Somehow I have it in my head that seaming a sweater is something I can do in an hour or two. I don’t know how this got in my head, but it’s there. But in reality, it takes me way longer. I have been seaming up the Fair Isle Sleeve Sweater since yesterday. I must be at least 4 hours into it, probably 5. :shock: I’ve seen the online tutorials, read how-tos in books, and even have taken a finishing class. And though the seaming looks okay, it still takes me forever to do. Anyone else?
I’ve decided that this is what I’m going to do from now on. Knit the fronts and back pieces first, then seam the shoulders once those are done. Knit one sleeve - seam it in, then knit the other sleeve and seam it in. Finish when the side side seams at the very end and whatever other finishing needs to be done. That way you’re not doing all the seaming at once, which seems VERY daunting to me usually! I’ve had a few UFO’s remain unfinished just because I don’t do the seaming :oops: .
FOR EV ER.
serioulsy. i think it took me an hour to do 2 little seams each 6 inches long.
um, three months? :oops: :roflhard:
Usually longer than it took to knit the damned thing!
Even a quick one feels like FOREVER. Any time not knitting just makes me grit my teeth.
The thing is, you want to go slow because you don’t want to be sloppy and have puckers/holes. But you want to go fast because come on let’s get on with knitting!
It always takes me longer than I expect, too. So long, in fact that I have a sweater sitting around from months ago that still needs the second sleeve. :oops:
Hi
OK - All that’s left to do is sew up the last remaining sleeve seam and sew four buttons on my grand daughter’s little (Spring) sweater, then I’ll take it to my daughter’s. … Three weeks later …zilch. Done nothing.
Compared to knitting, I just absolutely detest sewing - I can do it, it’s no sweat - it’s just a pain in the proverbial.
I think this happens alot - you’ve done so much work, knitting the thing, but the last job of all is so mind-blowingly tedious, that you rebel against it and start thinking of your next cast on. After all, you’re a knitter not a sewer.
If I don’t get a move on, Spring will be over or she’ll have outgrown it.
Do wish we could just glue the sleeves on and ditto with the sides.
Yours,
sighing and swearing
[color=green]Limey[/color]
:!!!: :grrr:
Hi
Finally attacked that sleeve this morning - good grief, it took well over an hour to mattress stitch a 10" sleeve, oversew two little cuffs and sew a few buttons on. I didn’t even have to weave in the ends as I’d done that earlier.
I’ll put a good three months aside for seaming that long cardigan I’m knitting for myself.
Thanks very much for the post, Mwedzi, - it got me to finish the sewing (at long last!)
All the Best
[color=green]Limey[/color]
“All this time their knitting goes on with unremitting speed. They sit rocking to and fro like so many weird wizards. They burn no candle, but knit by the light of the peat fire.”
The Rural Life of England, William Howitt, 1844 - no change there, then.
:roflhard: oh Mwedzi… it takes me about a year.
I am actually carrying a sweater back and forth to my house in the hills (from my city place) and each time I say "I will definitely sit down and seam this up this time) Then I carry it back to the city unseamed.
Actually, I did my first cardigan (and posted about it here) and it got easier and easier. But! Limey! Ingrid! I STILL HAVEN’T FINISHED THE LAST SLEEVE. And I enjoy mattress stitch now. sort of. It’s this thing about concentrating hard and being perfect that keeps you away from it.
Dang, I am going to do that last sleeve TOMORROW.
My seaming is lightening fast! (don’t hate me! :pout: )
Here is why:
- I use mattress stitch, where the right sides face you.
- I pin or klip my seams together to ready them for seaming. I place a little brass safety pin about every inch. As I seam along, I remove them.
- I do not always use the same yarn as the garment. For example, NORO yarn is impossible to seam with. I never seam using NORO yarn.
I keep several skeins of DMC Pearl Cotton on hand, in different colors. Lots of neutrals: black, grey, tan, etc. The skein goes a loooonnnng way. It will seam numerous garments. Seaming with Pearl Cotton is slick! And easy to see what yer doin’!
