Decorative Closures Knit on a Passap.

Cable Buttonholes

The practice swatch shown at right is knit on my Passap using Nomis 100% acrylic yarn in Christmas green, which I got  for free. The tension setting used was 5/5.   When the sweater is unbuttoned, these buttonholes are invisible.  I stuck a button into the hole so you would believe it's a buttonhole!

These directions assume you will be knitting the sweater front in Stockinet using the LX setting and that you are knitting a woman's sweater from the hem to the neck.  You will  need to plan the length of the sweater so that the final buttonhole is located the correct distance from the sweater neck!

1. Use the same tension setting you have selected for your sweater.
2. On the front bed, raise needles for the number of stitches for the front plus 7 stitches as illustrated in the needle diagram. 
3. Don't raise the back bed needles yet.
4. The body stitches are shown in black on the left front in the needle diagram.  The extra 7 stitches are illustrated in lavender, blue and gray in my needle diagram. 
5. Cast on using your favorite single bed cast on technique.
6. Raise pushers under all front bed needles.
7. Raise pushers under the two back bed needles illustrated in red and labeled "R".
8. Raise the two back bed needles shown in red and labeled "R".  These form the rib outside the cables.  Lower all other back bed needles.
9. Black strippers.
10. Tension setting as appropriate for yarn weight.

Ordinary cable.

1. Carriage on Right; (COR RC = 0)
2. Carriage N/LX.  Knit 1 row.  Carriage on left. (COL RC = 1)
3. Carriage N/LX. Raise the green back bed needle labeled "T" so all needles shown on the needle diagram are raised.  Knit 1 row.  (COR RC = 2) Extra yarn is tucked in the raised back bed needles.  Drop the yarn off green back bed needle and lower the needle.
4. Place the stitches on needles 5,6,7 shown in lavender on needles 2,3,4 shown in blue.  (I only have one black 3 needle tool, so I first place stitches on needles 2,3,4 on the back bed.  Then I transfer 5,6,7 to the right.  Then I transfer the stitches formerly on needles 2,3,4 to the left .)
5. Lower all back bed needles except the two illustrated in red on the needle diagram. ("R").
6. Locks N/LX. Knit 6 rows. (COR RC = 8)

1. Locks N/LX. Knit 1 row. (COL RC = 9)
2. Carriage N/LX.  Raise the "green" back bed needle ("T"). Knit 1 row.  (COR RC = 10)  Drop the yarn off the "green" back bed needle.
3. Cross a cable as done previously.  Lower all back bed needles except the two "red" ones.
4. Locks N/LX. Knit 2 rows. (COR RC = 12)

1. Prepare to work the right side as follows:
• Lower pushers under all front bed needles except those labeled 1-4 to out of work position. (If the electronics ar on, lower them all the way so they stay down.)
• Lower pusher under the left hand back bed needle labeled "R" to out of work position.
• Change locks BX/LX. 
2. Knit 2 rows.  Only the right most needles will knit.  (COR RC = 14).

1. Prepare to work the left side as follows:
• Starting on the edge needle labeled "e", hand form stitches on the 5 needles labeled e, "R", 2,3,4.   The yarn strand is now between front needles 4 and 5.
• Raise all front bed pushers to work position except  those under e,2,3,4. These should now be lowered. 
• Raise the pusher under the left hand back bed needles labeled "R".  Lower the pusher under the right hand back bed needle labeled "R".
• Raise the back bed needle labeled "T", and  place the yarn strand between needles "4" and "5" under the "T" latch and the "5" latch. 
2. Locks still BX/LX. Knit 1 row. (COL RC = 15. )
3. You will now have a "tuck" in the back bed "T" needle.  Using orange tool, grab this strand.  Place the left end of the strand in the latch of needle "6" leaving the tuck in "T".
4. Knit 2 rows. (COR RC = 16. ).  Stitches up to and including "5" will knit.  Leaving some strand in T.

1. Raise all front pushers on  and the two "R" back bed pushers.   Take the remaining strand out of "T" and lower the needle.  Tuck the strand into "5".   Needles set as in diagram.
2. Change locks N/LX.  Knit 1 row. (COR RC = 18. )

Loop Buttonholes

You don't need to put a button through every hole.  Decide how many you want and sew them on the band side.  If you like racy clothes, why not knit idiot cord and use it to lace the sweater closed? 

