Button it.

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I’ve finally finished the sweater for the baby next door who is now a rib crushing seven days late.

Peapodsl628

That’s the sweater from the Pea Pod baby set by Kate Gilbert, pattern free from Interweave Knits here. I knit it out of Lambs Pride worsted (I think, the labels were absent). It was a lovely knit, really quick and easy, and I think the way Kate has you do the whole body at once is a good move. Kate emailed me (and I didn’t email her back…sorry Kate. I’ll get to it.) warning me that there was an error in the earliest pdf on the website, but that Interweave has replaced it with a correct one now. (Mine was certainly fine) and that she has her suspicions about an error in the hat…since the lace is supposed to be between the decreases and Kate saw one knit up that wasn’t right. (Hard to know if that’s pattern error or user error) I didn’t do the hat so I can’t say for sure, but it’s worth the heads up if you try it.

I know that it’s superstitious and silly to believe that this baby won’t be born until his knitting is done, but on the off chance that my neighbour is being tortured because I need five wee buttons, I figured I should make a best effort and rode my bike to the button shop this morning. (I also bought cheese, grapes, wine and a baguette. It is impossible for me to tell you how impossibly bohemian and lovely I felt cycling back from the village with that collection of items sprouting from my bike basket. It was one of those moments, you know? )

I have three choices of button.

a) little wooden buttons.

Woodrsppb

Sort of mundane, but perfectly acceptable.

b) other little wooden buttons

Woodppb

which are actually the back side of the first button, but I like the back better.

c) Small, blue mice.

Miceppb

Am I the only one who has a childhood recollection of some book about a small mouse who lived under a sweetpea vine? I was thinking of that wee mousie when I saw these guys, and what with the name of the sweater (Pea pod) I was charmed entirely. I’m not sure about the blue though.

Thoughts?

In other button news, Karen Alfke’s Rock and Weave socks are done.

Rocknwweaved

They’re a quick knit, though you wouldn’t know it to watch me knit them, and they are neater looking than they appear above, since they are on the wrong size foot. (Although those are Megan’s feet, so I don’t know why I didn’t just wait 15 minutes until her feet had grown another full size. The speed that kid is growing at is just flipping me out.) It’s the first time I’ve use the Socks That Rock “medium weight” and although I think I still prefer the lightweight, I’ve got to admit that it’s soft, nice and faster to knit. Much faster.

The pattern has this linen stitch cuff that’s knit around the ankle (like a funky ankle-scarf) and then the foot is picked up and knit down, and the cuff is closed fetchingly with buttons.

Rocknweavedet

These are buttons from my grandmothers button bin, inherited by me when she died more than 20 years ago. I’ve never added a button, so these are guaranteed vintage. They’re perfect.

These socks are going into the LRPD (Long Range Planning Department) box. This Christmas…I’m going to be ready.

(Don’t laugh that loudly please. I can hear you.)

306 thoughts on “Button it.”

  1. I agree with you that the wooden button back looks better than the front. But when I saw the little blue mice I just went over the moon! The mice are super-cute, and I think that particular green/blue color combination really pops.

  2. oooh, did I make it first?
    I vote for mousies, just because they’re freaking adorable. And kudos on the socks…they’re lovely!

  4. I really like the mice buttons, they are so adorable, I’m not sure about the color, but I think it’ll work nicely. I love the socks btw. I really need to knit some for myself.

  5. I vote for the blue mice. It adds some whimsy to a lovely knit.
    The socks are also way cool. And I believe you about Christmas. Heh.

  6. The Blue Mice! Definitely the blue mice. Over the moon cute.
    Sorry about the loud laughing. I have ALREADY lost things I knit and put away for LRPD. Trust me, there is a black hole, sucking up all our good intentions. I’ll find the stuff sometime in January…

  7. I vote for the button backs too. Love the socks, even though your mention of holiday knitting in June is making me hyperventilate. Pass the paper bag, please..

  8. Love the baby sweater! Lamb’s Pride worsted…hmmm…I knit my daughter a beautiful sweater from LPW when she was 5, and she refused to wear it due to the “itch” factor. Maybe if I knew how to knit back when she was a baby, I could have gotten her used to it early on! We now have a stringent itch test before I knit her anything.

  9. I want those socks!!
    And as for the buttons…the mice are really cute, but the blue is a little jarring against the sweater. The backs of the wooden buttons look nice.

  10. The first wooden buttons are, as you say, perfectly acceptable … but I went “squeeee” when I saw the mousie buttons. I usually go with the “squeeee”.

  11. Love those mice!!! Great color combination, too!!!I had looked over that pattern and was still considering, but now I will check for the pattern corrections. Thanks for the heads up!!! Need to make more socks——bought the yarn and want to attempt my first pattern socks.

  13. I go for mousies; I’m a sucker for cute buttons!
    As far as daughter’s foot size, they will stop growing just as soon as they are just enough larger that you can’t borrow her shoes!

  14. Am I alone in my vote for the button fronts? Probably, but I am a sucker for those buttons and use them whenever possible.
    And I would never laugh at you for attempting to be organised ahead of time this year. I drive myself crazy every Christmas too, and have sworn that this year will be different- I already have one gift finished and one on the needles. Plus one October birthday gift finished. I can hardly believe how well I’m doing (although here’s hoping that I didn’t just jinx us both!!)

  15. Gorgeous! I love that green wool. Although the little mice are cuter than cute, the colour kind of distracts from the sweet pea pattern. I vote for the backs of the wooden buttons 🙂 Socks are gorgeous too (do they fit Megan now? how bout now?)

  16. Micies! They make me smile.
    I’m sorry, but if I try to laugh silently, I snort. So I have no choice but to laugh right out loud. (But without judgment – I started my Christmas knitting over two months ago, and it’s all sitting comfortably in my “plenty of time to get this done” pile…which is exactly where it will stay until December 19th.)

  17. Back of the wooden buttons, no question about it. And I am charmed by the mental picture of you cycling home with your basket of delicacies.
    Great FO’s! Can’t wait to see what’s up next!

  18. Although I agree with you about the wooden button backs vs. the button fronts I vote resoundingly for the little wee mouse buttons. I like the socks too , as well as how you manage to sneak in the word fetchingly – that word isn’t used nearly enough!

  20. I liked the wooden buttons until I saw the mice. I think they charm the whole sweater, although the sweater is beautiful all by itself. I don’t know why the color combination doesn’t bother me but it doesn’t at all. I think when you get those rushes of joy (like remembering the childhood story when you saw the buttons) you should go with the good feeling.
    The socks are great and you did a beautiful knitting job of them.
    I’m with you on the “moments” we make for ourselves as when you were “in the moment” while coming back from shopping. It’s a moment where everything is just right and you feel happy and fortunate all at the same time.
    Have a glorious day.

  22. Definitely the mice. I love green and blue together…grass and sky…perfect combination!

  23. Really, I like the wooden buttons right side up the best. As for YOU being ready for Christmas. hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

  27. Although I really like the backs of the wooden buttons…I just really love the wee blue mice, furthermore I think the colours look fine to great with each other.. It just depends on what you want…whimsy with the blue mice, but there’s something very endearing about the wooden buttons with the sweater,I’m just not finding the right word. Are there any wooden mice out there? Oh no, mustn’t make anymore delays for the woman next door, we know she’s wanting to deliver. The sweater is beautiful as are the socks. I am also working on LRPD, if I can manage some I certainly believe you can, just the same I’ll wish us both good luck.

