The Sweatshop of Lovers Blog

To say that I hate buttons is inaccurate. I love buttons. I love looking at them, I love buying huge containers of them at flee markets or thrift stores and digging through them for long lost buttons no one knows exist but me. I love when I buy nice sweaters or jackets (or back when I used to buy nice clothes) and they come with extra buttons in a small plastic bag on the tag, or hidden away in the sleeve or sewn to the washing instructions. Anthropology wrapped its presents with button ribbon this holiday season and I’ve been treasuring it! My button anxiety comes from button functionality. Picking out buttons for a sweater I knit is my nightmare. I hate finding matching buttons. I hate standing in the button aisle at Joann and pricing buttons, trying to shove buttons through my bind off/cast on buttong holes to see if they will fit. I hate when I need six or, god forbid, eight buttons and I can only find four that I like that match. I sit on sweaters for months, completely done but for the buttons. I have button anxiety.

Sweater Jacket Finished! Well, All But the Buttons

You can imagine my feelings when I finished my sweater! I was freaking out!

In all seriousness, this sweater was a joy to knit. It was quick and fun and has minimal finishing. It was fun to use two such different needle sizes, the 15s and the 7s, and two such different yarn textures. The yoke increases for the shoulders were easy and before I knew it I was done with the body of the sweater. It was probably something I did, but the only problem I had was with the button hole bands. The instructions literally say to pick up and knit 156 stitches on each side. That is impossible to begin with, since most of the pick up space is made of the Homespun yarn, so I picked up the correct number of stitches at the neck band and bottom band, then picked up each stitch in the Homespun to KFB in each of these stitches to get 156. When I finished the band, though, it was all buckled and wavey because 156 is way too many stitches for the sweater. I pulled it all out and picked up 125 instead and it worked perfectly, as you can see. Very smooth and cute! Velma really likes it, too.

I started thinking about button shopping, even looked around online a little. Then Pudge knocked over my button jar and I thought, ‘Sign!’

Velma Approves

Fuck it. I’m using mismatched buttons I already have. These buttons. And it is going to be cute. If anything it will just bring more attention to the fact that I knit this sweater! I did! And it is cute, dammit.

That also means that I’m going to gauge my sweater dress today! We are gauging this week in sweater class so I should set a good example. I have sweater dress anxiety, too! I’m just a little ball of anxiety!

I’m really excited about Sweater Club! Starting Thursday, March 5th, every Thursday night and Sunday morning will be dedicated to sweater knitting! When you sign up for this class you get two months worth of classes – the full Sweater Club is $120, Thursday nights and Sunday mornings, the half Sweater Club is $75, one day a week.

So far three people have signed up! As added motivation for you to join us, here are their sweaters:

Brijeet's Sweater

Brijeet has chosen this cute cabled tunic-y sweater knit in a round tube, then picking up the sleves seperately.

Laura's Sweater

Laura is knitting this cute tunic sweater which also has picked up sleeves and bottom panels, with button sleeves.

Lori's Sweater

And Lori’s sweater is this beautiful patterned cardigan. She wants a hood so we are going to extend the neckline up for a big, roomy hood.

We are picking out more inexpensive yarn to use as well. Brijeet’s sweater calls for baby alpaca, for instance, and god knows she isn’t buying 14 skeins of that. Laura found a great yarn on Knitpicks.com that is less than half the price of the yarn her sweater calls for and is very close to the same blend.

My sweater for sweater club?

My Sweater

Also out of Fitted Knits (where Laura found her sweater, and one of my favorite knit pattern books), this fun cardigan just has to be mine. I’m probably going to end up starting it early, since my lace and colorwork sweater is almost finished! I’m seaming the arms today! I’m going to use Lionbrand Homespun Yarn for the fuzzy inside, I think two strands held together, and Carron Simply Soft for the contrast yarn. I’m going to take advantage of the 50 degree weather tomorrow by walking over to Joanns and picking it all up! I’m excited to get started.

I also came to a realization yesterday. I’ve been trying to eat my pasta and veggie meals out of my biggest bowl, and it just doesn’t work anymore. I put in too many vegetables. I finally gave up.

Mixing Bowl

I used my smallest mixing bowl for my lunch. Normally I think it is bad to have to eat out of a mixing bowl, but when the problem is that I can’t decide which vegetable to mix with my pasta so I chose all of them – carrot, broccoli, green pepper – not to mention black beans. Maybe I need bigger bowls? Just so I don’t have to say I eat out of a mixing bowl.

Breakfast for Dinner!

And my favorite thing, breakfast for dinner, happened last night! I mixed up some amazing veggie filled omelets – corn, tomato, green pepper, onion, and black beans – with very crispy, onion and garlicy potatos. My mommy sent me home with a dozen eggs after our Michigan trip last week, and it was about time we used some up.

So sign up for Sweater Club! I’ll help you pick out a sweater and the less-expensive version of the yarn you need and we will knit it in two months. Email me with questions!