Buggered (again)
Apologies: Lengthy Introduction Ahead
I know it’s Tuesday or Wednesday, depending upon which continent you live on and that would usually mean either gardening or weaving. Admittedly, this is all about knitting, but there’s a voxpop at the end and I need your input!
Time and energy dedicated to knitting have been focused on weaving projects of late. But, there are a couple of projects on the needles. The Liesl-Yarn-Reincarnated-Into-February-Lady-Sweater moves along and I think this ultimately will suit me better. Thought I’d photograph the progress thus far.
Have moved past the sleeve separation.
Can’t wait to use these lovely pewter buttons!
Ehm, hang on.
Something is wrong with this picture.
Why are the button-holes on the other side?
Uh-oh.
Is the photo flipped?
Uhm, nope.
I cannot believe I’m having trouble again.
Crikey!
Why can’t I do a top-down cardigan without it being upside down or wrong side out or backwards?
Argh!
And I don’t fancy ripping it back to the garter to flip it round just to get the button-holes on the proper side!
(Cleansing breath…)
So, can I claim that it’s a left-hand-buttoned cardigan?
Can I claim that it was knit in Australia and button-holes are always reversed in the Southern Hemisphere?
Can I claim that it was meant for a guy I know but turned out too small?
What would you do?
Would you rip it back to make it right or keep on going because this yarn can’t stand too many more froggings!
I’m in a dither, so please let me know what you think!
I’d throw gender stereotypes to the wind. I never understood the man vs. woman buttonband placement…does it really matter?
09 Sep 2008 at 6:03 pm
I’m betting once it is on and buttoned, no one will know the difference. If it won’t drive you nuts, keep on with it.
09 Sep 2008 at 6:09 pm
I would definately just keep going. I agree with Beverly that it’s highly likely that no one will notice. And if they do, they will probably be a knitter and completely commiserate!
09 Sep 2008 at 6:30 pm
Leave it as it is. Get used to the way it buttons. No-one is ever going to know, but you (and us…). My jeans button the same way as your cardigan. It’s a daft convention, anyway. Gorgeous colour & yarn & pattern. It would be a crime to frog it.
09 Sep 2008 at 6:47 pm
Vote #3 for “Keep going”! I can never, ever remember which side the buttons are supposed to be on, and I’ll bet I’m not the only one. Probably no one will notice - and if they do, I really like that Southern Hemisphere story, you should tell them that.
The color is gorgeous!
09 Sep 2008 at 6:48 pm
I vote for keep on going. I will be strange for you when you go to button it but I agree that no one will notice. It is a beautiful color and I love the buttons!
09 Sep 2008 at 7:00 pm
I’d keep going. As long as you are not freaked out, who cares if anyone else is?
09 Sep 2008 at 7:17 pm
My goodness! It’s beautiful - keep on going!
09 Sep 2008 at 7:30 pm
Do you need another vote? Then KEEP ON. Life doesn’t hinge on a left side-right side issue. Unless your sanity requires perfection……
09 Sep 2008 at 7:52 pm
Ok…I’m confused. Looking at your picture, it looks like your holes are on the right-hand panel and the buttons would be on the left. Is that not correct? That’s how mine is! LOL (And I’m about at the same place in my sweater as you are.) If you look at the pictures on the FLS page on Ravelry, two of the three sweaters have the buttonholes on the right panel and only the green one of Pamela’s shows them on the left (unless the picture is flipped). All that to say…just go with it, unless it’s going to make you nuts. It’s looking beautiful so far!
09 Sep 2008 at 9:48 pm
You know where that goofy gender separation of buttonholes comes from? From when men’s clothes buttoned in the front and women’s buttoned in the back. So, the right buttonholes were easier for the front buttons [closed by the wearer] and left for the rear [buttoned by a helper]. It is WAY overdue for that convention to go bye-bye and put the buttonholes wherever makes sense for you.
10 Sep 2008 at 12:16 am
Oh leave it. Most definitely. Not worth the hassle, nobody will notice, and honestly, I’d need to go grab a cardigan to find out what side the ‘right’ one to have the buttons on is.
