Tips for Sewing Buttons on Your Knitted Garment

I know it probably seems like a simple thing but i’d like to share with you a few tips on sewing buttons onto your knitted garment.

First of all don’t use the project yarn, it’s best to use sewing thread, just about any thread fine enough for machine sewing will work. Some people will insist on polyester because it’s strongest but cotton-wrapped polyester, cotton, or even silk is probably okay. You can use buttonhole thread or upholstery thread if you’ve got it lying around, but I like to buy thread to match if I can.

Once you have the buttons and thread ready, what I like to do first is find the position for the button by closing the garment, lining up button band and buttonhole band just where I want them. Then, I mark the spot with my needle and thread by making a first stitch on the far side of the garment through the buttonhole.

I like to have my thread doubled and knotted at the far end. This makes sewing on the button faster (twice as strong with fewer passes!) and gives me an easy way to secure the first stitch, rather than having to make a knot. You instead attach the thread by looping the needle through the loop created by the doubled thread.

Slide the button into place.

Now for the sewing: Go through the back of the button band, then back up and through the button three or four times, not too tightly. Make sure to go around both "legs" of one knit stitch to help your button lie flat and avoid pulling too much on one strand of yarn; this can distend your stitch.

On the back of the button band, give your button a wide base to help it lie flat and to protect your knitted garment. If you just can't avoid tightening up, try putting a toothpick or crochet hook between button and garment, then slip it out before the next step. Bring the needle back through the garment to the space between the garment and button. Wrap the thread around the sewing, creating a shank. Now pull the needle back down through the shank and wrap it around the shank crosswise. I like to do this three or four times to assure security. Pull the thread to the back of the button band and tie a knot—again, I tend to wrap and knot a few times. Now you can snip the thread and you’re done!

All buttoned up and ready to go!

Mini Christmas Tree

Twelve Days Of Christmas Ornaments.
Day Seven: Mini Christmas Tree.

 Here's a lovely knitted Christmas tree ornaments to hang from the Christmas tree, wear on your lapel, on key ring or use as package trims.

Materials:

small amount of  double knit type yarn, in green, or your color choice
small amount of dark color for tree trunk
small amount of any yarn for embroidery , or sew on sequins, small buttons or beads as ornaments
small amount of pillow stuffing , or cotton balls.
US size 7 ( 4.5mm) needles.

Gauge: 5 sts and 6 rows = 1 inch

Directions:

Starting at bottom of tree, with color desired for tree, cast on 15 sts.
Knit across.
Row 2 : K 1, K 2 tog, K across row.
Row 3: K 1, P 2 tog, P across to last st, P 1.
Rows 4, 5, 6, & 7: Repeat rows 2 & 3. ( 9 sts)
Row 8: Cast on 2 sts at beg of row, then K 1, K 2 tog, K across row.
Row 9: Cast on 2 sts at beg of row, then K 1, P 2 tog, P across to last st, K 1.
Rows 10, 11, 12, 13 : Repeat rows 2 & 3. ( 7 sts)
Row 14 : Repeat row 8.
Row 15: Repeat row 9.
Rows 16 & 17: Repeat rows 2& 3.
Repeat these last 2 rows until 3 sts remain. Turn, then knit these last 3 sts tog.
Fasten off.

Make another tree side in same manner.

Embroider stars, ornaments, or sew on beads , small buttons as desired, on front of tree.

Sew the 2 sides of trees tog, leaving bottom open. Stuff lightly with pillow stuffing, then sew bottom closed.

Sew on a hanging loop at top of tree ornament.

Tree trunk:

With dark color yarn, cast on 4 sts. K 2 rows, bind off. Sew narrow end of trunk to bottom center of stuffed tree.

Mini Candy Bags

Twelve Days Of Christmas Ornaments.
Mini Candy Bags.




 These pretty little bags decorated with candy canes, can either be filled with candy,a suprise gift or, stuffed with tissue paper to make a pretty decoration and look lovely hanging from a Christmas tree.

I made these in red, white and green because I like my tree in the tradditional Christmas colours but you can make them in any colour. I like to fill them with candy to give to the children when they visit.
Materials:
4mm needles
Approximately 20g of DK weight yarn in the main colour and an oddment in a contrast colour for the ribbon

To Make:
Cast on 33 sts.

Knit 4 rows
Row 5: K1, *yo, K2tog; rep from * to end.
Row 6: P 1 row
Work 6 rows st st
Row 13: K2, sl1, K1, psso, yf, k1, yf, k2tog, *k3, sl1, k1, psso, yf, k1, yf, k2tog, rep from * to last 2 sts, K2.
Row 14 every alternate row: Purl
Row 15: K1 *sl1, K1, psso, yf, K3, yf, K2tog, K1; rep to end
Row 15: K4, sl1, k1, psso, yf, *k6, sl1, k1, psso, yf rep from * to last 3 sts, K3
Row 17: K3, sl1, k1, psso, yf, *k6, sl1, k1, psso, yf; rep from * to last 4 sts, K4
Row 19: K2, sl1, k1, psso, yf,*k6, sl1, k1, psso, yf; rep from * to last 5 sts, K5
Row 21: K1, *sl1, k1, psso, yf, K6; rep from * to end.
Work 6 rows st st
Cast off loosely
Fold in half and sew up the base and side, creating the bag.