There are some neat little gadgets that help keep your seams ‘aligned’ when you are mattress seaming, besides safety pins. They are called KnitKlips. I saw her ad in Vogue Magazine or Interweave Knits. Anyway, they really speed up the process…because they hold the seams aligned for you as you “mattress stitch” your way up the bottom edge to the top!
If you do not already use MATTRESS STITCH…start. You will never regret ‘learning how’. Amy has an excellent video to help you.
Well, that is my 2 cents worth.
Artlady, I’m right there with you. Not only is my finishing very quick, I really enjoy it too. :oops:
I always seam from the right side, using the mattress stitch or kitchener/grafting.
I use mattress stitch, too, and my seams are lovely–I just can’t seem to get motivated to put them it. If I hadn’t learned mattress, I’d probably never make sweaters because my seams used to ruin the garment.
If I could knit everything together, I would. In fact, I’ve been making some afghan pieces that are supposed to be seamed, but I’ve been picking up and knitting as I go. I guess I’m just a knitter. :shrug: I’m never happier than when I finish a knit-in-one-piece sweater.
I hear ya Ingy. Even though I enjoy seaming, I still prefer to not have to seam if I don’t have to. I will always try to alter a pattern so I can knit it in the round first. My favorite sweater pattern is a top down seamless raglan… can you guess why? :teehee:
Knit sweaters top down in the round. No seaming.
:happydance:
Honestly haven’t tried seaming yet, but I learned to sew long before I learned to knit so I imagine it won’t bother me so much.
Me, too, but it still goes slowly. I’ve tried mattress stitch, kitchener, 3 needle bind off, crochet seaming. But somehow, I hate them all. :pout: Hey, Silver, wanna have some free fun seaming up my stuff. Huh? Huh? :teehee:
Thanks Artlady! That’s excellent info to know, esp to not seam with Noro… I can relate because my first cardigan was a natural sheepy yarn I got at a farm and I had to be super careful not to break it when I pulled the mattress stitch closed. I love your ideas… :cheering:
Yer welcome! Now that I think of it…very few of my knits are seamed with “self yarn”. Even if a “self yarn” will seam well (without a “tug-of-world-war-three”!)…I like the Pearl Cotton for contrast. It is so easy to see where the yarn is coming out and going in. BTW: if sometimes your seaming yarn won’t “pull up” or “cnch up”…it gets “stuck”…the problem is often that you crossed your seaming yarn over itself, forming a loose kinda knot…rather than the “lacing of shoes” mattress stitch. It is hard to describe…but…suffice it to say…if your seaming yarn won’t easily “cinch up”…undo it to the “jam”…and re-seam from there. I get in a hurry, and sometimes get my “wires crossed”! Just take your time. They say you should “cinch up” after every 4 or 5 “crossings”…but I get anxious…and go up about halfway up the home-stretch…that’s when I will get my “wires crossed”! :eyebrow: Then I end up pulling out some seaming to the “crossover” boo-boo. :pout:
FYI: the owner of my LYS uses tapestry yarn for seaming. It also works well and comes in a variety of colors to blend with your garment. Really, the only time the use of different seaming yarn is an issue is just at the edge of the cuffs or edge of the garment…so just be careful and tighten the seaming yarn well, and couch it discreetly back up the cuff a ways…hiding it. Don’t ever knot it. Just double back and backstitch it upwards again into the selvedges. You know what I mean. :teehee:
For those of you who detest seaming… why not get a professional finisher to assemble it, that way it will definitely look great!.. and the rest… you might get easier/better results if you block first (I know some of you don’t, naughty!), and tack the seams together about a centimetre away from where you will actually seam them up. And a smooth thinner matching thread for seaming will definitely make a big difference… maybe even better, more even seams.
Sarah
I just want to say that I’ve been knitting a sweater where the two halves of the back need to be seamed up the middle since they’re knit on the diagonal. I made a point to seam them before starting the fronts–just because of this thread!