craftgrrl | Knitted Cotton Neckwarmer

The first of my Christmas-giving knitting! A button-up neckwarmer with (I think) a cute little design to make it exciting as well as functional.

The pattern for this is pretty easy to alter to suit whatever you want to do with it, but I can tell you how this one was done:

The yarn is actually pure cotton, a French brand that I picked up second hand and is out of production as far as I can tell. It's 8-stranded (which is quite thick), but honestly, you could use any comfy yarn you like, as long as you knit it to a gauge that's elastic without being loose. I used UK size 8/US 6/4mm needles, but I'm a very tight knitter. It doesn't really matter what you use, as long as the knitting has some structure, because it needs to hold itself up a little. Okay, rambling about wool and needles over.

Pattern:

Cast on 30 stitches.
K 5 rows.
*Seed/Moss stitch 2 rows
K 2 rows*
Repeat between * twice (so three sets total)

Knit until the whole piece is long enough to go around your neck, but only just.
SS/MS 2 rows.
K 2 rows.
Make buttonholes in this row. Where and how many buttons is a matter of taste, but mine are 7 stitches in on each side.
K 2
Cast Off

Sew buttons on to the first five rows, near the edge so the pattern will show.
Give to a loved one to keep them warm (or keep it for yourself. Or knit two and do both).