Tag Archives: buttons

Cheating at Yarn Chicken

Can I just say, a yarn scale is one of the best knitting tools you can have.

I just finished knitting In Threes, one of my favorite baby knits. I can knit the smallest size with one skein of Malabrigo Rios. I don’t remember the name of this colorway; it was in my stash. Lots of pinks and oranges.

As I was approaching the bottom garter stitch edge, I started weighing my yarn. It was taking 3 grams for every two rows, or 1.5 grams per row. I figured out how many rows I would need to finish following the instructions (6 rows garter plus 2 rows stockinette, plus bind off which I always equate to two rows, so 10 rows total). That meant that I would need 15 grams to finish, whenever I left off from the stockinette body. I could see that I’d have to short the body a little, knitting 2 rows fewer than what would get me to the preferred length, in order to have 15 grams left for the finishing. No big deal.

Yarn scale and 1.8 grams of leftover yarn

After binding off, this is all I had left. Not enough for 2 rows of stockinette (the ones I skipped), which would have used 3 grams. If I had knit 2 more rows of stockinette, I would have had to rip back. Nope. I WIN! (Also, this picture is more representative of the true color of the yarn.)

speckled buttons

These are the sweet buttons I bought from Tracy at Hap Bee at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. I love how they’re just enough color to show up, but not take away from all the different colors in the Malabrigo yarn.

buttons on a baby sweater

Now to get this off to the sweet recipient!

Button, button, who has the button?

I do!

buttons

Aren’t they gorgeous?

I went on a field trip today to Button Emporium. Apparently they’ve been there for 11 years, and I didn’t know. But now I’m telling you, so if you’re in PDX you need to go yourself! And if you’re not in PDX, visit their web site. It’s actually Button Emporium and Ribbonry, and they definitely have both. I had a lot of possible button choices for the Lady sweater, but when THE ONE popped up and grabbed me, I just knew.

I’m on the home stretch. And with these buttons waiting to be sewn on, I’m racing to the end!