of EZ's approach to knitting. And yes - you spotted my fav cast off edge along the long edge of the button band, an i-cord bind off - again, its thin, flat, and a nice stable edge.
First sewing on buttons, before you start you need to gather a little equipment, the yarn you plan to use, either fine strong yarn or matching cotton (or contrast colour if you prefer), a suitable needle, some pins (not shown) and a 2 mm dpn.
About buttons, there are lots of different ones, but here I'll discuss those with a shank and those without. Shank buttons have a little stalk or neck with a hole thru which the button is sewn onto the garment, the shank allows for the thickness of the garment under the button, so these are usually used on thick fabrics, or tailored garments. Buttons without a shank are made for thinner garments, but you can 'sew in a shank' if you need to. I need to do this here, so I'll show you how. Shank buttons can be heavier, and can sag when not buttoned up, a bit of a problem for knitwear, one of the reasons I decided not to use them on this cardigan.
Thread, I'm using the yarn I knit with, its fine and strong, and constant so won't snag on the needle as I sew, but you can use any thread that works. Cut a nice long length, 60-70 cm, and thread it thru the needle. If you cut it longer you run the risk of knots and tangles. I was told 'no longer than from elbow to finger tip', and that is a pretty good guide. Don't knot the end, and pull it so one end is longer than the other, we will be sewing the button on with a single thread - you can use two, but it causes problems, more knots and thickness and loops of different sizes as you tighten the stitches. Remember no knots in the yarn this stage, the knit fabric is to loose and they will just pull thru - the yarn has to be secured via other means.
One of the first things to do is mark where the buttons need to be sewn, I do this with long T-pins. I match up the two edges, and put a pin thru the top end of each button hole, remember buttons slide to the end of the button holes they don't magically float in the middle. This is one thing my students seem to regularly misunderstand. So where the button holes are vertical, the button hole will hang off the button, so the button will slide to the top of the button hole. Where the buttons are horizontal, the button will slide to the end nearest to the edge.
Then I carefully pull the two layers apart and reposition all the T-pins to mark the exact spot I need to stitch on the buttons. Some people use smaller pins, or clover hooks, or safety pins, or even waste yarn, use whatever you like, I like T-pins, they are large and easy to spot and I don't tend to hurt myself on them.
Then I start sewing on the buttons, these ones have 4 holes, so I'm stitching in a cross pattern, but I could have stitched two short bars like and equal sign, or in a square. Its all personal preference. Leave the tail of the yarn loose, it will be knotted and woven in latter - yes knotted, I don't want these buttons to fall off.
Now if I was just to stitch the button on there would be no room for the layer of knitting to fit under it when I did up all my buttons. That layer of knitting needs to be allowed for, so I plan to make a thread space long enough for it to sit easily under the button when done up. You can see the thickness of a layer of knitting, if you don't allow for that you kinda get a look like a stuffed sofa - not really flattering or good on anything other than a duvet or a sofa.
So I am using a dpn, a 2mm dpn, if I was stitching thru thicker knitting, I would use a thicker needle. In dressmaking and tailoring I was taught to use a toothpick or a matchstick, I have a smoothed bamboo skewer that I keep in my sewing kit, but a nice polished dpn is perfect here.
On these buttons, I over stitched the holes twice, if I was using finer thread I might have stitched more. I pulled the thread firm each time, knowing the 2mm dpn was providing the space I needed under each button. Because this was the first button, and I had the tail of thread I was able to secure it with an overhand knot - you know from girl guides - right over left and under, then left over right and under. I wove in the tail and trimmed it, but left the needle thread untrimmed because
I planned to snake the thread from one button position to another. This is a trick I was shown for making shirts. Rather than stitch each button on individually and cut and knot behind each button, you can run the thread from button position to button position. I think this makes for a stronger attachment, and stabilises the front edge a little.
I finish behind each subsequent button with a half hitch, just to stop the thread from pulling tighter and distorting the button position. To make a half hitch, make a little tiny stitch thru the fabric just behind where you have sewn the button, and thread the needle and thread thru the loop - pull firm.