You can also use this as a hem by first creating the trim, and then rehanging the trim.  Pick up stitches just next to the button loops and knit your piece from bottom to top!

This sample was knit using Brown Sheep Naturespun using tension settings 5/5.

1. Program cast on 6.
2. Electronics off.
3. Raise 11 stitches on the front bed.  Cast on following console directions.
4. Raise the back bed needle between the 3rd and 4th stitches from the right edge.  Fill this needle using the strand between the 3rd and 4th stitches. 
5. Raise 3 front bed pushers.  Place end spring on the edge needle, and one on the back bed needle.
6. Set row counter to 0.
7. Locks N/N.  Knit 2 rows.

1. Change lock N/LX. Knit 10 rows. (Forms loop.)
2. Change  lock N/N.  Knit 6 rows. 
3. Repeat steps 1 & 2 until the piece measures the required length. 

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The most important trick to making these buttonholes is proper blocking.  I ran a knitting needle through all the loops.  I steamed the stockinet portion flat. I then pulled the loops out with the needle while steaming. I did not press the loops because I want them to stay nice and fluffy. 

If you use acrylic, please practice steaming to gain experience.  You can kill acrylic with steam.  Cotton and wool are easy to steam.

1. I added the purl stitch on the back bed because otherwise the end spring wouldn't stay in place.  The purl stitch also bulks up the loops.
2. I changed the number of full knitting rows to 6 instead of 4 because I like a longer attached region better for buttonholes.
3. I translated the directions from "Japanese" to "Passap" language.
4. I describe how to block piece.

Frog Closures

Frogs are a beautiful way to close jackets and capes. You have probably seen frogs on traditional Chinese jackets. 

The cord for this frog is knit in gray fingering weight wool. You can easily make frogs in silk, rayon, lurex or any yarn you like.  You can also form all sorts of fantastic shapes.  You can find more shapes by examining sewing references or looking at the notions counter in a fabric store. 

The sample frog is knit on a Passap E6000 using at tension 3.5/3.5.  I used Brown Sheep Naturespun fingering .

I used to have a linke to Wrights frog closures, but they took it off! You can probably search the web for some.

1. Raise two adjacent needles on front and back beds using needle rule.
2. Handle down.   Locks N/N.  Tension setting 3.5/3.5 Orange strippers.  Rack counter clockwise.
3. Knit 1 row.
4. Rack clockwise.
5. Knit 1 row.  End cast on.

1. Change locks CX/CX. 
2. Knit a zillion rows until you have a long cord; you will probably need about a yard for a pair of closures! Do this while watching tv and eating chocolate. 
3. Gloat thinking how long this would take to make by hand.  Make much more cord than you think you need. ( I needed almost a yard per set of frog closures! )
4. Drop knitting from machine. 

1. Starting at 1 end, estimate how much length you need by practicing rolling up a frog. 
2. Cut the cord 1" to 2" longer than you think you need it.  Record this value: ______.  (I used about 20" for my frog.)
3. Fold the cord in half.  Using the tapestry hook threaded with contrast yarn, tack the two sides of the cord together about 1/2" down from the fold.
4. Tack down roughly another 1/2 down. 
5. Fold up sides of cord and tack the two side cord pieces to the center pieces. Do this in several points.
6. Without tacking, form the roll ups.  Decide whether you like the size of the roll.  If it is too big, cut the cord approximately 3 rows too long.  Unravel the three rows and thread a tapestry needle with the yarn from these stitches.  Draw the yarn through the 4 knitted loops to close off.
7. Form the end rolled parts, tack down using as you go along.  Do all tacking on the "wrong" side.
8. When you are satisfied with the shape, stop.  Tie off yarn.
9. Remove contrast yarn.  If you have trouble used scissors to periodically cut the contrast yarn, and pull with tweezers.
10. Lightly steam the frog.

1. For my cord, the button took approximately 10"-12" of yarn. 
2. Cut a cord 12" longer than required for the regular frog.  I cut 20"+12" = 32"
3. Fold in half. Form button by first forming a slip knot with a very small loop at the end. (See photo 1 below left.)
4. Take one end of the cord and pull it through the loop.  (See photo 2 below right.)
5. Pull to tighten to your satisfaction.
6. Now follow directions for making a regular frog.
7. When both frogs are complete, thread the tapestry needle with matching yarn.  Attach to garment.