  28. It’s no contest. The blue mice win hands down.
    Three blue mice….see how they run….
    Or something like that.

  30. Can I tell you how utterly charmed (and jealous) I am of the bicycle and the provisions? Granted, those provisions are to be had readily enough in my neck of the woods, but sans bicycle, they aren’t as magical. At least not to me.

  31. OK- this is voting is more intense than a US presidential election, but with much better candidates….I go with first (back of button) wooden ones; the blue mice are adorable, but they do clash. And I wonder which will be easier to work, once squirming baby is included.
    If you do go with the blue mice, and added the book, it would be a charming gift. How much do you like this woman, anyway?
    Either way, gorgeous job. Again.

  32. Definitely the wooden buttons. Not only is the color wrong on the mice, but I bet they would be a b**ch to button, especially on a squirmy baby. Or unbutton.
    Please allow me to brag about my LRPD (as if you had a choice…) I have three pairs of socks done, and have started on pairs 4 and 5. Had I planned better, I would have knit socks for people in couples in order; as it is, I have to do at least six pairs so that both spouses in three couples get a pair. (Women’s socks are more fun than men’s.) However, my plan to knit socks for “everyone” for Christmas probably will fall through, as “everyone” is about twelve people. Sigh…
    Judy

  35. Definately go for the blue. They are very cute, the colors do “pop,” and come on, they’re blue mice on a green sweater! One of my favorite color combinations, anyways.
    Socks look great. I have that pattern, but I’m trying to save my sock yarn and patterns for college this fall so I have something to do in my spare time.

  36. The sweater is lovely, and my vote is for the back of the wooden buttons… they just seem more… organic or something.
    Even before you said how impossibly bohemian you felt riding home, I was thinking how wonderfully bohemian that must be. Oh, if only I didn’t live at the top of a rather long, steep hill.

  37. The mousies of course! I’m such a Beatrix Potter fan. I don’t think the mousies will overpower the lovely green design (unless the button are too large, and they don’t appear to be)…..

  40. I just love those socks! I love the fact that you have your grandma’s buttons. The scene you described while riding home on your bicycle makes me want to move to a place that has button stores! As for the sweater, I like the first photo with the wooden buttons.

  41. Eeeeee!
    The mice are too cute.
    Think a moment…anyone of any age can get away with wooden buttons…but only cute little babies can fashionably wear mouse buttons.
    Eeeeee!
    Pardon me, it’s a reflex.
    Congrats to your lovely daughter, by the way, and your shopping list makes me want to go out and buy a bicycle.

  43. the front of the wooden buttons is my vote! Boring eh? I also wanted to buy plain white plain round plates and bowls, when my DH wanted red square ones.
    🙂

  45. Mouses … meece … mice!!!
    They are just too cute and as someone has already said, only a wee little baby can pull off cute little blue mouse buttons!

  46. The first thing I thought of (even before you mentioned it) when you said rib crushing 7 days late was, “It’s your fault. Babies don’t come until your knitting is done.” But I don’t think that includes the buttons. Still, it was considerate of you to rush out to get some. I like the back of the wooden buttons. I love the mice but agree with Aimee & Aliastriona. Not on the green. Your vintage buttons on the socks are just perfect, but you already know that.

  47. Crap, I better go back and check mine to see if there was a pattern error. I started to sew my sleeves on but since I love finishing so much and the intended recipient isn’t due until early October, I stopped.
    I would go with the mice but could you paint them a different color?

  52. I love wooden buttons, so I’m going with those. Front or back doesn’t really matter (however, I must say, I never thought of using the reverse side of a button before – but duh! Of course you could! Silly me…)
    I do like the little blue mice, but I’m thinking if I had kids (which I don’t and well, you do, so you might know better…) I wouldn’t want to be fussing with little mice buttons. I just want them to work and get them done up quickly. (Or does that really matter when it’s a newborn?)
    All in all, love the sweater though. 🙂

  53. Did you know that it is now less than 6 months to Christmas!?!?!? I am NOT laughing at you at all! I am starting panic mode!

  54. I love to eat them mousies, it’s what I love to eat. Nibble on their tosiese, nibble on their tiny feet. So sayeth my cat.
    Seriously though…I picture the mousies with little blue matching socks or maybe a hat.

  55. Definitely B although I do adore the mousies. They are best saved for another project. I’m just not crazy about the blue on the green.

  56. Blue mouse buttons! I really like the bright blue on the green, but the backs of the wooden buttons are also very nice.

  58. If the sweater was for my wee bairn, I’d go for the mice. What do you think the mother will like? Would she appreciate your sense of whimsy, or would she think you’re a few stitches short of a pattern repeat. If you know what I mean.

  61. Squeee! Go with the wee mousie buttons!
    Yeah, they’re a little bright, but it’s for a baby boy. The time limit for getting away with dressing boys in cute things designed to amuse adults is, sadly, very short.

  62. I like the wood! They go better with the sweater, keeping with the earthiness of it. That’s my 2 cents. 🙂

  63. Another vote for mice. The blue is wonderful with that green.
    And I hope your friend goes into labor soon–eesh, every day must get more and more uncomfortable.

  64. (1) Buttons, choice A. I love the mice, but not on that particular green. (2) is it possible for people not in the STR club to get that pattern? Yeah, I know, I could figure it out, but there’s so much else to do that if someone else already did it. . . and (3) I wrote a check — for yarn — on Sunday and noticed that the date was a panic-inducing June 25. I finally had to start emailing myself to tell me where I’d put things in a “safe place.” I found my mother’s Christmas present for 2005 in April 2006. . .

  65. Love the mice, but that’d only really charm the pants off the recipient if she knows the story, as well. If not, the blue on green might be a little… a-hem… startling. I like a). The light and dark wood thing works really well on the green – I think b) makes you not notice the buttons, they just sort of sit there (I’m trying not to call your choice boring and I think I’m failing utterly), whereas a) makes everything about the sweater noticeable.

  66. After the red monkey buttons that were perfecto, I can’t vote for anything but the blue mice.

  67. I love the blue mice! The sweater is adorable and simply longs for blue mice to keep it [and the new baby] company.

  69. I love how you say you’re finally done with the sweater… that was, what, 6 days? I personally prefer the wood buttons right side on, mainly because I’m not sure about the blue mice, but a newborn would probably prefer the mice.

  70. Casting my vote for–The Mouse buttons! And you really should write a little story to go with the sweater about the mouse -n- the sweet pea vine!

  71. Mousie buttons, definitely! If a baby can’t get away with lime green and bright blue together…. Did you hum French songs as you rode home with a baguette in your basket? 🙂

  72. Steph, please- for your own sanity come December- post the location of your Long Range Planning Knits. Please. You don’t want all your planning to go to waste because you can’t find your knits, right? It Has Happened To Me. Post where your gift stash is! Help us help you!

  73. Fast knit? Not for me! It took me ages to finish the first sock … and I am now just starting the sock part of the second. Maybe it’s because of the weather … not motivating me to knit wool socks! BTW, I am using the purl side of the linen stitch for the cuff … I like that better.

