While it might seem a little early to be talking about joining up the pieces of your Unite Sweater or Reunite Cardigan, honestly, these garments knit up so quickly in Something To Knit With Aran, you’re going to be ready to sew up before you know it. So today, we’ve got not one, not two, but three video tutorials in which Jen shows you how to bring together your sweater or cardigan without breaking a sweat!
Photo Credit: Jesse Wild
Pieced sweaters can, I think, divide the room (assuming us knitters were able to gather!) a bit, with some loving the extra stability that comes with seams and others avoiding sewing up at all costs. And here’s where I’m completely honest and admit (in a whisper) that I’ve never sewn up a knitted garment. But in her typical style, Jen so clearly shows just how straightforward it is in this trio of videos, that I now feel it’s wholly achievable. Which is a good thing, as I’ve already cast on for the back of a Unite Sweater.
Once you’ve knitted the back, front(s) and sleeves of your (Re)Unite and blocked them, grab some pins and you’re ready to sew your first seams. You begin by joining your shoulder seams. Back stitch provides the stability you’ll need for that weight-bearing seam. Jen shows you how it’s done: Joining Shoulder Seams with Back Stitch (YouTube link)
With your shoulders firmly joined together, it’s now time to fit your (still flat) sleevehead into a (still flat) armhole. For this move, we’re using mattress stitch. And guess what: you do it from the right side! So you can see the whole time if things are lining up as you want. Let’s watch it happen: Setting in a Sleevehead with Mattress Stitch (YouTube link)
With your shoulders joined and sleeves set in, you’ll have a very flappy looking piece of knitting. But never fear! Only two seams stand in the way of you and a nearly finished garment! You’ll be once again using mattress stitch to sew up the side of your garment and the sleeve in one fell swoop. Then you’ll repeat on the second side. If you’re not already comfortable with mattress stitch, you will be by the time you’re done with the first side! Joining Sleeves and Side Seams in One (YouTube link)
With your garment sewn together, all the remains is to pick up stitches for your neckband and, in the case of the Reunite Cardigan, the button and buttonhole bands, and you’ll be ready to snuggle up in your ever-so-cosy garment!
Photo Credit: Jesse Wild.
Are you ready to get your seam on? If you’d like to cast on for one of Natalie Warner’s fabulous patterns, the Unite Sweater or Reunite Cardigan, you can grab the Something To Knit Together Winter Edition eBook in the online shop. You can also snap up one of the remaining Something To Knit Together Winter Edition Everything Kits (which includes enough yarn for one garment and three accessories from the collection) or forego a kit and grab yourself a sweater quantity of Something To Knit With Aran.* It’s not only on sale at the time of writing, but you can also use your exclusive Something To Knit Together Winter Edition discount (contained in your eBook welcome pack) for extra savings. And if you’re feeling at all nervous about seaming, you’ve got a great chance to practise with the Fond Mittens from this collection! We are also, of course, knitting along together over in The Knitalong Hub — we’d love to cheer you on there!
And just a quick, final note on our video tutorials if you’re new to them or have not watched one for a while. All our recently produced videos include include subtitles and chapters that allow you to easily navigate to different parts of the video, especially helpful if you just need to review one part of the video. We embed our YouTube videos into these blog posts. You can turn on subtitles on embedded videos, but you won’t be able to see chapter divisions. Similarly, if you view the videos in YouTube, you also have more options to change the subtitles appearance and size (turn subtitles on and then hit the tool wheel). So this is just a little reminder that you can also find all these videos on our YouTube channel (you can also subscribe to the channel and never miss a video!)
*For our EU Customers: As of 1st January 2021, EU customers placing orders over €22 may be taxed at the border and may incur a customs handling fee in the receiving country. Orders over €150 may also incur customs duties. These charges are the responsibility of the customer. The levels and thresholds vary from country to country - please contact the customs office in your country if you'd like to know more.