• On Demand

    This course is self-paced and is available immediately after you enroll.

  • All Levels

    Great for beginners and all other levels interested in exploring this technique.

  • Webinar Format

    This video is formatted as a webinar, in a PowerPoint presentation style.

Create Modern Buttons Inspired by a Heritage Craft 

For three hundred years, intricately patterned buttons were produced in Dorset, England. These small, soft buttons made by wrapping linen thread around a wire ring were common during Jane Austen’s day. With the invention of machine-made buttons in the mid-nineteenth century, the Dorset button industry all but disappeared. But that history isn’t lost; now you can capture the joy of making buttons again.

Join Kate Larson as she shares some of the history of Dorset buttons and guides you through making several button styles. Kate will show you how to make Blandford Cartwheels and introduce you to several easy variations to get your creativity flowing. Learn to use both traditional materials and modern knitting yarns to make beautiful buttons for your next project.

With this video, you will:

  • Learn the history of Dorset buttons and the button makers in England. 
  • Create a Blandford Cartwheel button.
  • Explore several other button styles that are still made in Dorset today.
  • Discover how to incorporate additional colors, textures, and beads into your buttons.
  • Learn how to select and adapt knitting yarns to make stunning, modern buttons.
  • And more.


This video is formatted as a webinar, in a PowerPoint presentation style. Along with 48 minutes of video that captures Kate’s presentation, the accompanying workbook will help you follow along. Plus! You’ll also get a bonus article on the history of Dorset buttons and a knitting pattern for the Gold Hill Cowl. This beautiful lace cowl makes incorporating and adding Dorset buttons to a finished piece easy.

  • Learn how to create a Blandford Cartwheel button
  • Meet a Dorset sheep while your learn the history of dorset buttons
  • Discover how to incorporate additional colors, textures, and beads into your buttons

Materials:

  • Thread or yarn (Kate uses 2½ yards of handpainted sock yarn.)
  • Rings (Metal or plastic rings work, and Kate demonstrates using a 1" plastic ring.)
  • Needle and scissors


Included in the video package:

  • 48 minutes of video
  • Workbook
  • Bonus: Gold Hill Cowl knitting pattern
  • Bonus: A History of Dorset Buttons article


Prerequisites:

None.

Reviews

Beautiful buttonry

“Kate Larson bountifully described the Dorset button process and history in an eloquent manner & I am now confident to begin my first attempt.” - Bridget White

Instructor

Kate Larson

Kate Larson is the editor of Spin Off magazine. She keeps a flock of beloved Border Leicester sheep on her farm in Indiana and loves using fiber arts as a bridge between her passions for art and agriculture. Along with a degree in soil chemistry, her fiber journeys have led to travels through northern Europe and opportunities to teach handspinning and knitting around the United States. She is the author of The Practical Spinner’s Guide: Wool (Interweave, 2015), and several videos, including How to Spin on a Charkha (Long Thread Media, 2022). Her articles and designs have appeared in Spin Off, Jane Austen Knits, Enchanted Knits, Knitting Sweaters from Around the World, and more.

Kate Larson

Kate Larson is the editor of Spin Off magazine. She keeps a flock of beloved Border Leicester sheep on her farm in Indiana and loves using fiber arts as a bridge between her passions for art and agriculture. Along with a degree in soil chemistry, her fiber journeys have led to travels through northern Europe and opportunities to teach handspinning and knitting around the United States. She is the author of The Practical Spinner’s Guide: Wool (Interweave, 2015), and several videos, including How to Spin on a Charkha (Long Thread Media, 2022). Her articles and designs have appeared in Spin Off, Jane Austen Knits, Enchanted Knits, Knitting Sweaters from Around the World, and more.

Kate Larson

Kate Larson is the editor of Spin Off magazine. She keeps a flock of beloved Border Leicester sheep on her farm in Indiana and loves using fiber arts as a bridge between her passions for art and agriculture. Along with a degree in soil chemistry, her fiber journeys have led to travels through northern Europe and opportunities to teach handspinning and knitting around the United States. She is the author of The Practical Spinner’s Guide: Wool (Interweave, 2015), and several videos, including How to Spin on a Charkha (Long Thread Media, 2022). Her articles and designs have appeared in Spin Off, Jane Austen Knits, Enchanted Knits, Knitting Sweaters from Around the World, and more.

Kate Larson

Kate Larson is the editor of Spin Off magazine. She keeps a flock of beloved Border Leicester sheep on her farm in Indiana and loves using fiber arts as a bridge between her passions for art and agriculture. Along with a degree in soil chemistry, her fiber journeys have led to travels through northern Europe and opportunities to teach handspinning and knitting around the United States. She is the author of The Practical Spinner’s Guide: Wool (Interweave, 2015), and several videos, including How to Spin on a Charkha (Long Thread Media, 2022). Her articles and designs have appeared in Spin Off, Jane Austen Knits, Enchanted Knits, Knitting Sweaters from Around the World, and more.

Kate Larson

Kate Larson is the editor of Spin Off magazine. She keeps a flock of beloved Border Leicester sheep on her farm in Indiana and loves using fiber arts as a bridge between her passions for art and agriculture. Along with a degree in soil chemistry, her fiber journeys have led to travels through northern Europe and opportunities to teach handspinning and knitting around the United States. She is the author of The Practical Spinner’s Guide: Wool (Interweave, 2015), and several videos, including How to Spin on a Charkha (Long Thread Media, 2022). Her articles and designs have appeared in Spin Off, Jane Austen Knits, Enchanted Knits, Knitting Sweaters from Around the World, and more.

Video curriculum

    1. Welcome!

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Getting Started and Workbook

    3. Meet Your Instructor

      FREE PREVIEW

    4. Technical Support

    1. Introduction and History

    2. Materials and Supplies

      FREE PREVIEW

    3. Blandford Cartwheel Button Instructions

    4. Old Dorset Button Instructions

    5. Crosswheel Button Instructions

    6. Adding Beads to Your Buttons

    7. Making Better Buttons

    8. Resources and Conclusion

    9. Bonus Q&A

    1. Video Workbook

    2. Selected Resources

    3. Bonus: Gold Hill Cowl Pattern

    4. Bonus: A History of Dorset Buttons Article

About this video

  • $19.99
  • 17 lessons
  • 1 hour of video content

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