Once the buttons are all on, you can see on the reverse of the button band that there isn't much trace of the yarn woven from button to button. If needed I could have woven in the yarn along the picked up stitches or the cast off edge. And if you need to start new thread, just cut a new length and begin again, weave in all the ends after and knot just to secure, I hate it when buttons fall off, they tend to fall off when I am in a hurry or away from my sewing kit.
and finished, with buttons, all waiting to be worn
pictures next time
I promise
Stella
First sewing on buttons, before you start you need to gather a little equipment, the yarn you plan to use, either fine strong yarn or matching cotton (or contrast colour if you prefer), a suitable needle, some pins (not shown) and a 2 mm dpn.
About buttons, there are lots of different ones, but here I'll discuss those with a shank and those without. Shank buttons have a little stalk or neck with a hole thru which the button is sewn onto the garment, the shank allows for the thickness of the garment under the button, so these are usually used on thick fabrics, or tailored garments. Buttons without a shank are made for thinner garments, but you can 'sew in a shank' if you need to. I need to do this here, so I'll show you how. Shank buttons can be heavier, and can sag when not buttoned up, a bit of a problem for knitwear, one of the reasons I decided not to use them on this cardigan.
Thread, I'm using the yarn I knit with, its fine and strong, and constant so won't snag on the needle as I sew, but you can use any thread that works. Cut a nice long length, 60-70 cm, and thread it thru the needle. If you cut it longer you run the risk of knots and tangles. I was told 'no longer than from elbow to finger tip', and that is a pretty good guide. Don't knot the end, and pull it so one end is longer than the other, we will be sewing the button on with a single thread - you can use two, but it causes problems, more knots and thickness and loops of different sizes as you tighten the stitches. Remember no knots in the yarn this stage, the knit fabric is to loose and they will just pull thru - the yarn has to be secured via other means.
One of the first things to do is mark where the buttons need to be sewn, I do this with long T-pins. I match up the two edges, and put a pin thru the top end of each button hole, remember buttons slide to the end of the button holes they don't magically float in the middle. This is one thing my students seem to regularly misunderstand. So where the button holes are vertical, the button hole will hang off the button, so the button will slide to the top of the button hole. Where the buttons are horizontal, the button will slide to the end nearest to the edge.
Then I carefully pull the two layers apart and reposition all the T-pins to mark the exact spot I need to stitch on the buttons. Some people use smaller pins, or clover hooks, or safety pins, or even waste yarn, use whatever you like, I like T-pins, they are large and easy to spot and I don't tend to hurt myself on them.
Then I start sewing on the buttons, these ones have 4 holes, so I'm stitching in a cross pattern, but I could have stitched two short bars like and equal sign, or in a square. Its all personal preference. Leave the tail of the yarn loose, it will be knotted and woven in latter - yes knotted, I don't want these buttons to fall off.
Now if I was just to stitch the button on there would be no room for the layer of knitting to fit under it when I did up all my buttons. That layer of knitting needs to be allowed for, so I plan to make a thread space long enough for it to sit easily under the button when done up. You can see the thickness of a layer of knitting, if you don't allow for that you kinda get a look like a stuffed sofa - not really flattering or good on anything other than a duvet or a sofa.
So I am using a dpn, a 2mm dpn, if I was stitching thru thicker knitting, I would use a thicker needle. In dressmaking and tailoring I was taught to use a toothpick or a matchstick, I have a smoothed bamboo skewer that I keep in my sewing kit, but a nice polished dpn is perfect here.
On these buttons, I over stitched the holes twice, if I was using finer thread I might have stitched more. I pulled the thread firm each time, knowing the 2mm dpn was providing the space I needed under each button. Because this was the first button, and I had the tail of thread I was able to secure it with an overhand knot - you know from girl guides - right over left and under, then left over right and under. I wove in the tail and trimmed it, but left the needle thread untrimmed because
I planned to snake the thread from one button position to another. This is a trick I was shown for making shirts. Rather than stitch each button on individually and cut and knot behind each button, you can run the thread from button position to button position. I think this makes for a stronger attachment, and stabilises the front edge a little.
