Here are some helpful tips and techniques that will make your knitting look its best. Some of the most common techniques missing from a knitter´s toolkit are those having to do with “finishing’ or completing the garment. So please see my favorite ways to finish a garment below:
Shoulder Seams
My preferred method for finishing shoulder seams is the Three Needle Bind Off. I really like this technique because it gives a firm, but not inflexible, stitch. Most garments carry much of their “stress’ on the shoulders, so a good, strong seam here is imperative.
To work this, do NOT bind off the shoulder seam when you are done with it, but rather leave it on the needle (if you are working a design that has a staggered bind-off on the shoulder seam, then work short rows in place of the binding off—this technique is explained in detail with row by row instructions in the Agatha Sweaterdress design). Once you have the Back and Fronts of a garment completed, put the shoulder seams together (right sides together) and use a three needle bind-off as follows:
With the wrong side of the Front facing you and placed right sides together with the Back (you will have two needles placed parallel to each other and their tips pointing in the same direction), take a third needle and place it through the stitch on the first needle (Front of garment) as if to knit and then place it through the stitch on the second needle (Back of garment) as if to knit. Wrap the yarn as for a normal knit stitch and knit the two stitches together. Do this again for the next stitch—you will now have two completed stitches on the right-hand (RH) needle. With the tip of the left-hand (LH) needle, slip the first stitch on the RH needle over the second stitch on the RH needle, thereby binding off the first stitch. Continue across the row in this manner until there is one stitch left on the RH needle. Cut the yarn and pull through the last stitch.
Note: when working the Three Needle Bind Off, you do not need all of the needles to be exactly the same size, since you may not have duplicate needle sizes in your collection. As long as you are within one needle size of the needle you knit the garment in, the seam will turn out just fine.
Blocking
Blocking is just a fancy word for ironing or steaming yarn into shape. Learning to properly block a garment can be the difference between hand-made “wow!’ and homemade “euww!’, so take the time to block your garment if the instructions require blocking (some yarns are not suitable for blocking and the directions will specify NOT to block). For some fibers like rayon, the ironing will give an extra sheen to the yarn, which will really make your garment sparkle. Blocking before sewing pieces of a garment together will make the finishing process much easier since you will be able to see your increases and decreases and stitch “channels’ that you created during the knitting of the garment.
Place the garment piece(s) or item to be blocked on an ironing board and with your iron set to medium heat and medium steam, lightly press the piece, moving slowly and taking care not to stretch the piece out of shape. This is an up-and-down motion, NOT A SIDE-TO-SIDE MOTION! In other words, set the iron down on the place you are blocking, leave in place for a few seconds, pick the iron up entirely off the garment and then set it down again in another area. If an area wants to curl up, then give it a firmer press (with a little burst of steam if possible) until it lays flat. Keep in mind that the ironing is locking in the yarn´s “memory’, so move slowly and carefully. Let the piece sit on the ironing board for a couple of seconds before you move to another section. After all of the pieces are ironed, lay them on a table or a clean floor and let sit overnight. It is important to let the pieces sit for awhile (12-24 hours is best) so that the fibers retain the blocking. You may need to re-block after hand-washing the garment. If the garment looks tired, shapeless, or sloppy after hand-washing, then give it a little pressing and it will look crisp and fresh once again.
Notes on blocking:
Cotton or cotton-blend ironing board covers are better for blocking knitwear than the shiny metallic-type covers. If you have basic sewing skills, you can purchase a twill or heavy poplin fabric and make your own cover:
1.Lay your existing ironing board cover on the fabric and tracing around it (if you don´t have an existing cover, then just turn your iron upside down on the fabric and trace about 3-4 inches out around the ironing board).
2.Now you need to make a casing around the cover so that you can secure it to the ironing board. Take 1’ grosgrain ribbon and press it in half (yardage will depend on the size of your ironing board). Starting at one end of the fabric cover, stitch the folded ribbon around the raw edge of the fabric. Fold over the raw edge of the ribbon when you start so it doesn´t fray. Stitch to the other end of the cover, fold over the raw edge, and backtack. Do the same on the other side of the cover, leaving a small amount of space (about ¼’) between the first casing and the second casing.
3.Using 1/8’ rayon cording (the kind used for window shades is perfect) hooked to a safety pin, thread cording through each casing, leaving a “tail’ at each beginning and end of each casing. You will now have “tails’ at each end of the cover. Draw the cording taut until your cover is snugly around the iron. If you want a cover that is machine-washable, be sure to pre-wash the fabric and use a polyester (non-shrinking) grosgrain ribbon.