How to crochet hidden buttonholes in ribbing
In this post, I want to share a technique I developed to hide button holes in a ribbed crochet button band.
On a recent project I was designing, I wanted to create some button holes on the ribbing, but didn’t want an unseemly hole peaking out at me when the button wasn’t fastened.
Typically, button holes in ribbing are created by making a chain and skipping a number of stitches. You can find a tutorial for adding simple button holes and a button band here.
This works great but depending on the stitch pattern you’re using, it can. leave a noticeable hole in the fabric, especially if you’re using ribbing (as you’ll see in the video below).
Whilst this is fine in certain circumstances, it isn’t what I wanted for this design.
So I set about finding a way to hide them.
It took a bit of experimentation to get it to work, but finally I settled on a technique that I was happy with. That’s what I’m sharing with you today.
Note: There may well be other techniques to achieve this effect, but being stubborn as I am, I didn’t actually think to google it, preferring to have a go at the problem solving myself!
My technique is based on ribbing using half double crochets (UK half treble) worked in the back loop only, but can be adjusted to be used with ribbing worked in the 3rd loop, or using single crochet (UK double crochet) or even a slip stitch style ribbing.
You can find a directory or rib stitches using different loops here.
I’ve used the term hidden rather than invisible because if you know where to look, you’ll still see them. But I think I did a pretty good job!
Can you see the unused button hole in the image below?
Okay, that’s enough preamble, let’s get into the lesson.
Below you’ll find a video tutorial for left and right handed crocheters and following that is the written and picture tutorial.
The technique is fully explained in the tutorials but it will help if you are familiar with working in the back 3rd loop and foundation half double crochet stitches.
Hidden Crochet Buttonhole Video Tutorial
If you want to go straight to the video, you can click here or below for the right handed video tutorial, or read on for the step-by-step written and photo tutorial.
Click here for the left handed video
Invisible crochet button holes: Photo and written tutorial
Below you’ll find the photo and video tutorial.
Note that the picture guide use a swatch of basic ribbing of 10 stitches of half double crochet (hdc) worked in the back loop only (blo) turning at the end of each row. The images shown are right handed (I flipped them as I’m naturally a left hander).
The buttonhole rows should always be worked on the right / public side of your work to get the most discrete effect. I’ll indicate whether I’m showing you the front or back of the work.
Lets get started!
Work 1 half double crochet (hdc) into the first 3 stitches (sts) on a right side row of ribbing.
Yarn over and insert the hook into the 3rd loop of the next stitch (the 4th stitch in the row). This is the loop I’ve used to start the foundation half double crochet (fhdc).
You can find a tutorial on foundation stitches here.
The picture below shows the back of the work with the hook in the 3rd loop.
Yarn over and pull up a loop.
Again this is demonstrated below on the back side of the work.
Yarn over (yo) and pull through 1 loop to create the ‘base chain’ of your fhdc. This is where you’ll start the next fhdc. Shown from the back below.
To complete the rest of the fhdc, you simply yo and pull through all 3 loops (like the last step of a typical hdc). The image below is back to showing you the front of the stitch after working 1 fhdc.
Next you’ll need to work a second fhdc.
Yo and insert the hook into that base chain I mentioned. If you’re used to working foundation stitches then you’ll know where to look for it, but I’ve shown it below.
Yo, pull up a loop, yo, pull through 1 loop, yo and pull through all 3 loops on the hook to complete your second fhdc.
The image below shows the two completed fhdc from the front.
Note that I am working 2 stitches for this button hole. When using a 5mm hook and aran weight yarn, this allows for a button of around 15mm. You can change the number of fhdc you work depending on what yarn, hook and button size you are using.
That’s the tricky bit done (and the rest of the images are all of the front of the work).
Skip the stitch that your worked into the 3rd loop of, and skip the next stitch (so that’s skipping the 4th and 5th stitch of the row), and work an hdc in the blo of the next stitch.
And that’s the button hole done.
I finished the row, working in the standard rib pattern, and inserted the hook through the button hole to give you an idea of where the hole is. It sits at a slight angle.
There’s a slight raised area where you made the hole after the first row, but carry on working the normal ribbing pattern to the end of the row, and the next row and so on. You’ll soon loose track of where you put the hole in the first place!
If you know it’s there then you’ll see it. But then you do still need to know where to put the button!
And there we have it!
I hope you found this a useful little tip and will be immediately adding buttons to all your crochet projects!!!
If you enjoyed it, it really helps me out if you share it with your crochet buddies via facebook or pinterest!
Thank’s for your continued support and happy hooking!
Big Love
Dx
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Oh! Nice way of doing this. I don’t use many button holes as I usually leave my cardigans open. However, this will be a great way to try when I do. You come up with such clever solutions.
Thanks! As they say, necessity is the mother of invention!