Saturday, May 7, 2011

Button-Link Tutorial

Okay, I finally got around to doing this tutorial for the Button-Links.  I knit a tiny little cravat out of silk/merino roving and it definitely needed a button, but to put a button hole in when knitting with fluff basically, is impossible, so yet another use for these handy little things!

You need:

1 shank style button of any size. (this will be your feature button, so you want it to be nice and it's the one you should give some thought to.)
1 small button of any style, but you want this to be small enough to fit through your stitches but big enough to not pop right back out again
(If you want your button-link to be reversible, then you need to use a shank button for both buttons!)
1 yarn needle
1 pair of scissors
a length of yarn (I used alpaca silk because the silk makes it strong and that's what i had lying around.)










A shank button


Thread your yarn through the needle and then through the shank of the button, leaving a tail around 4" long.
Thread it through your smaller back button and pull the small button to within around 3/4" from the shank of the front button. (if you're making this for a specific FO, then you can adjust the space between the buttons to make it perfect for your item.  Not too tight, not too loose).

Continue back and forth between the front button and the back button, creating a loop.

Now take your yarn and start wrapping it around your loop, creating a post.  Thread your yarn in and out of the loop occasionally as you wrap to keep it snug and tight. Catch your short tail as you go around.
When you've gotten the whole loop closed up and the post is nice and snug, push the threaded needle through the post a few times to secure the yarn and then snip loose ends.
Voila!
If you have any questions or need help or clarification, leave a comment and I'll try and help you out!
Also, let me know if you make these as I'd love to see all the different variations!  Buttons are FUN!

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