Who’s Got the (Best) Button? How to Choose the Right Buttons for Your Knitting Project

You have selected your yarn, made your gauge swatch (correct?), and selected your needles. You’re excited and ready to cast on for your newest knitting project. If that project has buttonholes, I am going to urge you to stop right there and assess before you proceed any further. Although most people think of buttons as the icing on the cake—lovely finishing touches that embody both style and substance—they often forget to consider that weight, material, shape, and size of the button can also affect the buttonhole you are about to knit.

Because the button needs to fit through the buttonhole, close your garment without gaps or puckers, and be suitable for your yarn, it is important to include a buttonhole in your swatch. Knit this sample the way the buttonhole is written in the pattern so that you can try the buttons you are going use.