7 Best Button Sets For Handmade Cardigans To Try
Elevate your handmade cardigans with these seven curated button sets. Discover the perfect materials and styles to add a professional finish to your knitwear.
Choosing the right buttons is the final, defining act of a knitting project that transforms a handmade garment into a professional-looking heirloom. After spending dozens of hours selecting the perfect yarn and perfecting your gauge, the wrong closure can compromise the entire aesthetic and structural integrity of your cardigan. This guide explores the best button options available, balancing material durability with the specific drape and weight of hand-knit fabric. By matching the hardware to your fiber choice, you ensure your hard work remains both functional and beautiful for years to come.
Corozo Nut Buttons: Best Sustainable Choice
Corozo nut buttons, often called "vegetable ivory," are harvested from the tagua nut, making them a fantastic eco-friendly alternative to plastic. They possess a unique, organic grain that deepens in character as the garment ages, providing a rustic elegance that pairs perfectly with wool or alpaca blends.
Because they are a natural material, they have a subtle heft that helps anchor the front bands of a cardigan. This weight is particularly useful if your button band has a tendency to curl or lose its shape after blocking.
The trade-off is that they are not entirely uniform; you may find slight variations in color or texture between buttons in a single set. If you are a perfectionist who demands identical, machine-made consistency, these might feel too "wild" for your project.
Dill Buttons: Best Variety for Daily Wear
Dill Buttons are the workhorse of the knitting world, offering an incredible range of styles, sizes, and colors that are readily available at most local yarn shops. They are ideal for the knitter who wants a reliable, affordable button that won’t distract from a complex stitch pattern like cables or lace.
Their plastic construction makes them lightweight and machine-washable, which is a major advantage for garments made with superwash wool or cotton blends. If you are knitting a cardigan for a child, these are often the most practical choice because they won’t break if the garment is tossed in the laundry.
However, they lack the "prestige" factor of natural materials and can sometimes look a bit flat against high-end hand-dyed yarns. Use them when the focus of your cardigan is the texture of the knitting itself rather than the hardware.
Katrinkles Wood Buttons: Best for Custom Looks
Katrinkles excels at creating laser-etched wooden buttons that add a touch of personality to any cardigan. Whether you want a simple geometric pattern or a button engraved with a clever knitting-related pun, these are the go-to for making a garment feel truly "yours."
Wood is naturally grippy, which is a significant functional benefit if your buttonholes are slightly large or prone to stretching. The textured surface of the wood holds onto the yarn fibers more effectively than smooth resin, keeping your cardigan securely closed throughout the day.
Keep in mind that wooden buttons are generally not suited for heavy-duty laundering. If you plan to wash your cardigan frequently in a machine, you might need to remove them first or accept that the wood may eventually lose its finish.
Pigeon Wishes Resin Buttons: Best Color Range
Pigeon Wishes has captured the hearts of modern knitters with their vibrant, marbled resin buttons that look like tiny pieces of art. The color depth is unmatched, making them the perfect "statement" button for a simple, stockinette-stitch cardigan that needs a focal point.
Resin is incredibly durable and smooth, meaning it won’t snag delicate fibers like mohair or silk. Because they are polished to a high sheen, they glide through buttonholes with ease, which is a relief if you find yourself struggling to fasten your cardigan on a cold morning.
The only downside is the "click" factor; some resin buttons can be quite slippery. If your yarn is very slick, such as a bamboo or silk blend, ensure your buttonholes are sized appropriately so the buttons don’t pop open on their own.
Cocoknits Leather Buttons: Best for Texture
Cocoknits leather buttons provide a sophisticated, earthy aesthetic that complements the rugged nature of wool sweaters perfectly. They offer a soft, tactile experience that feels luxurious against the skin and adds a layer of warmth to the overall garment design.
Leather buttons are particularly effective for heavy, chunky cardigans where a plastic button would look out of place. They soften over time, developing a patina that mirrors the way your wool sweater settles into its shape after months of wear.
