A basic recipe and photo tutorial for a sturdy, elegant, double-faced stockinette buttonband and a matching self-reinforced buttonhole. This band can be applied to most cardigans (crew-neck or v-neck) and works at a wide variety of gauges. Since this band is applied after your sweater is finished there is no need to match a specific gauge or stitch pick up ratio.

If you wish to knit a collar that is separate from your sweater (rather than picking up stitches from the neckline), attaching it using back stitch makes a neat, decorative finish. Knitting a collar separately allows you to use your cast on as the finished edge of the collar, which can open up a lot of interesting possibilities.