Looking forward to seeing a modelled shot of the FO!
10 Sep 2008 at 4:45 am
When I was an exchange student in Australia my host mum and I went to buy my school uniform shirt and the clerk informed us, in a very sad voice, that the shirts for girls were out of stock and were ordered but wouldn’t be in for another two or three weeks, they only had shirts for boys. My host mum asked him “Well, is there a difference between the boys and the girls shirts?” “Oh yes! Of course! It buttons the other way.” “And that’s the only difference?” “Yes.” “Ok, we’ll take the boys shirts then.” The poor guy sold the shirts to us, but he obviously thought what we were doing was very wrong. nobody ever noticed though, because we were required to wear a sweater over the shirt anyway! Nobody ever saw the buttons, just the collar!
And I’ve been wearing guys pants (don’t care for “my butt’s falling out and you can see my pubic hair” low rise jeans) for years now, and they button the other way, too. Nobody ever commented on those either.
10 Sep 2008 at 4:45 am
Looks to me like the buttons are on the correct side? I’m looking at the cardigan I’m wearing right now (funnily enough it’s the EXACT same colour as yours) and the buttons are the laid out the same.
In any case, definitely keep going. It’s lovely.
10 Sep 2008 at 6:06 am
Will it always bother you to know that it’s not “right”? Will you, perhaps, not wear it as much, maybe give it away? If so, rip it. I’ve done it (far too) many times, and I was always glad in the end that I’d fixed the problem.
10 Sep 2008 at 7:09 am
On behalf of Oz, go for it. We would be happy to claim it, it looks sooooo beautiful!!
10 Sep 2008 at 7:14 am
What’s wrong with a little cross-dressing?
10 Sep 2008 at 7:23 am
Have you seen Margene’s finished Lady sweater? Scroll down to Sept 4. http://zeneedle.typepad.com/
I would leave the buttonholes just as they are. I can’t tell you how many times I have done that. sigh
Do you know the origin of why buttonholes are on the right for women? It comes from the days when a woman was “dressed” by a maid. Most people are right-handed and so the button was sewn on the left side of the garment to make it easier for the maid to close up her lady’s garment since she would be facing her lady and thus the buttons would be on the maid’s right. They used LOTS of buttons back in those days. Why do I remember trivia like that but forget the grocery list every time I shop?
10 Sep 2008 at 8:14 am
Oh, it’s so pretty, don’t frog it!!
Really, it will be OK!
10 Sep 2008 at 8:15 am
I whole heartedly agree with everyone else - who is really going to notice? Beautiful colour by the way.
10 Sep 2008 at 8:50 am
I’m with Nic …. to me it looks like they are on the proper side. (not going to say “right” to confuse things more) This is the way all my shirts button? ?????
10 Sep 2008 at 9:28 am
The discovery of penicillin was a “mistake”/”sloppy lab work”.
And that didn’t turn out too bad for us.
That’s all. Good luck with your decision.
10 Sep 2008 at 10:35 am
Well, you are left handed after all…
10 Sep 2008 at 12:27 pm
RIP! RIP! RIP!!! Just kiddin’, you know what you can live with. I know what I can live with and still wear.
10 Sep 2008 at 1:02 pm
Please don’t rip back. It’s fine. I think that most people won’t notice, so you won’t need to claim anything. I love that color and those buttons! I just finished knitting this sweater, and I’m totally in sweater heaven- it was fun to knit and it’s quite comfy to wear!
10 Sep 2008 at 1:35 pm
Knit on! I did the same thing on Alice Starmore’s Erin cardigan; after carefully practicing buttoning up an imaginary cardigan on myself, I confidently forged ahead and put the buttonholes on the “wrong” side (and in corrugated ribbing, too, alas). And I didn’t get struck by lightning or hit on the head by the sky falling in or anything…
10 Sep 2008 at 2:54 pm
I’d leave it. The reasons for buttonholes for girls being on a different side than guys has to do with the fact that their buttonholes used to be on the back of their clothes, where others would then dress them. You can dress yourself quite nicely it seems, so there’s no issue at all. Lovely color by the way.
10 Sep 2008 at 4:43 pm