I finish behind each subsequent button with a half hitch, just to stop the thread from pulling tighter and distorting the button position. To make a half hitch, make a little tiny stitch thru the fabric just behind where you have sewn the button, and thread the needle and thread thru the loop - pull firm.
Once the buttons are all on, you can see on the reverse of the button band that there isn't much trace of the yarn woven from button to button. If needed I could have woven in the yarn along the picked up stitches or the cast off edge. And if you need to start new thread, just cut a new length and begin again, weave in all the ends after and knot just to secure, I hate it when buttons fall off, they tend to fall off when I am in a hurry or away from my sewing kit.
and finished, with buttons, all waiting to be worn
pictures next time
I promise
Stella
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
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
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
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Not perfect,and with some repeated sections
thats right, not perfect. When I was witting my thesis, when any one is writing a thesis, all the people who have been there before you give you advice, generally good and appropriate advice that you may or may not follow at the time. Much of that advice you take with you and use latter as part of life, even if you were not able to follow it at the time. Once such piece of advice was -
There is finished and there is perfect, rarely are they the same.
That was the case this week in my knitting, after the drastic and perhaps ill-considered frogging I was happy just to finish, and I know its not perfect, so today I have something finished, not quite but off the needles for now, with very little to do. I apologise for missing my midweek post, I had one of those weeks where I was out Monday, Tuesday, Thursday night, and late home Wednesday - there just wasn't time, some weeks are like that.
So last week I left with you a disturbing image of a complex cable dropped down and in the early stages of repair. As I indicated, it took some time, and a lot of focus to repair. Would I recommend it - probably not, but then again I think it looks better afterwards, not perfect mind you, but better. I know exactly where my repair is, you see I had yarn left over afterwards. This worried me, how could I knit the same rows with the loops of frogged yarn and have one loop of several inches of yarn left over? Then I realised that the left over had migrated from a yarn join, a few stitches past my frogging pond. So because of the yarn ends and the left over loop I know exactly where I was working, if not I might not be able to spot the repair.
This is the cable, finished, not perfect, but better I think. I still managed to twist one of the cables the wrong way, despite my care and attention .... knowing now what is involved in a repair I can live with that - or I might duplicate stitch the correct twist in (I think that will work - don't you?). One thing that made the repair so difficult was at several stages the cables grow from 5-out-of-1 stitch increases. In my innocence I dropped down between markers - not realising that some of these increases were positioned across the borders of the repeats - and so only partly frogged as I dropped the stitches down. I'm not sure I can explain any better than that - but my wee brain took a good half an hour to comprehend why I could not pick up and knit just inside the repeats, and of course I had frogged right down to the first row of the chart - adding to the difficulty score. Of course I worked this all out after I dropped the stitches right to the bottom of the chart ... no before.
So after that I continued to knit up the yoke, completely missing the decrease row after the tangled cables until I was a good 3.5 inches past them. Once you have frogged this cable and lived to blog the tale ... well frogging 3 inches of stocking stitch knit flat, with hundreds of teeny tiny stitches on 2.5 mm needles - well that is no worries at all. So I frogged, correctly decreased, knit back up, decreased again (I was looking for them that time), and worked the neck band. Then just to make things fun - instead of picking up loops along the lower edge of the ribbing and working a three-needle bind off, I kitchenered the bind off. I'm fussy like that. I suspect the bind off would be a more stable finish and stop the neck from stretching ... but I like to invisibly finish details like this where I can.
And so now I have this, a cardigan that fits me (Yeah!), that just needs two front bands. I'm happy - and I think that blocking will open up the cable and just settle every thing down. All I need to do is sort some buttons ... and I'll start that band.
