How to knit a simple eyelet buttonhole using yarnover or yarnforward

Here is a tutorial on how to knit a simple eyelet buttonhole using yarnover (YO), sometimes referred to as yarnforward (YFWD).

This little buttonhole is ideal for projects such as children’s clothes or toy clothes that use small buttons.  The size of the finished buttonhole will depend on the size of the needles and type of yarn.  

This yarnover is used when you have just worked a knit stitch, and will need to do another knit stitch after the yarnover.  

STEP 1 – Knit to the position of the yarnover.  

1) YO - Yarn Over - Knit to the point of the yarn over

 

   

STEP 2 – Bring the yarn forward between the tips of the needles.  (In the example, I have knitted 8 stitches before the yarnover, and the 8 knitted stitches are on the right hand needle.)  

2) YO - Yarn Over - Bring the yarn forward between the needles

 

   

STEP 3 – Take the yarn backwards over the right hand needle.  

3) YO - Yarn Over - wrap the yarn over the needle

 

   

STEP 4 – After pulling the yarn you will have another “stitch” on the right needle.  (In this example, there are now 9 stitches on the right hand needle.)  

4) YO - Yarn Over - the wrapped stitch on the rght needle

 

   

STEP 5 – Insert the tip of the right hand needle into the next two stitches on the left hand needle from front to back (to knit two stitches together).  

5) YO - Yarn Over - insert the right needle into the next 2 stitches

 

   

STEP 6 – Wrap the yarn around the right hand needle  to knit two together.  

6) YO - Yarn Over - wrap the yarn round the right needle to knit 2 together

 

   

STEP 7 -  Pull the new loop on the right-hand needle through the two stitches on the left-hand needle.  Slip the two stitches off the left-hand needle to finish the knit two together (K2TOG).   

7) YO - Yarn Over - after knitting 2 together

 

   

STEP 8 – Knit the remaining stitches on the needle.  On the next row, knit or purl as usual, treating the yarn over as a regular stitch.  (In the example I am using garter stitch (knit every row), and you can see the small hole that has been created where the yarnover was worked).  

8) YO - Yarn Over - the eyelet buttonhole, after knitting the next row

 

And there you are, one buttonhole finished!   

OK, the boring bit about testing first, but it is a good idea to knit a test square with your buttonhole before buying the buttons so you can measure the correct size of the button.  Yes, I know, it’s dull to knit test squares ….. sorry!

About these ads