Tag Archives: button band

All done*

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*For the most part, anyway.

And, I’m pleased to say, my sweater turned out pretty great!

I was worried it was going to be too short, but it ended up a surprisingly flattering hip length! And, I had plenty of yarn! I had about an egg-sized ball of the handspun and a half a skein of the blue when all was said and done.

I finished the body with a whole skein of blue left over, then picked up a whole mess of stitches for the button band. (Pro tip- when picking up a button band, you pick up 2 stitches in every 3 rows as you go up the sides, then pick up 1 stitch in every stitch across the neck. Then, check to make sure the two sides are more-or-less equal and if you have the right number of stitches for the ribbing you’re doing. If one side has too many stitches, instead of ripping out and re-picking up the stitches, just work the appropriate number of decreases on that side in the next row as you establish the ribbing. And, if you need to change the number of stitches to make the ribbing come out evenly, do the same thing, but at the back of the neck. So much easier than ripping out, and no one will ever know!)

I threw in some button holes after a couple rows, and finished off the button band in pattern. OK, it turned out I threw in too many button holes (in my defense, I wasn’t paying attention), so I used a little matching thread to sew up the extra one.

Then I blocked it and added on some buttons that I happened to have that were the right size and more or less the right color (or so I thought).

Once they were on and the sun came out (I added them late at night, and it turns out I couldn’t really see them), I realized they were definitely not the right buttons. But they’re the ones I have in my stash, and they’re functional, so they’re staying on for now. The moment I get to go to a yarn shop again, I’ll get something cute (and probably silver) for this sweater.

But for now, I’m really pleased with how this has turned out!

What have you guys finished lately?

Husband Sweater: Button (er- Zipper) Band

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I feel like it’s been a hot minute since I gave you an update on the sweater I’m working on for my husband.  Oof- actually it’s been almost a month.  (Sorry, husband!  Hopefully I’ll have it finished by August at this rate!)

Anyway, this time, I knit up the button band (or rather, the zipper band).  Instead of using the pattern, I used my own standard button band (mostly because I lost my paper copy of the pattern).

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My button bands actually start when I’m knitting up the sweater body.  I always slip the first stitch of each row.  This creates a nice, neat edge that makes it easy to pick up stitches evenly all the way around.  And I’ve found that picking up one stitch for every two rows makes a button band with just the right tension.  This way, you don’t even have to count, except for making sure you have an even number of stitches to make your ribbing come out right.

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I worked the button band on this sweater for about an inch, in a 2×2 rib.  This is a little narrower than my usual button bands, but that’s because I’ll be using a zipper, not buttons.  If you use buttons, the button bands will overlap, so you’ll need a wider band.  If you use a zipper, the bands don’t overlap, so you need a narrower one.

Next up-I’ll start working on the sleeves!

The Final Stretch

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This weekend, after a good night’s sleep and several calming breaths, I actually managed to (nearly) finish my Persistence is Key Sweater!

I even wove in all my ends and blocked it!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt fits almost perfectly (although it’s oddly long in the armpits, which is strange, but I think if I re-block it, that might fix that up.  And if it doesn’t, I’ll just have to live with long armpits.  There’s no way I’m ripping it out and re-doing this whole sweater.)  And, I absolutely love the cable on the back.  It’s gorgeous!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnd I’m really happy with the little touches of garnet-colored yarn that I added to the cast-off edges (collar, cuffs and hem).  I think the added color really make the sweater special.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERANow, I just have to pick out some buttons.

I’m terribly indecisive when it comes to these things, so I want your opinion!  Should I get buttons that are:

Antique silver?

12196622Garnet red?11065489Wooden/coconut/bone?1833391So many options, and only one button band.  What would you use?

OK, Maybe You Should Have Stopped Me

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The downside of my Finish-The-Project-Or-Die-Trying mania is that sometimes everything gets a little out of hand.  Point in case, last night:

9:00 – I sit down with a glass of wine, an episode of Castle, and the determination to finish one button band before I go to bed.  I cast on, and start knitting.

9:30 – I reach the button hole row, and read over my pattern (poorly, as it turns out).  I go ahead and make all my button holes.

9:35 – I make it to the end of the button hole row, and I realize that I didn’t count correctly, and as a result, I don’t have enough space for all the buttons that I wanted to add.  I tink back the row.  Not to worry.  It’s just a small setback.

9:45 – I begin the row again, this time making sure that I do the right thing.  (But, of course, I still don’t actually re-read the pattern.  Because I am stubborn and dumb.)

9:50 – I finish the row, and realize I counted my stitches wrong (again), but this time in a different way.

9:55 – I pout and pour myself another glass of wine.

10:00 – I swear under my breath, and tink back the row again.

10:10 – I knit the row one more time, being extra-special 100% sure that I do the right thing.

10:15 – I finish the row and count that I have the right number of button holes.  I do a little happy dance and keep knitting.

10:45 – I sit back, almost ready to bind off the button band, and check over my work.  The button holes are nicely spaced across the whole button band, but something looks a little off, a little wonky.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERASee that button hole?  (It’s kind of hard to see in the photo, sorry.)  See how it’s kind of halfway up the little piece of ribbing?  I think to myself, “Huh, shouldn’t the button holes be centered in the purl sections of the ribbing?  That’s a weird way to design a pattern.  Oh well.”

10:50 – I start getting ready to bind off, but the off-kilter button holes are still bugging me.  I get out my computer and start poking around on Ravelry.  The other people who’ve made this sweater don’t have weird off-kilter button holes.  I am perplexed and a little frustrated.

11:00 – I actually re-read the pattern again, and I realize that I’ve made a huge mistake.  What I thought was a typo in the pattern (that I half read two hours earlier) was actually not a mistake at all.  I realize that I am stupid and arrogant for not really reading the directions.

11:10 – I consider ripping out the button band back to the holes, swear a little bit, and have a pity party for myself.

11:20 – I cry uncle, and give up for the night.  I’ll re-do the band in the morning, when I’m less blinded by stupidity and frustration.  Ugh.

 

Stellar’s Jay Sweater: Changing Plans

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I’ve been hard at work on my Stellar’s Jay sweater.  The body is almost up to the armpits!

I’m following my pattern as I wrote it, except for a couple (sort-of) minor details.

First, I decided that I didn’t like doing the scallop rows the way I had planned it out, so I modified it a little.  Now, it is slightly shallower (worked over two rows, instead of three), and I think it looks much better.  I’m probably the only one who would ever notice, but I’m picky that way.

Second (and this is a larger change), my pullover had turned into a cardigan.  I don’t know what happened- I was casting on and some knitting spirit whispered in my ear that I needed a cardigan, not a pullover, and one thing led to another.  I’m still following the pattern as I designed it, but instead of working the sweater in the round, I’m knitting it flat.  When I finish up the sweater, I’ll pick up stitches along the selvedge edges and knit on some button bands.  It should look pretty good (I hope!).

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt’s important to remember that regardless of how much planning goes into your knitting, it’s still possible to change plans as you work.  You’re in charge of your project, and being flexible when you don’t like how something is working up will end up giving you a better finished project.

What changes have you made to projects as you knit them?