  75. For a baby sweater, I vote for the blue buttons, they are perfect, and from a distance look like sweet pea flowers. That is a seriously interesting sock pattern, I may just have to do that one. So cute, and whimsical.
    What a lovely image that basket of groceries brings to mind, if they were mine, I’d be sitting by the lake having lunch, and enjoying the sight and sound of the waves, the breeze and the gulls.

  77. The blue mousies, absolutely. It’s no longer just a baby sweater, it’s a fairytale come to life.
    And what’s up with the roundabout tank – I’m going to start mine soon and I want to know what to watch out for!

  78. You, know, I absolutely love the blue mice, they’re so cute and weensy, but I think that wooden button selection ‘A’ is the best looking one on that sweater. The sweater has those lovely green leaves knit into it and there’s nothing like keeping to the beautiful woodland-y feel like some wooden buttons. Kind of implies that soon enough the kid will shoot up like a frickin tree.

  82. Cute as those blue mice are, I have to vote for the more boring wooden buttons. I’ve been finding the figural buttons are sometimes hard to get through the button holes and then harder to keep done up. I know, it really should be one or the other, but what in life is fair?
    Excellent looking sweater and extremely cool socks. Bravo!

  83. Add my vote for the button backs!
    I spent 2 weeks in Copenhagen, during one of which primary transportation was a beat up bike, complete with basket. It was way fun, and I definitely understand the Bohemian sensation. Especially if you are riding the bike while wearing a skirt!

  84. Nice socks though I’m trying to think why I would want socks that button and what I would wear with them that would look good AND show off that nice feature…
    As for the peapod buttons, I agree with you about the backs of the wooden ones being better than the fronts. I quite like the mice though have no literary recollection that would link mice and peas. They might eat peas. Squirrels do (producing much swearing in these parts) and we’ve had mice open a sack of dried black-eyed beans and eat them once. But blue and green are fine together, particularly for babies.

  87. I’ll add my 2 cents worth, in case you actually read the several hundred comments you get!
    I vote for the button backs. While the mice are very cute, I’m not sure that the blue works that well. In addition, I’ve begun to look at some of the knitting stuff as I do scrapbooking: the “decoration” should not overtake the photo. In other words, it would be mighty sad if the first thing people notice is the *buttons* not your very lovely hand-knitting. It’s a cute pattern and quite well-done, and the buttons should compliment it, not overshadow. Just my opinion, of course!
    BTW – the socks look lovely. I am intrigued by the linen like cuff!

  88. Please, NOT the blue mice! They’re just a little “too” cute but would be OK on a white or light blue sweater. I vote for the plain, right-side-up wooden buttons.

  91. I love the mice, but would like them better on another color… still, they are darling and you could definitely get away with it.
    But I think the wooden ones are classier. Just my 2c!

  92. I also remember the book of wee micies living under a pea. I believe the title I knew (though I’m in the US of A so it may vary slightly) was “The Pea Patch Jig” and my version had quite charming illustrations. I believe I made my father read it to me something like 16 times a week while I was between the ages of 3 and 7…
    That having been said, I vote for little blue mouse buttons. While they may be a pain to button on a squirmy baby, so are most buttons and if you notice, most buttons on little babies are usually undone for precisely that reason.

  93. Definitely the blue mouse buttons. I love them. By the way the socks are adorable I think I may need to whip up a pair for myself.

  94. I like the wooden button fronts. I think the mice are so adorable they deserve their own sweater. (Um, maybe you shouldn’t be taking advice from me.)
    As for why I like the wooden button fronts, I think they make a nice color contrast and the smooth texture makes them stand out on the sweater, while still being interesting (with the outer ring.)
    The mice are adorable, but the colors of the sweater and the mice are both very bright.

  95. i vastly prefer the blue mice buttons. I remember that story, too. By the way, would you ever consider knitting one of the patters from the new Mason-Dixon Knitting book? So many knitters are doing the KAL, i just wondered.

  96. I’m throwing my vote in with the wooden button people. The mice are really cute but I don’t care for them with that shade of green. Plus, I think the naturalness of the wood goes better with the vine pattern of the sweater, without overwhelming it. I’ve been trying to download that pattern but I keep getting thrown out. Stupid computers! I’ll keep trying ’cause your finished sweater looks so cute.

  97. We’re not laughing. We’re CHORTLING. And secretly cringing inside because I know I’ll be caught by the winter gift-giving season like I am every year (despite the fact that I’ve started the knitting already!).
    As for myself, I like the wood buttons. I can’t decide between the back and the front, though. There you are. No help at all, whatsoever.
    Oh, and I love the socks! Marvelous!

  98. One word: mice.
    Another few words: I deeply enjoyed your “jug-of-wine-loaf-of-bread-and-thou” moment vicariously. A lovely little tableau from your day.

  99. The mice are absolutely enchanting, BUT on this sweater I vote for the front of the wooden buttons.
    I think the mice need to be on a cream or white sweater (or maybe yellow) with little blue mousies running across it. Perhaps I lack creativity.

  100. I vote for the back of the wooden buttons.
    The mice are cute, but as a new mom I have to admit the thought of trying to button up the mice on a squirming child… sounds impossible. Too fiddly.

  102. Love the mousies!!! But not for that sweater. I like the fronts of the wood buttons. It’s a very detailed sweater, I don’t think it needs sweet mice to detract from it.

  103. Personally, I like the “front” of the wooden button the best.
    I think I know the children’s book you’re talking about. Did it have something to do with a little girl mouse’s birthday picnic? And the little mouse fell and got hurt, or something like that? It sounds very familiar.

  105. I think that the LRPD box is a great idea, but the burning question, for me anyway is, will you be able to find the box at Christmas-time?
    Put my vote down for button option B. The mice are cute, but the color’s jarring on my monitor.

  106. I think that the LRPD box is a great idea, but the burning question, for me anyway is, will you be able to find the box at Christmas-time?
    Put my vote down for button option B. The mice are cute, but the color’s jarring on my monitor.

  107. While the blue mice are fetching, I always favour plain smooth buttons for baby garments. I found it difficult to do up odd shaped buttons on an wiggly infant. Even worse to try to undo the buttons in a hurry on a screaming child.
    I already have a stash of gifties accumulated. 2 pairs of socks, a pair of mitts and I just gave away 2 handknit teacher gifts for the last day of school. Mwha ha ha!

  108. Meeces to pieces, I LOVE the mice! But then again, mice are my thing. Do you think they are available in these United States?

  109. I LOVE the blue mice. As long as they’re not a choking hazard, I think they are fabulous buttons. (The wood ones are fine, but the mice are, in fact, fabulous!)
    And the socks? With the “woven” cuff and the buttons? Love them, too.

  110. Absolutely the blue mice. And does the shop you bought them from have a website? I just put tiny white bunny buttons on a red cotton hooded baby sweater, and it adds just the right oomph to the overall cute factor. Of course, I put black Scottie dog and tiny house buttons on my blue gingham pajamas to make the Wizard of Oz jammies, so i may not be the most objective.

  113. My vote is for the wooden buttons, back side up. I do love the mousies, but I like the way the wooden buttons blend. The sweater is so darn cute on it’s own, I wouldn’t want to be distracted by the darling mousies.

