knitabit

Piecemeal

I finished knitting all of the components of the Everyday Cardigan yesterday afternoon. I am determined to do a good job on the finish work this time around.

First, blocking:

This is the nifty blocking board my mom made me several years ago. It's got a 1" x 1" gingham base on it, which makes it real handy for getting a rough estimate on measurements. I ran out of pins, so only the top piece (actually, it's the back) is completely pinned. I used my little fabric steamer to block the pieces into shape.

Here I am getting ready to seam the right shoulder:

I "basted" the two pieces together to make sure my stitches were lined up. Then I used a weaving technique, described in Wiseman's finishing book (I also saw it in Vogue's Ultimate Knitting book.) It's almost like a kitchener stitch, and made what I think are the best shoulder seams I've ever done!!

I've got one sleeve attached, today I'll get the other one on and maybe tackle the side seams.

My mental approach has been to take my time and to try and be as meticulous about the seaming as I am about my knitting. In the past, I've rushed through the finish work because I don't like the part of the project and besides, I'm usually in a hurry to wear it. NOT THIS TIME!

Comments

Way to stick to the finish line. It sounds to me like your new comittment to nice finishing is going to pay off.
Looks very good.

Posted by: Stephanie at May 10, 2004 09:46 PM