Beaker Button Blog

I had an interesting Facebook exchange with someone yesterday regarding some new thread buttons I've been teaching myself to make. These buttons are called shirtlace buttons, also known as zwirnkopfe, which means thread button. They are often mistaken for Dorset buttons, because they're hand stitched around a ring, but they are made differently and from a not from Dorset. I thought it might be a good idea to try and explain the difference here.  Dorset buttons are made by stitching in a blanket stitch around a ring (casting), turning the ridge around the edge into the middle (slicking), wrapping the thread around the ring to form spokes (laying), and then stitching in a back stitch over the spokes to form the inside pattern. Dorset buttons were made all over East Dorset, and sent all over the world. They were started by Abraham Case in 1622 and were an industry until 1851.  I know very little about the history of Shirtlace buttons, other than they were made in Germany, Austria...

These were great fun to knit. You can choose any of the charts for either side of the decoration. They are knitted in the round using stranded colourwork techniques. Skills involved are provisional cast on, working with 2 colours in the same line (stranded colourwork), magic loop or small circumference knitting in the round, three needle cast off.  It takes one  Beaker Button Christmas Baby skein set to make two ornaments. I worked one chart on each side. Tension: 13 sts x 18 rows over 5cm x 5cm  knitted in the round, 40m mini skein in green, red and white will make both ornaments, spare needle for 3 needle cast off, yarn needle for sewing in ends, 10g of stuffing, waste yarn. I used 3mm x 80cm circular needles for this project and the magic loop method of knitting small circumferences in the round. Yarn A was the colour red or green, yarn B was the white. Cast on 62 stitches using a provisional cast on. Join to knit in the round being careful not to twist. Work in stotc...

 Another of the patterns from the Ideas Gallery of Dorset Button Inspirations. Crinkle head band   4ply, 3.5mm hook, 3 x 18mm buttons Tension Fdc for the circumference of your head (my head is ..... cm and I made 80 fdc) 1 ch, dc into bl only of each st Repeat last row 19 times in total (20 rows including foundation row). Do not break yarn. Turn the work 90 degrees Button band is continued from the end of the headband 1 ch, 21 dc across the end of the headband. 1 ch, 21 dc into bl only Repeat last row 1ch, 2 dc, [1 ch, miss next st, 3 dc into bl only] x 4, 1 ch, miss next st, 2 dc into bl only 1 ch, 2 dc into bl only, [1 dc into ch sp, 3 dc into bl only] x 4, 1 dc into ch sp, 2 dc into bl only. 1 ch, 21 dc into bl only Repeat last row Fasten off and weave in tails Stitch buttons opposite gaps between button band and headband.

This was one of the ideas in the Ideas Gallery of my new book Dorset Button Inspirations . It works up very quickly and would make fabulous Christmas presents. Just saying. I-cord Anklet 4ply yarn, 2 x 3mm double pointed needles, 25mm Dorset button, safety pin. Cast on 4 stitchess Slide the stitches to the opposite end of the needle and knit the row. Repeat the last row until the I-cord wraps around your ankle twice. Put 2 stitches onto a safety pin and work the other 2 stitches as a tiny I-cord until it's 4cm long.  Graft the stitches together with the 2 stitches on the safety pin Stitch the Dorset button onto the opposite end of the I-cord Wrap the I-cord around your ankle (or around your neck if your prefer) and do up with the loop over the button.