Sturdy Cast-Ons:
Long Tail CO
Knitted CO
Sturdy Bind-Off
Stretchy CO
Simple Stretchy BO
Fixing Loose Stitches and Snags
Podcast Episode 52: This is Your Brain, This is Knitting (the episode with Psychologist Art Markman and project vs. project knitters)
A way to fix the shank button problem is to buy Cotter Pins. When you push the shank through the fabric, they hold it in place at the back and you can remove the buttons to wash the garment. This will only work if the holes are large enough for the pins.