  114. My vote is for the back wooden buttons. That’s my favorite choice.
    Love those socks… I’ve never scene socks with buttons. Where does the pattern come from? The linen stitch is amazing.

  115. The blue mice win hands down from my point of view.
    If you don’t use the wooden buttons on anything, would you mind sending them down to me? I need to build a boat and I could use all the wood I can get ;-}
    Love those socks – I’ve never seen a linen stitch before.

  116. Not reading any other comments, lest I be swayed.
    Wooden buttons, back side, as the mice take attention away from the leaves and vines.

  119. My first comment (now that I have caught up on all the archives.)
    I love the mousie buttons – I think they would be even cuter on a different sweater. In addition to the colour being a bit jarring, they don’t feel like they are in the same style somehow.

  120. micemicemice! I love them… and the blue w/green. Perhaps you should knit and felt a wedge of swiss for a soft baby toy…or a pea pod filled with little blue mice.
    And the socks are lovely. I picked up a STR club postcard at Madrona and have kicked myself ever since that I didn’t get signed up in time. I’m living vicariously through you.
    Love the tale of your bohemian bike ride! I can see you riding along, with your hair curling perfectly (um, yeah. I’m a curly too, and I realize that my imagination may be running away with me a bit here) and La Vie En Rose in the soundtrack…

  121. Love the mousies! I just gave someone the baby sweater from the Opal Web site (knit in sock yarn) and left her with the option of choosing the buttons (I included samples). Partly because I couldn’t decide and partly because I was already fifteen minutes late for the baby shower by the time I stitched up the seams.
    Love the socks as well – hope the pattern is one day available to those of us not in the membership. So many socks, so little time!

  122. I vote for whichever buttons (front, back, or mice) are easiest for Mom to fasten and whichever ones stay fastened the best. Baby won’t remember the buttons and adults will think the sweater is adorable no matter what buttons are on it. If you don’t use the mice, you could knit the hat and add a wee mousie (or two) to it.

  123. I love the blue mice, but I vote for the A or B. Being a busy Mom, the brain freeze I would have trying to figure out what would go with it, would make me toss it back in the drawer. Then all your work would never be appreciated!!

  124. Definately the mice! They are so cute. I don’t know the story but I would have loved getting a sweater just like that for either of my babies! Too cute! What a nice thought that Robin had to write up the story to give along with the sweater (and blue mice!)!

  126. I love the mouse buttons but not with the green. I vote for the wooden buttons wrong side up.
    I love the idea of you riding home with the grapes, wine & baguette in your basket – mostly because it means that you likely have sun where you are.

  127. Love the mice, but the wooden buttons (back OR front, both are lovely) are the best and easiest for buttoners of wiggly babies. Keep the blue mice for an older kid who will truly appreciate the march of the blue mice up the front of a sweater.

  128. I like option B, actually. I am generally in favor of small blue mice (as opposed to the presumably normal-colored ones inhabiting my kitchen), but I don’t think they quite work with that sweater.
    And yes, I LOVE those moments. And I could live on bread and cheese.

  129. How adorable! As always, I’m vastly impressed by your amazing skill. Plus, you make me want to move somewhere where it snows, which I’ve never said in my life before, LOL!

  130. Planning for Christmas is just fine with me. In fact, I purchased a Christmas planner calendar thingie yesterday that was marked down from 17.50 to 3.95. Such a deal. We all know that baby will come soon but probably not too soom for mum. My best bet in guessing when a woman will birth is to look at her over-all countenance, does she appear miserable enough to go through labor? That works for me!

  131. Hmm I am not sure about the mice though they are super cuuuute! I think they belong on another sweater.
    I would go with the wooden buttons backwards..

  132. OMG, the blue mice!
    I had heard of the STR socks with the button cuff and thought I wouldn’t care for them, but THOSE ARE ADORABLE! I love the linen-stitch cuff, too. Excellent gift socks.

  133. Oh I love the blue mice! They’re great buttons, so cute. The blue with the green is a sweet combination for a baby.

  134. I love the blue mousies with the green sweater. I knit the Samus sweater in close to that green on blue needles and became enamored of the color combo.

  135. Mice, of course. I have fond memories of my childhood sweaters, knit by Mom, Gmother, or GGmother. Mom is splendid at choosing buttons so my sweaters always had the BEST buttons. I think I treated the sweaters better because of that — the special buttons made them sacred.
    Interesting cuff. Hmmm.

  136. Wow. Seriously? You’re knitting Christmas gifts in June? I thought I was good to start on a baby blanket for a kid due in September! (Blue meece, definitely.)

  138. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the blue mice! I think the color combination is great.
    I’ve been toying with the idea of knitting that sweater, after seeing yours, I do believe that’ll be my next project.

  139. I vote for the mice. If you have a real problem with the color contrast, you could reknit the sweater in another color…I am sure the mother to be won’t mind waiting a few more days.
    Really, the colors look great together. The mice are just too cute not to use — but if you decide against, I would go with the back of the wood, looks very nice.

  140. I vote for the button backs. The mousies are darling, but they derserve a platform where they can shine all by themselves. That beautiful green sweater is giving them way too much competition!

  141. As much as I love the blue mousies, and I do love the blue mousies, I have to agree with those who say it’s not the colour combination that bothers me, but the fact that the eye will be drawn to the mousies and take away from Kate’s beautiful pattern. Wooden buttons, front or back.
    And yes, I laughed. No, I will not apologize for it. IF you can actually remember where you put your LRPD box come Christmas time, unless you padlock that puppy you may not find the socks are still there when you want ’em.

  143. Then again, looking at the pictures again…those mice might look pretty cute on the socks…that way you don’t have to give up grandmas buttons.

  144. Could you get wooden mice buttons?
    Great socks! Or, as my buddy Richard used to say it, gorgeous (pronounced, “goorje-wah!”)!

  145. The socks are beautiful: is there a pattern available for them, for free or to buy? I’ve never seen a pair with buttons or that kind of cuff and it brings out the variegated colours out very well.

  146. Lovely sweater…blue mousies for the win!
    Any new tour dates yet? Not that I would like for you to exhaust yourself more than the existing ones probably will but…any more news on possibly coming to Lawrence, Kansas or Vancouver, BC anytime soon?

  147. Mousies please. If a not-yet-born baby already has to be constrained by what grown-ups think about whether blue matches green or not, this world just isn’t worth saving. Babies should get to wear all the different colors you can pack on their little bodies. (But if you ask, DADDY dressed my son this morning, thankyouverymuch.)
    The socks are lovely, too. Shall we remind you on Dec 20 that those are in a box somewhere awaiting wrapping, or do you have a designated spot (that you should tell us so we can remind you about on Dec 20)?

  149. If I get to vote, I vote for the tiny blue mice. They are the perfect choice. And yes I have been thinking Christmas too, I won’t laugh at you if you won’t laugh at me . . .

