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Learn the Right Way to Pick up Stitches for a Button Band

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picking up stitchesOne of the biggest problems knitters have when knitting sweaters is accurately picking up the right number of stitches evenly across the garment when working the button bands on a cardigan (or a neckline, for that matter).

Kelbourne Woolens has a great tutorial on their website all about how to pick up stitches in a way that makes a lot of sense. You need to know your own blocked gauge and, yes, do some math, but it’s not that difficult, and this little bit of work can make your finished garment look so much better.

It even shows you what to do when the math isn’t pretty, which is always a nice feature.

Have any tips for picking up stitches? I’d love to hear them!

[Photo via Kelbourne Woolens.]

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Comments

  1. I like to pick up my stitches with a crochet hook, using a hook that’s about the same diameter as my knitting needle. I collect about 10 stitches at a time on the hook, and then slide them off the back end of the hook onto a knitting needle. If you put the hook OVER the yarn when you make the stitch, rather than under the yarn as you would for a normal crochet stitch, the new stitch will be mounted correctly on the knitting needle.

Have you read?

Bucket Hat Knitting Patterns

As I was starting to write this post I thought that it was true that I’d never done a roundup of bucket hat knitting patterns before. But then I looked, and I actually did one last year (which you can find here) but there are plenty of cute bucket hats to do another post about, right? 

The one that made me want to write about this (again) is the Red Heart Knit Fanfare Bucket Hat from Yarnspirations. This cute striped hat can be worked in team colors, and while I might prefer a non-acrylic yarn for a summer hat, it would be fine when it’s not too hot outside (or try a cotton yarn instead). 

Claire Slade’s Sunlit Bucket Hat has an angled brim to help keep the sun out of your eyes. It’s worked from the bottom up using worsted weight cotton yarn, and comes in three sizes. You can find the pattern on Ravelry. 

Get a little air flow in your bucket hat with the Shady Bucket Hat from Wool & Beyond. This one uses DK weight yarn and an eyelet pattern throughout the body to keep it cool. It comes in sizes ranging from newborn to adult large, and is worked in one piece from the top down. You can grab the pattern (in English or Swedish) on Ravelry. 

If you’re looking for a fun, floppy sun hat for kids or adults, this pattern from Muki Crafts is a little more slouchy than a traditional bucket hat but it’s super cute. It comes in baby, toddler and bigger kid sizes and adult. I uses worsted weight yarn and is worked from the bottom up. 

Another variation on the classic bucket is this one that’s more of a cloche style. Made by branda, it uses bulky yarn so it’s more of a winter bucket hat, but now’s a fine time to knit it if you live somewhere that’s warm right now (or even more so if you live somewhere that’s cold right now). 

Another one to get you ready for colder weather is Tirmety, a two-layer bucket hat from ViTalina Craft, which has a textured stitch pattern on one side and stockinette on the other. You can wear either side out or even make them different colors if you want. The pattern is sized for toddlers, kids and adults. 

And if you want to add some extra cuteness to your bucket hat, I love this (of course totally optional but also totally adorable) embroidered deatila on the New York Bucket Hat from Pauline Fanguin. It uses two strands of DK weight yarn held together for extra sturdiness, and uses changes in needle size to shape the hat. Of course you could also knit stripes or use different textures of yarn to change up the look. This pattern is made to fit your head and is available in French and English.