How to Perfectly Sew Seams When Knitting (3 Techniques to Try)

You must be amongst the many knitters who find the process of sewing the knitting pieces together frustrating. Aren’t you?

Well, all the knitters have a love and hate kind of relationship with seaming. Because while we love knitting up different projects, we might be afraid the ruin them by seaming the knitting pieces incorrectly.

In reality, the whole knitting project depends on how the different knitting pieces and parted are put together in the end, and that is where sewing seams comes into play.

There comes a time while knitting, when you just wish if you could have a magic wand that does the seaming on its own, yet making it perfect. Unfortunately we do not have a magic wand, but we can share with you 3 techniques you can put to these test.

These techniques will definitely help make your knitting projects look flawless. Let’s dig into the techniques a little deeper:

1. Mattress Stitch

Sewing seams in knitting can never go wrong with a mattress stitch. The mattress stitch technique is easy to learn. This technique is mostly used to sew vertical seams, for instance, the sides of sweater. You can also use it for various projects, however the application of this seaming technique is not limited to just these instances.

Instructions:

• Arrange the pieces of knitting which you want to sew together next to each other. The right side of the pieces shall be facing you.
• Pull out the yarn from the yarn you used previously for knitting the pieces. Take the measurement of knitting pieces that you are going to seam together and pull out the yarn about three times the length of the knitting pieces.
• Cut the yarn. Thread this yarn string through a needle.
• Secure the yarn by tying if from the bottom. You can also use a slip knot for tying the yarn tightly.
• Once you are done with securing the yarn through bottom, get ready to seam the pieces. Be very mindful, that the needle shall go from behind to front in the 1^st stitch of the knitting piece you want to join.
• Pull the yarn through. Don’t pull the yarn tightly because you can tighten the yarn string later.
• Twitch the edge of left knitting piece in order to show the gap with horizontal bars. The gap would be in between the edge and second to last row you have knitted.
• Put the needle beneath the 2 horizontal bars just near the bottom of knitting pieces.
• Now pull the yarn string up.
• If you want the seam tight, you can put the needle beneath one of the horizontal bars instead of two.
• To find the gap with the horizontal stitches, tug the edge of the right knitting piece. Put the needle beneath the 2^nd bottom horizontal bar. Now pull the yarn string through it.
• Put the needle back into the left piece. Go under 2 horizontal bars once more and pull the yarn through them.
• Once you are done with the left piece, put the needle back into the right knit piece. Continue sewing till you have got the mattress about 5 centimeters.
• Now pull the yarn gently to tighten your seam. In this way, the mattress stitch will become invisible.
• Continue inserting the needle under 2 horizontal bars until you reach the end of seam. Don’t forget to gently tighten the yarn after every 5cm.
• When the 2 pieces are joined, put the needle in the loop on the contrary piece.
• Pull the yarn string through loop to tighten it.
• Cut the yarn and leave a 2 inches tail behind.
• Weave the yarn’s end through knitting piece.

To view this visually, take a look at the video below by Lion Brand Yarn, where the mattress stitch is demonstrated.

2. Stockinette Stitch

Another important stitch that is used to sew seams in knitting is the stockinette stitch.

This vertical seam is worked from the right side of knit piece and is used to combine the two edges row by row. It helps in hiding the uneven stitches present at the row’s edge.

Instructions:

• Begin by threading the yarn in the needle. The yarn shall be of same color as the knitting pieces you want to join together.
• Create a stitch behind the right-hand piece to safe the yarn. In this way it won’t come unsown at bottom.
• Stretch the fabric a little to reveal the horizontal bars between stitches. Put the needle in the revealed horizontal bars.
• To get a perfect seam, ensure that you pair the stitches by sewing the exact same stitch from right and left sides of knit piece.
• You can also turn the knit pieces to 90 degree and sew them horizontally.
• In the end, when seam is finished weave the remaining yarn string on the opposite side to secure the seam.

Prefer a visual guide? The below is a great tutorial, that show you exactly how to seam in knitting using the stockinette stitch.

3. Top Stitch

Top stitches are generally used to create a seam that is visible from outside. It is not like the other ‘invisible’ stitches mentioned earlier.

Mostly it is done on the garment edges, for instance on necklines, hems etc. in this way, the top stitch not only gives a crisp edge but also help them to staying in same place.

Instructions:

• You can place the pieces next to each other so the edges are touching or you can hold the pieces together in such a way that the wrong sides face out. But if you hold the pieces together it will create a bump in seam and make the fabric look untidy.
• Put a thread in the needle and secure it from the end. Now put the needle into the stitch that you fin closest.
• Carry the needle through the other knitting piece and twitch the yarn thread gently.
• turn the needle on opposite direction and out it inside the stitch present above the yarn.
• Put the needle into the same knitting piece from which you just pulled the tapestry needle through. Pull the yarn through other knit pieces as well.
• Don’t forget to keep space between your stitches even while working along the stitches.
• Don’t pull the thread yarn too tight.
• Tug the yarn thread gently. Pull the yarn through the last loop at the end of knitting pieces.
• Cut the yarn and leave about 2 inches piece. Weave the yarn end inside the knitting pieces.

The video below by Knitting Board explains visually, very well, the top stitching technique, but not only! So I highly recommend you watching it.

Finally, we hope these 3 techniques will now help you sew up your seams when knitting, a little bit easier.