Life and Seams: Stitching It Together

Project – Fair Isle Cardigan
Bernat Pattern Book #530198 Ready Set Snow
Yarn – Bernat Softee Chunky in Grey Ragg, Grape, Grass, Teal, Aqua
Blogger – DinaPurls

Sometimes it feels as if my cardigan is at a stand-still.  It’s not that I’ve lost love for the project.  Our current cold-snap (which includes wet snow) has made the cardigan a need-now item.  But sometimes life conspires against you.  After-hours workshops have eaten up free-time and sick kids have zapped my dwindling energy supply.  Ugh and double ugh!

Somewhere in the hustle-bustle, I did manage to finish both sleeves .  Seriously, if it weren’t for this blog, I’d feel hard-pressed to go on.  What do you do when life interrupts your knitting adventure?  How do you stay focused or inspired to carry on?

Thankfully with the sleeves done, I started seaming.  And I love seamless seams!  For the raglan seam, I used the mattress stitch.  First I laid the two pieces flat with the right side showing.  After matching up the stripes, I inserted the needle between two stitches and “grabbed” the horizontal bar.

Then I repeated on the other side.

Continuing back and forth, the seaming yarn created a zigzag pattern.

When I gently pulled the  sewing yarn, the seam disappeared!

The mattress stitch also worked for the cast-off edges (under the arm).  Generally I work from the right and move left.  Again I laid the items to be seamed  with the right side showing.  Then I inserted the needle from right to left so that my needle went under the point of the “V”.

Then I repeated with the next stitch on the top piece, inserting the needle through the point of the “V ” from right to left.

“Fake” stitches are created in the process so that the seam appears seamless.

Lots of knitters find seams a little intimidating.  For a long time, I was too.  Not anymore.

Happy seaming.

DinaPurls :S