It's been brought to my attention that my "cuff-link" solution to buttons on knitted items that are bulky, just doesn't work for everyone. I've been asked to post other fun and hopefully easy ways to deal with the button dilemma.
First off is the ribbon tie alternative. With this, you select a complimentary ribbon at the store. Four yards should do you.
Cut off a yard of the ribbon and double it to make a loop. Push the loop through the top of the collar from the front to the back, and then again back to front so that you have the loop and the ends both on the front of the collar. Then push the two ends through the loop and pull snug. You have your first lace.On the other end of the collar do the same, then tie the two laces together in a bow knot like the bow in the picture. Do the same for the bottom bow. If it's too long, snip it off to your preferred length.
The Crochet Method
With this method, you haul out the crochet hook and crochet button holes up on end of the collar. Start by attaching the yarn to the top or the bottom of the collar, single crochet a couple of stitches to anchor, then chain 1, 2 or 3 stitches and then go back down and put a single crochet in the next stitch on the collar. The number of free floating chains you create depends on the size of the button and you can check that by trying to push the button through the chain loop you've created.
Make as many loops as you have buttons. You would then sew the buttons to the other end of the collar so that they correspond with your crocheted button holes. Voila!
The Knit Method
And finally, the knit method. Knitted buttonholes take a lot more prior planning in that you have to decide before you finish the collar how many buttonholes you want and where you want to place them on the collar. In this example we're using two large buttons.
A basic knitted buttonhole is a bind-off and then cast on. You'll see here, that our button needs a 3 stitch space to pass through. So we've cast off three stitches (as if we were ending the work) and then immediately gone back and cast three stitches on to the right needle (orange yarn). After you cast on, you keep on knitting until you get to the place where you want your next button hole. Again, cast off 3, cast 3 onto the right needle and continue knitting. Once the buttonholes are complete you'll need to knit a few more rows.
Rule of thumb on button holes is to figure out how many stitches the button covers when you lay it on the collar, then subtract 1 or 2 from that and use that number for your bind-off. If your buttonhole ends up being too large, and gapes, you can always go back and cheat and use a darning needle and yarn and sew it up a little on either side to make it snugger.
If your buttons are small enough to be pushed through the knitted material, don't even make a buttonhole!
Securing the Buttons
Finally, when using Buttons, you'll want to put some ease in between the button and the knitted fabric. That is, you don't want to sew the button down tight. Take a look at the buttons on a cardigan or other knitted garment you already have. You'll see that there is a shank of thread between the button and the cloth it's attached to in order to accommodate the thickness of the material it's being buttoned to.That's it for the Buttons Post. Hope it helps! If not, don't hesitate to ask for clarification!!
