For the love of all that is hole-y, help me seam
December 13, 2024 5:20 AM Subscribe
MetaKnitters, help me seam, please. I have a hat to sew up by tomorrow and I am doing my nut over it.
I have Googled, and Ravelried, but nothing seems to stick (no pun intended). I can knit adequately well and I have made a lovely squishy hat on straight needles (I know, circulars would have solved the issue but here we are). My complete blind spot is seaming. I just don't see where the needle needs to go, even when I look at instructions.
Can you point me at anything that might help with this? Videos, articles, diagrams, the simpler the better? If it helps, the hat is essentially one big rib pattern in super chunky (so very, very squishy). Your fave idiot's guide to blanket stitch - whatever method you've found most useful.
I have Googled, and Ravelried, but nothing seems to stick (no pun intended). I can knit adequately well and I have made a lovely squishy hat on straight needles (I know, circulars would have solved the issue but here we are). My complete blind spot is seaming. I just don't see where the needle needs to go, even when I look at instructions.
Can you point me at anything that might help with this? Videos, articles, diagrams, the simpler the better? If it helps, the hat is essentially one big rib pattern in super chunky (so very, very squishy). Your fave idiot's guide to blanket stitch - whatever method you've found most useful.
I really like Moogly for their clear tutorials, though they focus on crochet. But for seaming it’s very similar if not identical. Here’s their joining and seaming posts, you probably want mattress stitch.
Seaming does not need to be perfect. If you are especially concerned, do it a bit loosely with long tails and then pull it tight to gather all scrunched up. Then put the garment on/stretch it into the desired shape. Once you have it to your liking, work in your ends. Remember, you can hide seams on the inside of a piece if making something invisible isn’t working out for you.
posted by Mizu at 6:11 AM on December 13, 2024 [5 favorites]
Seaming does not need to be perfect. If you are especially concerned, do it a bit loosely with long tails and then pull it tight to gather all scrunched up. Then put the garment on/stretch it into the desired shape. Once you have it to your liking, work in your ends. Remember, you can hide seams on the inside of a piece if making something invisible isn’t working out for you.
posted by Mizu at 6:11 AM on December 13, 2024 [5 favorites]
For me, I needed to see illustrations rather than videos or photos of actual knitting. This For Dummies illo is OK but the one from The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques by Nancie M. Wiseman (which I HIGHLY recommend) is what made it click for me: imgur link for right now but seriously buy the book it's great.
posted by mskyle at 7:40 AM on December 13, 2024 [3 favorites]
posted by mskyle at 7:40 AM on December 13, 2024 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Knitty’s mattress stitch tutorial has helped me.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 8:37 AM on December 13, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 8:37 AM on December 13, 2024 [2 favorites]
I'm assuming your hat is similar to this pattern from Spruce Crafts?
I found this seaming video from Alexis Winslow/Knit Darling helpful when stitching together a sweater. Placing markers at different lengths, to keep the stitching even, made my life much easier since I always ended up with a few extra rows on one side!
Good Luck!
posted by bCat at 8:39 AM on December 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
I found this seaming video from Alexis Winslow/Knit Darling helpful when stitching together a sweater. Placing markers at different lengths, to keep the stitching even, made my life much easier since I always ended up with a few extra rows on one side!
Good Luck!
posted by bCat at 8:39 AM on December 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
If you have a local yarn store, the workers are supnice and can literally hold your hands and show you how.
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 11:19 AM on December 13, 2024 [3 favorites]
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 11:19 AM on December 13, 2024 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Thank you all for your suggestions. I watched the vids, looked at the pics and seamed and unseamed until my eyes fell out of my head. I was closer, but the bloody seam still looked like one of the cat's hairballs. Then I slept, tried again the next morning and managed something almost creditable in a couple of tries. How did that happen? And the hat I finished today was seamed even more quickly.
All your answers really did help but the two I've marked as best answers were the ones that I think triggered the "little grey cells", albeit while unconscious.
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 6:21 AM on December 18, 2024 [2 favorites]
All your answers really did help but the two I've marked as best answers were the ones that I think triggered the "little grey cells", albeit while unconscious.
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 6:21 AM on December 18, 2024 [2 favorites]
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