Collect buttons. You can never rely on finding the perfect button when you finish the garment. If you see terrific buttons, just buy them. I have bought buttons all over the world, even in the middle of a meat market in Thailand. Never trust they will still be available later, just pay for them and run!

Buttons can make or break a garment. I’m amazed when I see a wonderful bit of knitting with not-so-hot buttons. Why bother to do all the work and then bang on some dreary buttons. Like men’s ties, buttons show your individuality [pic 1].

1: A few of my beloved buttons, gathered from all over the world.

If you are buying buttons without having any immediate plan for their use, take nine or ten buttons. This should be enough for most projects.

Tiny buttons are more for show than blow, because most buttonholes in hand knitted garments will allow little buttons to slip through. If the button is an unusual shape, check that it will actually fit into the buttonhole, or keep it for a decorative feature [pic 2].

2: They look wonderful, but are a nightmare to fit into a buttonhole.

Use the yarn of the garment to sew on buttons. If it is too thick to go through the holes of the button, split the yarn down to one or two threads. Never use sewing thread, because this will, with wear, cut through the softer yarn used for the garment and you will lose the button. A soft yarn may disintegrate, a hairy yarn might be too thick to sew through the holes. Use a closely matching yarn.

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