How to Sew Together a Striped Project in Knitting

Reserve excess project yarn to sew together the pieces.

Beginning and intermediate knitters may prefer completing pieces of a striped project separately rather than frequently changing colors while knitting. To complete the project, the striped pieces must be sewn together. The optimal sewing technique will feature invisible stitches, maintaining the visual integrity of the individual stripes. To invisibly join knitted pieces that are composed of the basic knitted stitch, or stockinette stitch, use the mattress stitch. The technique joins the knitted pieces into a seam that is only noticeable to the touch.

Things You'll Need

• Metal yarn needle
• Yarn
• Scissors
• Masking tape (optional)

Instructions

1. Lay the knitted pieces flat on the work surface with right sides facing up and line up the edges. Thread the yarn needle and cut the yarn. A length of approximately 16 to 18 inches will maximize control while sewing.

2. Join the bottom corners of the knitted pieces. Thread the needle and pull downward through the bottom corner of the right piece of knitting. Do not pull the thread completely through. Leave 1 to 2 inches of yarn loose. Insert the needle upward through the bottom corner stitch of the left piece.

3. Pull the needle back over and loop it back toward the right piece of knitting. Pull the needle through the underside of the right bottom corner stitch. Pull the thread taut to join the two pieces, avoiding pulling the loose end of the thread through.

4. Thread the needle underneath the horizontal thread that lies directly adjacent to the edge stitch on the left piece of knitting. Repeat on the right side, forming a loop between the two pieces. This technique is the basic mattress stitch. Complete several more stitches, and gently pull the thread to tighten the seam between the rows.

5. Continue sewing mattress stitches to join the two pieces of knitting. Gently tighten the thread every few stitches. Continue until the knitted pieces have been fully joined together.

6. Complete the project by repeating the initial joining technique to secure the top right and left corners of the knitted pieces. Weave the ends of the thread through the back side of the knitted pieces.

References

• Knitty; Techniques with Theresa: Putting it All Together; Theresa Vinson Stenerson; 2004
• Knit Simple: Seaming