I know I have a long way to go on the vest before I need to worry about seaming it, but I’ve been doing some reading/video watching and something doesn’t quite seem right to me if I am understanding it correctly.
I am looking at the mattress stitch seaming and if I understand correctly this is done working on the RS of the work? If done RS doesn’t the seaming yarn show on the outside of the garment? Or am I missing something?
I’ve only used the matress stitch a few times, but everytime I have the stitch disappears into the knitting. You can always do a small swatch using the matress stitch to put your mind at ease.
It’s a lot easier than it looks and it’s totally hidden.
Best way I can think to describe it.
It’s done on the RS but it’s done to the purls so it binds the WS together and it’s hidden by the knits being pulled together.
You sew into the bars between the edge st and the one next to it (stretch some knitting and you’ll see them) and that draws those together and pushes the edge sts to the WS. But the sts pull in and the yarn you sew with gets covered up. Knit up a sample in leftover yarn and practice it and you’ll see. It’s another one of those things where you have to “trust the process”.
Look at the pictures this Knitty seaming page. You can see why it works and what it looks like.
http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring04/mattress.html
Rent
The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Knitting by Nici McNally.
She does a great job of showing the finishing process with sweaters.
Thanks Jan, those pictures helped a lot. I just couldn’t get my head wrapped around the idea of seaming the RS and not having it show.
Yeah, it doesn’t make sense till you see it. 
It really is magical and astounding! :teehee: The first time I did mattress stitch I just couldn’t believe that seaming something on the right side could just disappear and leave such a wonderful, nearly invisible seam.