  150. HI Stephanie, I have been an obsessive knitter for a few years now and have found my soulmates on this and a few other blogs. I am not very computer savvy and although I would love to have a site I am not ready to do the work to learn how. I am too busy knitting a sweater! I am wondering how all of you have yarn swap partners? I would love to be involved in something like that. I know you are busy but if you have a moment could you give me some insight? Thanks. I vote for the mice! Fondly, your sister yarn addict, Heather

  151. I’m guessing if you cross-correlated the button voting with another poll, you’d find the mouse button lovers also enjoy knitting whimsical hats, while the wooden button lovers are classic cardigan fans. I am not voting because you are neither random nor feckless and I suspect you have already decided, deep in your heart, which buttons are right. I also suspect you never expected to have 150+ votes to plow through to finish a baby sweater! See what happens when we play along?!

  152. The blue goes GREAT with the green! And the first thing I checked when I looked at those mousies was not the color…but how “catchy” they were for buttoning on babies 😉 I think that they’d be fine…the little bit of drag from the ears is well worth the cuteness. Oh, and just yesterday I advised a woman against a cute star button on a baby sweater, for just that reason…Use the mice!

  153. Definitely the mice hands down! Good thing you don’t live near me as I’d make off with the socks- they are wonderful! Is that picot edging on the side of the cuff of the sock?

  154. oh you absolutely have to use those blue colored meeses!!!! they are so perfect for that green, i would be over the moon if someone gave me a sweater lik that for my baby complete with blue mouse buttons!

  155. Any button choice works because the stories work out so nicely regardless….
    Wooden Buttons: You were so far overdue to be born that we were able to grow a small tree and make buttons from it.
    Mice Buttons: You were so far overdue to be born that the little brown mouse buttons we had decided to hold their collective breaths until you were born and they all turned blue!
    Is there some way the average mortal could finagle a way to be your neighbor and receive harlot knits? Not that I’m plotting or anything…. just curious…. *shifty eyes*

  156. “The Wind in the Willows” by Kenneth Grahame? Is that the story? It was/is a great one! I like the backs of the wooden buttons, but I’ll bet you have some in your button box that would be perfect….(You’re so lucky to have your Grandmother’s button box!)
    Now, how do I get my name on your Christmas list? I want those socks. I know!! You can adopt me. I’ve never heard about an older sister??????

  158. Yeah, I don’t know about the blue mousies on that beautiful bright green. I vote for the wooden button backsides. Hmmm, that didn’t come out right. Oh well, I suppose that’s acceptable while conversing with the Harlot. 🙂 The socks are super cool – nice work starting that Christmas stuff now! I vowed last year – only knit for birthdays… avoid the Christmas freakout. But that still made things pretty crazy because we have five May birthdays in our family in addition to Mother’s Day – and who wouldn’t knit something for Mother’s Day? Aaahhh!

  159. I think the blue mice are perfect for a baby’s sweater…. whimsy seems to be lost on most adults so babies and children are the perfect opportunity to apply whimsy whenever possible.
    And I love the buttons on the socks!

  160. The mousie buttons, most definately. As soon as you get the last one sewn on, the lady next door will go into labor- you know she will.
    The socks are to die for. Where did you get that pattern?? As for your daughter, her feet will stop growing the minute she fits your shoes perfectly. Hide the nice ones now.
    Christmas knitting- hmmmm. Nope, can’t get my brain wrapped around that as it is 100 F here in Houston. Can’t even think about the 8 days of Hannukah. Better go find out when that one starts.

  161. Mousies! Mousies! Mousies!
    (My vote would be for the mousie buttons.)
    In no time flat, the child will be a teenager and beyond all things cute and whimsical. Squeeze in the cute and whimsical while you can!

  162. Definitely the blue mousie buttons… just because I think the word ‘mousie’ is adorable… sort of like calling my baby girl ‘chickpea’ even though I have no idea what a ‘chickpea’ is (although I hope it’s very fat, because she is, in that adorable pudgy baby way, and it would be embarrassing if chickpeas were skinny… it would feel sort of like making fun of her chubby little pea-sized toes, and who would do that?) And I have full faith that one of these years IT will not happen, and you will have a truly sleep fulfilled and merry Christmas… I’m not sure if this is your year, but I know it will happen… keep knitting sport-weight socks, and it will happen sooner… (Ja Wohl makes some very fetching sportweight sock yarn… I’m a fan!)

  163. By the time I get here you always have 150+ comments and I rarely leave one because I wonder if you read through all of them all the way down to the bottom? Do yah? Huh? 😉
    I like the top choice of buttons the best. Cute sweater too. And can I just borrow your picture of the socks so I can pretend I did them? The Blue Moon Girls are all over my arse for not knitting up the last pair. They told me, “It is NOT a Stash Club!”
    *ducks head*
    And, you can thank me for not staying in the Ghetto of Abw. I told your Jayme to have you stay FAR from the Airport….not close!

  164. I vote for the mousies. They’re cute, they’re miniature animals (perfect for a miniature human) and they’re a little see through. I think. From the picture on my browser it sure looks like it. Anyway, I also think the blue works with the green. And the socks look great!

  165. I don’t suppose a little blue mouse will fit on top of a wooden button? I like the front side of the wooden buttons. But what if an *extra* button were attached with a blue mousey on top of it? Would an embellishment where a breast pocket would be located be uncomfortable with car seat restraints? Or maybe as the top button?

  166. Please use the mice buttons. They are so cute.Thanks.
    Judy in Western MA.

  167. NOW the baby can be born! Great socks, I HAVE to try those. I like the mice for the sweater since they stir a fond memory for you, I’m just sayin.

  168. My eyes are blue/green. Look at a black pearl and you will see my eye color. Blue and green does go together. Go with the mice and send the story with the sweater too.

  169. Blue little mice – definitely the mice. They are adorable and so perfect for a sweet baby – and aren’t they only babies once. Little ones have a lifetime of ordinary wooden buttons, but so little time with little blue mice buttons.

  170. I vote for the back of the wooden buttons. There is plenty of interesting detail in the knitting, and I think the mousies would be a distraction. Save them for another baby sweater that needs them, where they will really shine.

  171. My Vote is for the backside of those wooden buttons! So cute and simple. K-I-S-S! That’s an acronym I learned in High School Music Theory Class. It stands for “Keep It Simple Stupid!”

  172. For a wee baby, I say go with the mousies. They are charming and look great on that green! IMO, modern babes don’t get enough whimsy in their little lives. Though, I totally agree with one of the other comments – round, easy buttons are the way to go for anyone big enough to squirm away!

  173. …sorry, I laughed! But I’m sure you’ll make it 🙂 and the socks will make a beautiful present.
    I think the blue mice are real cute, but still I prefer the backside of the wooden buttons. Very nice and natural. I live in Finland now, all those trees must have got to me.

  174. use the wood buttons and save the wee small blue
    mice for another lovely knit item
    cool socks, too

  175. use the wood buttons and save the wee small blue
    mice for another lovely knit item
    cool socks, too

  176. I like the second side of the wooden buttons.
    SEVEN days LATE? I did not think they did that anymore. Don’t they just induce or schedule a C section if the kid is going to be late? I think my mom would have enjoyed that; I was a full 3 weeks late.

  178. Mice!- you’d never get away with such cutsie buttons on adult stuff…might as well use it on baby wear. I, personally, love the blue and green together.

  179. choice A for me. The mice are adorable but I think that shade of green is so FAB that you should have something muted that doesn’t draw attention away from it, y’know?
    Just my 2 cents worth.

