Some sweater patterns call for bands and collars that are knit as separate pieces and sewn on at
the end. Others indicate that you knit the band or collar directly onto the garment by picking up
stitches. Either way, it’s a good idea to acquaint yourself with the various parts of a sweater.
Button Bands, Neckbands, Plackets, and Collars.
BUTTON BANDS
Some cardigans are finished with strips of knitting along the vertical edge
called button bands; one button band has buttonholes on it, and the other
has buttons sewn to it. Button bands can be worked in various stitch
patterns but are commonly worked in ribbing, seed stitch, or garter stitch,
so they lie flat. They are frequently worked using needles that are one or
two sizes smaller than the needles used for the garment, to give a neat
appearance. When working button bands, you should knit the band that
holds the buttons first; you mark the placement of the buttons on the band
by using stitch markers, and then when you knit the buttonhole band, you
work the buttonholes to correlate with your markings. You place buttons
on the left band for women and on the right band for men.NECKBANDS
Like button bands, neckbandsare frequently worked on smaller needles
in ribbing, seed stitch, or garter stitch. Neck shaping by itself often has an
unfinished or uneven look to it, so it is generally desirable to attach or knit
on a neckband. There are many varieties of neckbands—crewneck, v-neck,
and square neck, to name a few.PLACKETS
Placketsare button bands that form an opening near the neck. Plackets
can be placed vertically at the neck in either the front or back of a sweater,
or they can be worked horizontally across the shoulder in place of a
shoulder seam. Pullovers for babies and toddlers frequently use the latter
version of plackets. You should work the button band portion of the placket
first, mark it for button placement, and then work the buttonhole portion
of the placket, working the buttonholes to correlate to the markings.