The Importance of Seams

Seams -- a word that generates fear in some knitters, even to the point of trying to avoid them at all costs. Having recently completed the Sample Stitch Kimono, I had the opportunity to spend a great deal of time not only thinking about, but in fact creating seams.

Now it would be a lie to say that enjoy seaming, but I do get a great deal of satisfaction having completed a seam that is done particularly well. And although there are many classes on finishing, it is a topic that I believe the more options you are aware of, the better chance of having a finished product you are happy with!

And of course, there is no substitute for experience! Seaming stitches to stitches has always been easier for me than seaming rows to rows. However, seaming stitches to rows never bothered me as much because the "fudge factor" was never quite as obvious.

Almost all the seams in the Sample Stitch Kimono are rows to rows, so I had an opportunity to gain a lot of experience. Below are my observations (for what they are worth):

• If both pieces have a slipped stitch edge they are easy to seam, but not a "sturdy". If only one does, it compounds the difficulty of seaming rows.


• A stockinette selvedge edge was easier for me to work with, especially if I was trying to only catch half a stitch in the seam.


• In most cases, catching a whole stitch does not add significant bulk to the seam, but great improves the look of the finished product.

What are your experiences in creating seams?

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Finished Project

Okay -- so it took a while to get this posted, but I have been very busy getting ready to upload a complete revamp of my website along with preparing new product for the TNNA show in January. My New Year's resolution is to post to one of my three different blogs each day.

Notice how the flap on the purse isn't wavy along the bottom edge. Although I did block it slightly, it is based on the method decribed below. Now if you want to know how the purse holds it shape, you will just have get the pattern -- which will be availabe immediately after TNNA (middle of January)!!

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Managing the Rippled Edges of Cables

This is my project of the moment. Any guesses as to what it is to become? I have enjoyed textural knitting since I was introducted to my first cable and this project has had me thinking about the best way to minimize the rippled edges that often occur with heavily cabled fabrics. The reason for the ripple is fairly simple:

Cables, in most cases, pull in the fabric creating a denser gauge, but along the edges (beginning or ending) the effect of the cable hasn't taken hold. The result is a less dense (or wider) fabric at the edges versus in the middle and more fabric means ripples.

So what is a knitter to do?

There are two approaches, one is a scientific, mathematical approach and one is less structured and based on what "seems" to be right! Let's start with the mathematical approach. You would begin by determining the average gauge across the cabled fabric and the average gauge for stockinette (or whatever your background was). Divide your total number of stitches for the cabled fabric by its average gauge. Then multiple that result by the average stockinette gauge. Subtract the result from the total number of stitches in the cabled fabric and you have the number of stitches that need to be adjusted at the beginning or the end. Simple -- right?!?!?! Okay, not so simple -- at least for many knitters.

The other way is a bit more intuitive and may require some trial and error, but I find to be successful. Start with a provisional cast on (that is the pink ribbon in the picture above). Once the fabric is established you can see at which points it wants to ripple and at which points it wants to lay flat. At the points that it wants to ripple, you will need to do a decrease before binding off or starting your ribbing (after picking up the stitches from the provisional cast on). Usually this occurs at the point you switch between knits and purls or at cable crossings. If you make notes, you can do the same thing at the other end of the work.

Watch for a future post to see the finished item and learn other knitting tips and tricks from the Knitting Professor!

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Magical Mosaic

Mosaic knitting, it is one of those techniques that seems to go unnoticed most of the time. If you are not familiar mosaic knitting, it is a slip stitch technique that utilizes two colors. Row 1 is a series of knits (rarely purls) and stitches slipped with the yarn in back. Row 2 is work in the same color and each stitch is worked as it was on row 1. Stitches of the same color are knit and stitches of the "other" color are slipped with yarn in front (wrong side of the work). Rows 3 & 4 would be similar, but worked in the second color.

The reason I bring this up is that you can create some really beautiful and complex looking patterns in a relatively simple manner utilizing the mosaic knitting technique. Recently, I just completed the first project in a three project series on working with colors in a variety of ways (a new Class In A Bag project). The project is a simple eyeglass case, but the pattern makes it a really interesting finished piece of work!

If you haven't tried mosaic color work it really is easy, interesting and fun!

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Flat or Circular?

So I have been reworking my hand outs for my "Flat to Circular and Back Again" class and it has made me think about working flat versus working circular. Most of the folks that come to class are trying to get from flat to circular, but how many need to get back again?

Creating the fabric as you create the garment provides a great deal of flexibility in the construction, but I think that my not always be a good thing. The reality is that seams provide garment stability and structure and for some garments, this is critical. Also for most knitters, our gauge working back and forth is different than our gauge working in the round. If you exclude yoked sweaters and sweaters with steeks, most "seamless" sweaters require knitting both flat & circularly. So what is a knitter to do?

Well, I have to confess that generally I prefer the uninterrupted pattern resulting from the lack of seams. But I also know that often the structure of the seam is critical to the piece. Every knitted item has to be considered based on its own criteria and there is no "best answer". So I guess when asked whether flat or circular my answer is the not very helpful "it depends"!

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