  180. Love the blue on green (adorable sweater!) — vote for mice.
    How does one get the sock pattern? I’m out of the loop. I love those socks!! STR — what’s that. Ignorance showing, but humble enough and coveting the socks enought to ask.

  181. I love the blue mice, but not on that sweater. I’d use the back of the wooden buttons and save the mice (carefully not adding them to the vintage button box, to preserve its vintage-ness) for another project. There will always be another baby to knit for! (Or heck, use ’em on something for yourself. They are that cute.)

  182. I like the back of the wooden buttons best. And the LRPD has been busy here as well – I have two gifts done this week for the Christmas box! Sadly, I am uncertain of my ability to keep up this rate.

  183. I too vote for the backsides of the wooden buttons. Save the meeses for another project. Or you can send them to me.
    As far as Christmas knitting goes, I didn’t laugh, though I may have snickered a little. heh.

  185. I vote for the wooden button backs. I agree that the mice are cute but the color on that sweater is not. I’ve had that bohemian bike shopping moment too, and next time, add a bouquet of flowers – the flowers and the baguette peeking out of the bike basket will put you completely over the bohemian top!

  187. Blue Mousies!!! They make the sweater so original! Besides, buttons are so easy to swap out, you know?
    The socks are fabulous, too. 🙂

  188. The mousies! The mousies! I love blue and green together, and those don’t look like they’d be too hard to button (unlike the ice-cream cone buttons on a sweater someone gave me). If you just can’t do the mousies, then I vote for the right-side-up wooden ones. The backs are too boring–the dark edge of the “right” side gives a bit of contrast.

  189. I love the blue mice. But you could always ask the mom-to-be which ones she prefers.
    Cool socks! I found out too late to sign up for the sock of the month. boo hoo. Ah well, always next year if they continue it. 🙂
    Happy knitting!

  190. Definitely the mice! They are adorable and the color works.
    The socks are just lovely. Do you know if the sock of the month will be continuing next year? Please post about it.

  192. Not saying the mice aren’t adorable. But let them nest in the stash a while.
    With the wood (either side), you get an interesting light / dark contrast that’s missing with the mice.

  195. Awww! The sweater is so cute! That one’s next on my knitting list, though because I don’t have any green in the stash, it is destined to be knit in pastel yellow and cream.
    And I like the second wooden button option. 😉

  196. What a lucky neighbour— she can to the hospital now. The wooden buttons have my vote as I don’t like mice of any sort. The socks are a real piece of art , just LOVE them and the yarn certainly suits that pattern to a tee. Christmas —hahaha–179 days and counting!!!What ever happened to Joes’ gansey?

  200. I haven’t read any of the comments yet cause I’m in a hurry to get to a meeting. But I vote for the mice, except could they be some other colour than blue? A cream or off-white row of mice would look good with the green. Its a very cute sweater, and I love those socks too. I’ve never seen a sock cuff done that way. Is it stretchy?

  201. I like button choice #2. Now you’ve made me want to go out and get a bike to pedal along the lakefront here in Chicago. Alas, I haven’t ridden a bike since college…eek. Then there’s the fact that I wouldn’t be able to get the “Miss Gulch” music from the Wizard of Oz out of my head when I was madly pedalling away. Maybe no bike for me…

  202. Definitely the blue mousies — I love the blue on the green and what could be better for a baby sweater than mouse buttons???

  203. You know perfectly well you’ll use whichever button you like. Lovely sweater.
    Now, how do I get on your Christmas list? I want those socks.

  205. I have such a thing for that blue and green color combination right now. It is slipping into the obsession category. So obviously, I vote for the mice.

  209. Of course the blue mice!!! It’s a child’s sweater after all. Whimsey is good, and the color contrast is perfect. If they were too close in color to the sweater they wouldn’t look nearly so cute. But I do think looking for some yellow cheese buttons, or even just one cheese button, would be oh, so wonderful. Mary B

  210. I vote blue mice. A) I love fun shape buttons for baby sweaters because when else besides babies and kids do you get to use shape buttons without looking a little odd.
    B) I agree that the blue/green combo makes a popping color combo. Once again, kids & babies.
    BTW, did everyone’s grandmother have a button bin? Mine had one that was a large cookie tin which had as many stories as buttons locked away inside. 🙂

  211. I *love* the mousie buttons but I’d save them for another knit.
    In this case though, I’m partial to the fronts of the wooden buttons.
    Now that I’ve seen those mousie buttons I want to go button shopping even though the last thing I need to do right now is go anything-shopping. 😛

  212. I vote blue mice. And to reinforce my vote, I’ll trot out my credentials, which happen to include a terrific color sense and a B.S. (and no, I don’t mean *that*) in painting. Shall I send references? 😉 Do what moves you best, Stephanie. (psst. mice!)

  214. I love the green sweater. . . but I can see why you are asking our opinion about the buttons. I like wood and green together, as a rule. But that isn’t that “something special,” and I like green and blue. But the blue mice are going to be fussy with the yarn, and babies squiggle so much, that just wouldn’t work well for me. They are also odd-shaped which is, of course, adorable although more likely to come undone. I wonder if “Grandma’s Button Bin” would have just the thing that is both pracitcal and special?

  216. You can’t possibly be reading all these comments, but I vote for the button backs–and your choice of food.

  217. Back of wooden buttons for practicality. Place a mousey or two on the shoulder of the sweater, anchored firmly! Lovely sweater, lovely socks:-)

  218. The blue mousies attract the eye to the enchanting sweater so the craftswomanship can be admired and appreciated! The book, as Megweaver noted, is The Pea Patch Jig, by Thacher Hurd.
    I ordered yarn for Christmas knitting (Cable Footies in One Skein, for the womenfolk). It’s never to early to panic!
    (Lovely socks!)

  219. The mouse buttons rock, but they don’t add to your beautiful sweater, I think they take away. The back of the wood buttons have a natural gentle beauty to them, the gift will be classy not kitschy.

  220. button back button back who’s got the button back.. no go with the mousies. save for another project. mousies confuse the eye… gilberts sweater needs the touch of the tree.. get my drift.? bye for now. nancy L

  221. Love the socks!!! I like any of the buttons. They all have their charm.
    My friend Holly is having issues with the pea pod set…wonder if it is the earlier pattern she has.

  222. I really like the wood buttons, RS facing.
    And we’re not laughing at you, we’re laughing with you. Yes, I heard, I mean read a bit of self-deprecating laughter in your words.

  224. I adore the mousie buttons but I think the color is not quite right for this sweater – the wooden buttons look better (altho green mousie buttons [or even a blue green] might be too hard to resist). I also concur with the poster who said they would be a b*tch for a mom to button on a squirming baby. Glad to see the finished sweater posted. I’m going to make that set for my future grandchild (November 24th is due date but s/he will be born earlier – C section because last baby ruptured hos momma’s uterus) & am still deciding which yarn to use.

  225. What a cute sweater. Great job!
    I like the back of the wooden buttons best. The mice are a good idea in theory, but the color isn’t quite right.

