Great thank you for the tips and tricks.
i have very roughly pinned the one of the first sleeves sides to the back panel and it’s seeming with a very small amount of smooshing I’ll be able to do it without tinking yayy!
Ahhhh it’s the final countdown!!
A common ratio of stitches to rows is 3 sts to 4 rows.
If the gauge is 21 sts to 28 rows
21:28
Both sides of the ratio can be divided by 7
3:4
Another example is
20 sts : 24 rows
4:5
Use the pattern, or your notes, or the fabric to get your gauge, number of sts per 4" and number of rows per 4"
I know I’ve seen tutorials for these ratios but not sure where, maybe roxanne richardson, I think she showed an awkward number example which was helpful for me.
Heres a basic tutorial from purl soho which might be enough
https://www.purlsoho.com/create/seaming-stockinette-stitch-stitches-to-rows/?srsltid=AfmBOord3sV6IsuPdx8FR8_NkNfDe2A6ahtUVBmIURxtZkqZAW7JBrsy
The ratio is usually used for sts to rows, that’s a good section of your seaming but not all. The other sections I’d just count sts on the fabric.
Say i had 20 sts one edge of the curve but 30 the other i have 20:30 so I’d seam 2:3 in that section
(1 st to 1 st, 1 st to 2 sts) repeated. Always making sure the first and last stitches in a section meet up perfectly.
You can always come back here if you’re at all unsure.
I think you’re pinned a tiny bit out. I marked this to bring your attention to how the sleeve cables align with body cables
I know you pinned the back and I’ve marked the photo of the front, the green section will need to be on just the same row on all 4 seams.
You tell the fabric where to go, it doesn’t tell you. It might feel like the curve needs more space when all laid flat but it’s more important to get the cables, saddle and neck in the right place.
The angle of the end of the saddle will be a bit jagged but you’ll pick up for the nekband and it will be smooth after the pick up.
Seaming can always be undone and redone so if you don’t like it you can undo and have another go.
This is so so so helpful. I’m so grateful for you guys. Going to go and have a look at it now.
EDIT so after that panic i’ve been able to pin it!
Yes!
Whoop whoop!
See, you have to tell the fabric what to do.
I wonder if your sleeve cable should go up one or two rows? It seems to me the body side of pin 7 (counting from underam up) might be better aligning to the sleeve side of pin 6. Now that you have it so well smooshed it looks like 19 or 20 sts each side in those textured panels, if so you can join stitch to stitch, 1:1
So 5 hours later and I think I’ve managed the sleeve cap seaming. Don’t think it looks too bad actually. You guys may think different hahah! I did what you said about moving it up too whether it’s noticeable I’m unsure. Sleep now and then to tackle the saddle shoulder which I’ve just draft pinned for now and then the other sleeves. I wonder how much I can get done.
This is so exciting! I can’t wait for the next episode 
Great!
It looks very neat. Everything looks well placed.
It does take some time to seam. It is definitely worth the effort. Now that you have one edge all in place the others will be easier to position.
Does you pattern have you join all 4 seams and work the neck band in the round? Or does it have a seam left open for working the neckband flat?
Hahahah I’m probably the most annoying person on this forum…dragging things out,..suspense
My instructions say seam all and do the neck in the round. But when I did my Xmas jumper for my niece I think it said similar and I ended up leaving one open as it was easier?
You can leave a seam, usually one of the back raglans open and then knit back and forth on the neckband if you prefer. You might pick up an extra stitch because you’ll be seaming up the raglan into the collar and you want to make sure the neck isn’t too tight.
Which would be the raglan on mine? Would that be where the saddle shoulder meets the back? So leave that open?
You can leave one full sleeve seam unseamed. That will give the best access if you want to do the neckband flat.
Another option is seaming up to the saddle but leaving the saddle open, this gives more access than knitting in the round but it will not open out fully. You would need to make use of the cable of the circular needle to help you around the bend even though knitting ‘flat’ back and forth.
I usually start and end with an extra stitch, tends to be something like a k2 at each end so that when i seam 1 stitch of each edge disappears into the seam and result in a single k2 (not k4).
If you wanted to try the neckband in the round you could seam the lasst of the 4 seams but leave the tails loose, not woven in, then try the neckband in the round. If it goes well, all good, if not you can pull out that mattress stitch seam, knit flat, reseam. It depends how many different things you feel like trying.
Thank you!!
Still seaming and it’s going well. I’m guessing that I’ll be doing the body to body seam and sleeve to sleeve seam once the neck is done?
Any idea on how to do the neck? These are the instructions but just wondering with it being a jagged edge how to pick up stitches. Any videos or anything?
It helps to divide the neckline into sections, maybe fourths. That way you can pick up about a fourth of the sts (35sts in your pattern) in each section. It doesn’t have to be exact, but somewhat close to that number.
You can fold the sweater at the neck in half and mark the halfway point with a marker. The gap where you have left a seam open is one side of that halfway point. Then fold again to find the quarter points and mark them.
Instead of beginning mid-back, begin picking up at the open seam. Here’s a video with some useful ratios for picking up sts.
My tip is to put a life line in the live sts before you start the neckband and that way if you don’t like where you picked up you can easily undo an have another go.
The jagged won’t be so jagged when you pick up the sts.
You might need to rewrite the row to get your little neck cables in the right place where you want them as you will be starting at the open edge instead of centre back. it’s an opportunity to decide where you’d like the little cables as they don’t strictly habe to be where the patern says.
Great stuff!!
Well well well we have more progress….
A whole seam (and a half) done!! I tell you what though it’s been a nightmare (good practice though) so if I was to do this pattern again or any like it I might think about doing a selvage stitch of knit stitches to avoid doing this. Think I’ve still managed alright though, especially for first time!
You might not want to hear this but it’s usually the back left seam left open for working the neckband flat. Here you’ve (very nicely) seamed the back left.
You can undo it, seam the 2 front seams or you can make your opening on a front seam or you can try the neckband in the round.
Seaming the neckband leaves a little bulge of selvedge inside and sometimes a little jog on the edge, which is why it’s usually put to the back of the neck, but mattress stitch can look seamless on the RS of the fabric so you could do that.
I had a feeling you’d comment on that. Mu thinking though was that it could be any of the two back seams so I was going to leave the saddle shoulder of the back right open. I know this still isn’t completely flat but I’ll see how well I get on with that. If k find it bad I’ll undo it so completely opens.
Always knitters choice, just trying to be helpful.