And sock yarn, I rescued this yarn from the hands of another knitter, honestly she nearly begged me to buy it first and so prevent her from adding it to her stash (my story and I'm sticking to it)... she had another 3 in her hand that she did buy ... but needed me to buy this one. She had two set aside as sure buys and asked if any one new of any reason she shouldn't buy this one, I couldn't ignore her plea for help could I? I had to say that I wanted it. She did accept my reason, happily, she let go of the skein and handed it over! And its so purdy .... so purdy .... socks for a little girl I think. Another nice colour way from Vintage Purls.
While on the subject of quotes, I came across this one during the week, in search of things about knitting - put that on your needles and knit it, a feminine complement to - put that in your pipe and smoke it!: latish 19C-20.
There is finished and there is perfect, rarely are they the same.
That was the case this week in my knitting, after the drastic and perhaps ill-considered frogging I was happy just to finish, and I know its not perfect, so today I have something finished, not quite but off the needles for now, with very little to do. I apologise for missing my midweek post, I had one of those weeks where I was out Monday, Tuesday, Thursday night, and late home Wednesday - there just wasn't time, some weeks are like that.
So last week I left with you a disturbing image of a complex cable dropped down and in the early stages of repair. As I indicated, it took some time, and a lot of focus to repair. Would I recommend it - probably not, but then again I think it looks better afterwards, not perfect mind you, but better. I know exactly where my repair is, you see I had yarn left over afterwards. This worried me, how could I knit the same rows with the loops of frogged yarn and have one loop of several inches of yarn left over? Then I realised that the left over had migrated from a yarn join, a few stitches past my frogging pond. So because of the yarn ends and the left over loop I know exactly where I was working, if not I might not be able to spot the repair.
This is the cable, finished, not perfect, but better I think. I still managed to twist one of the cables the wrong way, despite my care and attention .... knowing now what is involved in a repair I can live with that - or I might duplicate stitch the correct twist in (I think that will work - don't you?). One thing that made the repair so difficult was at several stages the cables grow from 5-out-of-1 stitch increases. In my innocence I dropped down between markers - not realising that some of these increases were positioned across the borders of the repeats - and so only partly frogged as I dropped the stitches down. I'm not sure I can explain any better than that - but my wee brain took a good half an hour to comprehend why I could not pick up and knit just inside the repeats, and of course I had frogged right down to the first row of the chart - adding to the difficulty score. Of course I worked this all out after I dropped the stitches right to the bottom of the chart ... no before.
So after that I continued to knit up the yoke, completely missing the decrease row after the tangled cables until I was a good 3.5 inches past them. Once you have frogged this cable and lived to blog the tale ... well frogging 3 inches of stocking stitch knit flat, with hundreds of teeny tiny stitches on 2.5 mm needles - well that is no worries at all. So I frogged, correctly decreased, knit back up, decreased again (I was looking for them that time), and worked the neck band. Then just to make things fun - instead of picking up loops along the lower edge of the ribbing and working a three-needle bind off, I kitchenered the bind off. I'm fussy like that. I suspect the bind off would be a more stable finish and stop the neck from stretching ... but I like to invisibly finish details like this where I can.
And so now I have this, a cardigan that fits me (Yeah!), that just needs two front bands. I'm happy - and I think that blocking will open up the cable and just settle every thing down. All I need to do is sort some buttons ... and I'll start that band.
And sock yarn, I rescued this yarn from the hands of another knitter, honestly she nearly begged me to buy it first and so prevent her from adding it to her stash (my story and I'm sticking to it)... she had another 3 in her hand that she did buy ... but needed me to buy this one. She had two set aside as sure buys and asked if any one new of any reason she shouldn't buy this one, I couldn't ignore her plea for help could I? I had to say that I wanted it. She did accept my reason, happily, she let go of the skein and handed it over! And its so purdy .... so purdy .... socks for a little girl I think. Another nice colour way from Vintage Purls.
While on the subject of quotes, I came across this one during the week, in search of things about knitting - put that on your needles and knit it, a feminine complement to - put that in your pipe and smoke it!: latish 19C-20.
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