  226. For anyone who has made it this far through the comments… 🙂
    The first error in the Pea Pod Baby Set pattern was in the Leaf Lace Set-up chart. On row 5, the 6th box (from the right) should be a k2tog. (There are 2 k2tog’s beside each other.) If yours doesn’t have 2 k2tog’s beside each other, download the current pdf.
    The second error was with the hat. When setting up the lace pattern, you should k1 (2, 4), work the lace over 15 sts, k1 (2, 4), pm, and continue with the rest of the rnd.
    I’m not sure whether the second correction has been uploaded or not. My browser is having issues…

  227. what baby in his/her right mind wouldn’t want the blue mice buttons? I want the blue mice buttons. Oh yes, definetely go with the mice. I also happen to think that blue and green look great together. Leslie In Bucks County, PA

  228. The mousies are cute, but would be cuter if they were not blue.l I like the back of the wooden buttons. They’re great. Thanks for pointing the way to that pattern (like I need more patterns), I have a great niece or nephew (hey! I’m not that old!!) being born in August, and one of my Stitch and Pitch buddies (July 25th Mariners v. Blue Jays at Safeco Field) has a sister having a baby in December…..I think she needs that pattern, too!
    And where do I get that Rock and Weave pattern? My nieces would love it! And they have the same foot size as I do, so they are incredibly easy to knit for!! I see Christmas socks….everywhere!!!

  232. I love the blue mice, I think they’re fabulous, but I thnk that with this particular sweater, the backwards wooden buttons are best.

  233. Back of the wood buttons, definitely. I appreciate the connection of the story and the mice buttons, but…the back of the wood buttons seem best. Somethings just don’t feel right…don’t force it.

  234. I like the back of the wooden buttons, but then, I’m a very conservative person.
    Cheese, grapes, wine and a baguette in a bicycle basket qualifies as a bohemian moment to me!
    The socks really rock. The vintage buttons are very beautiful.

  236. I’m not touching that Christmas reference…
    I like the mouse buttons, but the mom may not have read that book, so if you go with the mice, stick a copy of the book in the package, making sure she knows the name of the pattern, too. And tell her 7 days is nothing, she should not worry or freak out really big time until 18 days. Yeah, I love him anyway…

  237. While the mice are very cute, the colors seem to compete too much…I’d go with the backs of the wooden buttons. The socks are great – unique and interesting.

  238. I vote for the front of the wooden buttons. The little bit of color around the edge is nice. I LOVE the mouse buttons, but the blue just doesn’t go.
    And the baby’s seven days late? Pfft. He’ll come when he’s ready.

  239. I haven’t wanted to make socks until now, when I saw this pair. Love the button cuffs. Where can I find the pattern?
    And I vote for the wooden buttons, for practicality sake, though I do love the blue mice with the green sweater.
    And all done in less than a week? Wow.

  241. I love the mousies, and I normally love blue and green together, but this particular combo is really not working for me style-wise or color-wise. I vote for wooden buttons B, which will look delightfully organic and harmonious and will not jump out of the knitting at you (and hopefully WILL jump out easily when Momma wants to unbutton them). I vote for cute mousie buttons scurrying across a hat in another shade of green, or wending their way across the shoulders or up the front of an older child’s pullover.

  242. You know the kid is growing fast when the credit card bill for the shoes comes after the shoes are outgrown… (mine were babies then).

  243. I like button B
    not sure why but I do
    oh and maybe the mouse story is by Leo Lionni
    or is it Leo Lioni
    something close to that

  244. I like button B
    not sure why but I do
    oh and maybe the mouse story is by Leo Lionni
    or is it Leo Lioni
    something close to that

  245. I went for cute novelty buttons (tiny ships), and while they looks adorable, they are a PAIN IN THE BUTT to get on and off. My MIL made the sweater, and I picked the buttons, so I can’t blame anyone but my own darned self. Mice are cute, but I know the mom will grit her teeth and never tell you what a pain they are! Go for #2! Please!

  246. I’d go for the wooden ones probably in piccie 1. The mice are gorgeous, but the bright blue looks too vibrant next to the green.

  249. augh the socks the linen stitch it makes me with the crazy aaaugh. so bored of them! Hopefully it’ll be better when I am done with the cuffs. I’m doing them both at once, it’s draaagging.

  250. Well, you probably have more comments about the buttons than you need at this point, but although I am of the rodenty persuasion, I actually think the first buttons look the best! The dark rims and the texture stand out against the color and texture of the sweater in a way the second wooden buttons don’t. And the blue mice are incredibly cute (I think they would go well on some of those socks you show later in the post!), but too strong a color and maybe too clashing a shape for the sweater.
    It’s such a great sweater, and the socks are really amazing. I am impressed with both. I keep going back to those socks especially.

  252. I love the option number two – backside of the little wooden buttons. But I am boring like that 🙂

  253. I AM A KILL JOY
    My profession compells me to write …..
    The sweater is the greatest, but you cannot put ANY buttons on the sweater ….. Babies (at least the one in the picture) should never have access to buttons of this size — a Baby Nurse.
    (how about frogs?)

  254. As a mom, I would say mice. Blue and green are from the same colour family. And tell the mommy the mouse under a sweetpea vine story. She’ll fall in love with them, too. I promise.

  255. I vote for the mice.
    My question is, how can you knit so many things so fast? I know you’re fast… but how fast actually are you? If I watched you, could I even see your hands, or would they just be a blur?????

  256. I know it’s all been said….but the backs of the buttons for me….the sweater is rich enough in detail as it is!

  257. Blue mice!! I love the combination of blue and gree – its a tough on to pull off – “blue and green should never be seen” and all that – but you have got the intensity of the blue and green to match and it jsut looks great – the wooden ones are OK but boring – for a child you want fun – definitely the blue mice!
    XXX

  258. Meece, meece, definitely the blue meece! (You *know* you want to.) Babies love bright colors, and while the wooden ones are perfectly nice, they just don’t have the zing, and the mice are so cute, and that shade of blue is perfect with the green, and, and, and…
    *kof* Er. Yeah. Meece are cool. Especially blue meece. Besides, they look like jelly candies or something. How can you resist a line of blue, jelly-candy meece marching up the front of a lime-green – on my monitor, anyway – sweater? Impossible. That’s gonna be one stylin’ baby. Bohemian, too. 😉

  260. I vote for the little blue mice because they are just too cute. Blue and green are a natural color combo (can’t you tell I like Irises!) Besides, mice on one’s sweater are just too cool. The socks are just beautiful. I would never have thought of putting buttons on socks. I also wanted to thank you for sharing your life and writing. It’s the highlight of my morning to check your website for the latest post. There are some risks to this habit though. I had to learn to take a sip of coffee and swallow it before I start reading your blog. It doesn’t matter what they say, the various window cleaners aren’t all that good at getting spit coffee off of my monitor!!

  261. great sweater…I have been pondering knitting it, and now I think I’ll have to give it a try. As for the buttons, I am drawn to the playful mice, but I agree with those who say they are a bit annoying to do up.Also, there’s something about putting natural buttons on a wool sweater that just Seems Right. I think the backs of the wooden buttons, overall. I consulted with the ever tasteful Dino, my work colleague, and he was quite definite.
    Now. Just think of the amount of mental time around the world that has gone to answering the button question. I’m sure there’s some way of harnessing this…

  262. I vote for the mice . . . and I love that sweater pattern, oh and I just found out that a friend is pregnant. Oh, boy!
    Love the socks!! I think my 12 year old is going to get a pair for Christmas . . .

