Tips & Tricks | Easy Removable Buttons

For cardigans, cowls and other handknits that require closure, buttons are an easy, go-to option. There's one significant problem, however. Eventually most handknits need to be cleaned, and many buttons are not designed to withstand washing, dry cleaning or other methods.

I can't speak for you, but there's no way I'm going to detach buttons, wash the item and then reattach the buttons. Life is truly too short for such fuss, so for many years, DIY removable buttons have been my preferred solution.

Luckily, removable buttons are not only easy to make, they open up a range of possibilities that make it easy to put buttons from stash to good use. The basic process is simple:

1. At every location where you want a button, work paired buttonholes (i.e. work buttonholes at both ends of a cowl or on both button bands of a cardigan.
2. Choose decorative button(s) that look good and suit your needs.
3. Choose backer button(s) that fit through the buttonholes you've worked.
4. Use coordinating thread to attach each decorative button to a backer button.
5. Be sure to leave enough distance between the decorative and backer buttons to span the depth created by two layers of overlapped knit fabric.

My red Kintra cowl is a good example. After auditioning a range of looks and options, I decided in favor of a large, black button for the public side and a small, narrow white barrel for the backer button. The slim backer button fits through a single, unobtrusive button hole worked at both ends of the cowl.


Since backer buttons can be either purely functional or decorative for a reversible look, I decided to create another version. I chose two long, narrow shanked buttons and connected them using a standard jewelry jump ring, taking care to make sure the jump ring was smooth and wouldn't snag the yarn. 

Between the black, red and gold buttons, I've kept my options open and can change the look of this simple cowl to suit my mood and the occasion. I think the black button will get the most use, but we'll see how that unfolds over the course of the winter.



This isn't the first time I've used a removable/reversible button strategy. Many years ago, I made a loosely cabled cowl for a dear friend who had moved far away and was feeling bereft. The result was A Very Braidy cowl, which featured a pair of matching turquoise buttons backed by natural wood, so she could vary the look as she preferred.

 

As you can see, I tend to lean toward oblong buttons, but that's primarily a design choice. A few weeks ago, I shared my Wyndfael cowl with two types of removable closures, one an oversized but more sedate button and the other a whimsical pompom.

 

It's hard to argue with the practical benefits of removable buttons, but clearly they also allow you to have fun and experiment. Just be sure your backer button is both small enough to fit through the designated buttonhole and large enough to not pull out at the slightest pressure. If that happens, tighten up the buttonhole with a small tack stitch in each corner or swap the existing backer button for one that's slightly larger.