winging it...

I did, very confidently, make a swatch of that tubular band and the vertical buttonhole – it looks beautiful! Darned in some more ends and went to bed. Almost to sleep and it’s bugging me that the attaching of this band won’t be the same cakewalk as the last few times I’ve used it – I need to make the button band AND the buttonhole band, launder everything and then attach the bands using the linker or, hand-stitching them, hopefully invisibly. The bands are mercerised cotton and even though that’s supposed to mean they won’t shrink, I know from experience that is a myth with this yarn, and the issue will be the length and the attaching. The fairisle in alpaca goes softer with laundering and there will be some issues with the edges rolling in!
I finally fell asleep, promising myself to think up alternatives, something in a nice, horizontal band that is attached on the machine, stitch-wise, before everything is washed.

1. 6 empty ns evenly spaced

I made a sample of the band from Granville and though it worked and went on the old swatch okay I thought it was maybe a bit too busy looking.
How about a circular horizontal band – no problem but did I ever manage to get buttonholes in that?

 

BUTTON BAND Hold edge up to needle bed, stretching slightly (for fairisle), to determine needle required - Or

2. ns out so the yarn will loop over

measure from sample attached to your swatch. Right end of machine is neckline end of button band.

Swing H5, set up for FNR, end ns on RB. Cast on WY. Knit several rows, end CAR. Set to circular. T4/4, ravel cord, K2R. Move CAL. Bring ns all out. This will cancel the circular setting and make a zigzag row.
MC, T2/2, K1R. RC000. In circular, T4/6, K2R; T5/7, K2R; T6/8, K2R; T7/9, K2R, RC008.
Knit to RC022. Swing P, transfer sts DOWN to RB.
All ns out of work on MB. T0/8, K1R. This knits a row on the rib bed only and makes single stitches out of the transferred ones. It also forms a nice purl stitch ridge on the outside of the band which makes a nest definition between the band and the fairisle fabric! Knit side facing, hang garment from bottom of hem to top of yoke – don’t forget to catch in front edge of pocket before hanging outside layer! Transfer band sts UP and pull through closed edge. Manually knit very loose row and chain off.

3. loops on all empty ns, MB row

BHOLE BAND

                                           B D F

  . . . l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l . . .
 . . . l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l . . .
                                         A C E G

As above (but flipped – neck will be left end on this one – space buttonholes accordingly!), to RC012,  making 3-stitch hole (for 19mm/3/4-inch button- 6 empty ns, 3 on each bed) evenly spaced beginning at left end (corresponds with neck when made and attached as above) as follows:

4. ravel cord to hold down loops

Cast off A, B, C, D, E, F in the following manner. Move B to A, cast off A (put B in hook, A behind latch, push needle back to knit A off), return stitch to B. Move C to B and cast off B, return stitch to C. Move D to C, cast off C and return stitch to D. Move E to D, cast off D and return stitch to E. Move E to F, cast off E and return stitch to F. Move F to G, cast off F and return stitch to G. Make sure you don’t catch any stitches on the gate pegs/sinker posts when doing this (see photo 1). Repeat for all buttonholes. Bring empty needles out, K1R, (See #2), (CAL) still in circular – watch this, because of the circular, the needles brought out will cancel the circular setting and knit and you only want that happening on the buttonhole needles (see #3).
On Ribber only, using double eye tool, pick loop off needle, one at a time, rotate tool 180 degrees and put back on needle.. This will wrap stitch back on. Here’s the really tricky part – to prevent loops from jumping off main bed, (see #4) lay a ravel cord over the whole thing and secure below. Bring the wrapped needles out on RB only, to make sure that they knit on next row. K1R (CAR). Repeat the twisting of stitches on main bed and bring out wrapped ns on MB only (#5). K1R. Remove ravel cord. Continue as for button band!


5. ravel cord still under loops for MB row

My second attempt on the circular band and I got it! OMG! I thought I was clever before! Big Head Alert! Wish I had a magazine to put this in! At least I wrote it down for myself! If I hurry, I can get this finished up to go to Tennessee!