Ribbon
Cast on 100 sts.
Knit 1 row.
Cast Off
   or
with crochet hook chain stitch until the required length.

Thread the ribbon through the top set of holes.

Christmas Bells

Twelve Days Of Christmas Ornaments.
Day Five: Christmas Bells

These Christmas bells can be made up quite quickly, but look lovely as a homemade ornament on the tree. As each bell takes only about fifteen minutes to create, a pair of bells can easily be made in well under an hour. This pattern has long been a favorite of mine and I am sure that it will quickly become a favorite of yours, just give the pattern a try!

Materials:
Colour and weight of yarn of your choice

size of needles appropriate to yarn this will determine the size of bells.

I used three different yarns - gold cotton type yarn, red macrame yarn, white double knit type yarn


Pattern:

1. Cast on 15 stitches (to make the bell longer, increase this by 5 stitches).
2. Knit across first row.
3. Purl 5 stitches, and knit across remaining stitches.
4. Knit across row.
Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until you have at least 34 rows. (You can increase the number of rows if you'd like the bell to be rounder.) Cast off.
Thread a tapestry needle with a length of yarn and sew up the short sides (with right sides together).
Then with another length of yarn and sew a gathering stitch around top edge of bell. Pull yarn tight and secure, turn right side out. Use end of yarn to form a looped hanger at the top of the bell.
With your fingers, roll the purl stitches up into a brim. They will tend to curl out and up anyway; just encourage the process with a little rolling motion of your fingers. Hang single or in pair.

Bells announce the coming or arrival of an event, activity, or occasion. They toll for good times. They toll for bad times. They ring out warnings. Bells herald in the New Year. Bells are rung to announce the union of a man and a woman. They are rung during Christmas to announce the arrival of the season, to proclaim the birth of Christ.
Ringing of bells can be traced back to pagan winter celebrations. During those times, noisemakers were used to scare away evil spirits in the night. Among those early noisemakers were bells. People had fun ringing the bells and making noise. It was too much fun to just use bells to scare demons away. So over time, bell ringing was incorporated into other events and activities. Bells are rung at churches to call people to gather, as warnings, and to bring people together to make announcements.
From these ancient roots, the ringing of bells began to be used in the Christian Christmas season. The soft, cheerful tones blended well and enhanced the sounds of the season. Today, they play an important, traditional role during the holiday.

Poinsettia Tree Ornament

A whole set of these poinsettia ornaments on your Christmas tree would look wonderful.

Gauge:
Not vital

Materials:
 Red, green and gold or colours of choise double knit type yarn
This makes flower approx 4.5 inches 11cms
Needles appropriate to yarn


Instructions : Petals Make 6 red and 1 green
Cast on 3 sts
Row 1 and all alternate rows Purl.
Row 2 Knit front and back in all sts -6 sts

Row 4 *K1f&b, k1; rep from * to end—9 sts.
Row 6 *K1f&b, k2; rep from * to end—12 sts.
Row 8 *K1f&b, k3; rep from * to end—15 sts.
Row 10 *K2tog, k3; rep from * to end—12 sts
Row 12 *K2tog, k2; rep from * to end—9 sts
Row 14 *K2tog, k1; rep from * to end—6 sts
Row 16 *K2tog; rep from * to end—3 sts rem.
Cut yarn. Thread tail through rem sts secure and sew up seam.

 Berries make 4
With gold, CO 1 st.
Row 1 (K1, p1, k1, p1, k1) all in same st—5 sts.
Row 2 P5.
Row 3 Pass 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th sts over first st—1 st rem.
Cut yarn and pull tail through st to fasten off.
Tie two yarn tails tog.

Sew core of poinsettia tog by taking one of the yarn tails from a petal and weaving it through the bottom points of all petals. Weave in all ends. Sew berries to the middle of the poinsettia. sew leaf behind and between two petals. make loop for hanging and attach to tip of petal.





The History of The Poinsettia.
Christmas is a sacred time to the faithful of Mexico and people often celebrate by assembling and decorating life size nativities at the front of their churches. On Christmas Eve, parishioners are invited to bring a gift of thanksgiving to the manger at their church.
On a very special Christmas Eve, a little boy quietly walked to his church. Despite his desire to celebrate Christmas, he drug his feet a little as he walked, embarrassed that he was too poor to buy, or even make, a gift to take to the manger.
Abruptly, the great light of an angel appeared to him on the road, instructing him to pull weeds from the side of the road, and to take them as his gift to Jesus. With shaking hands, the boy did as the angel instructed and ran with his weeds the rest of the way to church.
When he arrived, he held his head high as he stepped to the front of the church. Laying the weeds in the manger, he knelt and began a prayer of thanks. As he prayed, his weeds transformed into magnificent, star shaped flowers of bright red, pink and white.
These Poinsettias, or “Flor de la Noche Buena," (the Flower of the Holy Night) amazed everyone in the church that Christmas Eve. Today, people around the world bring Poinsettias into their homes and churches at Christmas to remember the star that led the Wise Men, and a little boy in Mexico, to the most wonderful manger.
The Poinsettia was introduced into the United States by Joel Roberts Poinsett in 1828 while he was a minister in Mexico. It became a part of American Christmas tradition in the early 1900s when it was promoted by Californian Albert Ecke.
Sourced from: http://www.billpetro.com/HolidayHistory/hol/xmas/poinsett.html