  264. Where can I get the sock pattern for the pair that are in the pic on today’s blog entry?
    thanks,
    Cindy

  265. Oh thank goodness you knit the pea pod sweater first! I cast on three times for this sweater last night (three times!) and was nearly crying by the end of the second mistake. It is my first attempt at a chart and some of the directions were giving me fits PLUS my husband was showing me his latest action figures and I was supposed to look ‘lovingly’ at each one. Honestly, I kept looking at them thinking, “Now did I just P2 or P3” and “That is an awful lot of yarn I will be ordering.” I finally figured out my mistake, but now I will go download the new pattern.
    PS – love, love the socks!

  266. That peapod sweater is just adorable! I thought so when I first saw the issue and I still like it; I just have no one to knit it for. Chose the wooden buttons, love the mice but the wooden ones look better.

  267. The little mouse buttons are ADORABLE but from a mommy that had a newborn squirming while I tried to button a sweater with fish buttons, let me tell you the blue streak I swore up and down on the manufacturer (I didn’t know how to knit yet, don’t look at me like that!) who chose them. Go with the back of the wooden ones. And I so wish you’d knit the hat too, because that’s where I am with this set (that and blocking the sweater) and I did the 8 rows of the bottom rib in the round, and it doesn’t work out, I don’t think. At least, it looks like crap and nothing like the bottom of the sweater, which was knit flat. Ugh.
    And those socks are GORGEOUS and totally on my to-knit list!

  270. I love the socks. Socks are on my Christmas project list as well. Where did you find the pattern? I’d love to buy one.

  272. I like both sets of buttons. If it were for me, I would pick the blue mice, but I think you should decide based on your perception of your neighbour’s style. Or let her choose.

  273. Awwww! Look at the wee little blue mousies!! They’re so cute! Go for the mice and never look back 🙂 I love the socks too, very lovely.

  274. i’d go for the back of the wooden buttons. the mice definately clash, so save them for something they’d look better on. 🙂 i love bikes with baskets…

  276. I’m a traditionalist. I like the little wooden buttons.
    Also, that sweater is so freakin’ cute that it caused much squealing and cooing throughout my office. He’s a little pea! I’m going right out this afternoon and getting yarn to cast on for it– even though my as yet unconceived child (we’re trying!) will probably be 2 before it’s done.

  277. A late vote for the mice. Never be afraid of color plus color… especially for kids. There’s plenty of time for them to wear boring neutrals when they grow up. 🙂
    Besides – it reminds me of a green summer meadow with brilliant blue sky. Happy colors.

  278. In the minority, but definitely for the first option. The wooden buttons right side up. The blue mouse buttons seem too fiddly.

  279. What button store do you go to? I’d really like to know because I always have problems finding buttons that I like, or the size that I need.

  281. For the first time in my life, I have Sock Lust. Where can we get that pattern?
    Mice

  284. a) the first buttons.
    b) I long to be as bohemian as you. I have a new bike, and high hopes.
    c) I am almost ready for LAST Christmas.

  285. I like the wooden ones better, either side will do. The mice are cute, but would look much better on a light blue (or other color) sweater:)
    I’m trying to get things ready for the holidays too, but I can’t seem to quit knitting NOW baby gifts and I have decided this past week that I NEED some things for my self…ME, ME, ME!! So I will not be ready when Christmas gets here either:)

  286. Hi! I just wanted to tell you about something that happened to me the other day. I’ve been covering my shifts and my co-worker’s shifts over where I work (a yarn store, even) which puts me there for 9 hours a day, 5 days a week. You wouldn’t think spending 9 hours a day is stressful, but it’s started to get that way.
    Remember that time you were really stressed out and you crashed and suddenly had a strange and uncontrollable urge to knit ponchos? I laughed when you wrote about that, until yesterday. Guess what I started. Guess.
    It’s a poncho.
    I don’t even LIKE ponchos. I don’t like knitting on size 10 needles. I don’t like knitting with nasty varigated cheap acrylic yarn. But here I am, knitting a poncho, on size 10 needles, with nasty varigated cheap acrylic yarn because I can’t seem to help myself. So I think we may have discovered some hidden psychological urge. Stress = Poncho.

  287. I love the blue mice…I vote for blue mice… if you could find the book to gift with the sweater that would be even more special 🙂

  288. Once again you are driving me insane. The story you mention is tickling the back of my brain unmercifully, but I can’t remember the source to save my life — except I’m quite sure it is not The Wind in the Willows (it has a mole, a rat, a toad, a badger, assorted villainous stoats and ferrets, and a washerwoman, but no mice except maybe for one brief cameo). I just googled it, no luck. Just what I need, something else to keep me awake tonight.
    However… I am clearly in the minority, but I think that blue clashes with that green. I would vote for a different color mice (gray, cream, beige or white) or, failing that, the wooden buttons right side up. I don’t think mice would be any more fiddly to button than regular buttons, though.

  289. I think the mice are great. Their color adds to the beauty of the sweater.
    Marvelous socks too. Maybe I’ll try a pair when I finish the other numerous UFOs laying around here.

  290. First another vote for the blue mice.
    Second? ARGH! I had a Sock Idea, don’t you know? And I searched to see if patterns existed for it. And found nothing. And so, made up my own pattern.
    ARGH!

  292. When looking at buttons I always think of how comfortable they are, the mice are too pointy for a baby, they’ll dig into the chest of the mom and the baby.
    As a still nursing mom, I vote for the back of the wooden ones. They coordinate better anyway.

  293. As nice as the beige buttons are, they are boring. I love that the blue mouse buttons are unpredictable. Which is the way I like to behave at all times. I vote for the mouse buttons!! (They won’t “dig in” to the baby because there is enough thickness of the sweater to circumvent that I believe. It’s not like they have razor edges on them anyway)

  294. I love the baby sweater…and my vote is for the wooden buttons (although I do love the mice, I think they take away from the sweater a bit)…and I completely agree with previous poster…as another nursing mommy, soft things are important.

  295. As sad as it is, at some point we outgrow the ability to wear little bright blue mice on our pea pod green sweaters. I say why should he grow out of it before he’s even born!
    MICE, MICE, BAYBEEEE!
    (and I’m with the previous commenter…I, too, Squeeed. And you should always go with SQUEEEEE!)

  296. Mice buttons all the way.
    And I love the sock pattern. Can I get on your Christmas list?

  297. Myself, I’d go for the button backs. The mice are cute but the color with the green just doesn’t do it for me.
    I live out in the country, which is lovely, BUT you have no idea how I’d love to ride my bike home with grapes, wine and a baguette. sigh………

  299. I like the mousie buttons, but if you use them, it’s about the buttons, not the sweater.

  300. I think I have some little wooden Mouse buttons in my sewing room. They have a little leather strip for a tail. I purchased them at Jo Anns fabric in Tampa Florida. I could certainly mail them to you! They also had a little mouse trap button but that’s probably not something you’d want to put on a baby garment.

  305. Is there a pattern for these? And HOW Can I GET IT?!?!
    (Thank, if so)
    Karen Alfke’s Rock and Weave socks

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