Do note that leather should be treated with care during washing. If you are knitting a garment that requires frequent, aggressive cleaning, leather may not be the most practical long-term choice unless you are comfortable sewing them back on after every wash.
JHB International Metal Buttons: Best Vintage
JHB International is a staple for those who love the "grandma’s button jar" aesthetic, offering a vast array of metal, shank-style buttons. These are ideal for vintage-inspired patterns or cardigans that need a touch of old-world charm.
Metal buttons provide a substantial, solid closure that feels very secure. Because they are often shank buttons (where the thread passes through a loop on the back rather than holes in the face), they allow the button to sit "above" the fabric, which is perfect for thick, cabled cardigans.
The main consideration here is weight; metal buttons can be heavy. If your cardigan is knitted in a delicate fingering-weight yarn, too many heavy metal buttons can cause the front band to sag or distort over time.
Benno’s Buttons Mother of Pearl: Best Luxury
Mother of Pearl buttons are the gold standard for luxury cardigans, offering an iridescent, natural sheen that catches the light beautifully. They are the perfect finishing touch for a special occasion cardigan or a piece knitted from high-end cashmere or alpaca.
Their thin profile makes them very elegant, and they lay flat against the fabric, which is ideal for a minimalist design. Because they are natural shells, each button is unique, adding a layer of authenticity that synthetic buttons simply cannot replicate.
The trade-off is fragility; Mother of Pearl can crack if subjected to high heat or the intense agitation of a washing machine. Always remove these before laundering or wash your garment by hand with extreme care.
How to Select the Perfect Button Size and Style
When choosing a button, always measure the diameter of your buttonhole while the fabric is in a relaxed state. A good rule of thumb is that the button should be slightly larger than the buttonhole, but not so large that it strains the yarn fibers when you force it through.
Consider the weight of your yarn when selecting button material. A heavy, metal shank button will pull a delicate lace band downward, while a tiny, lightweight plastic button might get lost in a thick, chunky-knit cable.
Finally, think about the function of the cardigan. If it is a layering piece meant to be worn open, you can get away with decorative, smaller buttons. If it is a heavy winter coat-style cardigan, prioritize large, sturdy buttons that won’t pop open when you move.
Tips for Sewing Buttons onto Hand-Knit Fabric
Always use a sturdy thread, such as a high-quality cotton or polyester, rather than the yarn you used for the cardigan, which can be prone to snapping. A double strand of thread provides extra security, ensuring your buttons stay put through years of wear.
When sewing a shank button, create a small "thread shank" by wrapping the thread around the stitches between the button and the fabric. This creates a small gap that allows the button to sit on top of the fabric rather than pulling the fabric flat, which makes buttoning and unbuttoning much easier.
If you are worried about the button pulling through the fabric, sew a small, flat "backer button" on the inside of the cardigan band. This distributes the tension across more stitches and prevents the main button from tugging a hole into your hard work.
Preventing Buttonholes from Stretching Over Time
Buttonholes in hand-knit fabric are notorious for stretching out, especially in high-traffic areas like the bust. To prevent this, consider reinforcing the buttonhole edges with a bit of "invisible" thread or a matching embroidery floss worked in a blanket stitch.
You can also knit your buttonholes slightly smaller than you think you need them. It is much easier to stretch a hole wider after the garment is finished than it is to shrink one that has become too loose.
If you find your buttonholes have already stretched, you can "tighten" them by weaving a length of matching yarn through the perimeter of the hole on the wrong side of the fabric. This acts like a drawstring, allowing you to cinch the hole back to its original, snug size.
Selecting the right buttons is a balance between the functional requirements of your knit fabric and the aesthetic vision you have for your garment. Whether you choose the rustic charm of wood or the refined elegance of Mother of Pearl, your choice of hardware acts as the final signature on your work. Take the time to consider weight, durability, and the specific needs of your yarn, and your cardigan will remain a favorite for years to come. Ultimately, the best button is the one that makes you reach for your handmade cardigan every single time you head out the door.
