Letters
Mood Cardigan: The Seaming
Dear Ann,
I’m not proud of myself, but I just proved Patty Lyons right.
You know Patty’s wise admonition for reading knitting patterns: WORDS ON PAGE. NO ASSUMPTIONS. In my first attempt to seam my Mood Cardigan, I messed that one up, big time.
My failure to heed Patty’s advice sent me into a total—although blessedly brief—meltdown, during which I sent out emergency DMs to the designer, Jeanette Sloan, and the sample knitter, Susan Mitz, asking them whether the back section was supposed to ruffle or had I knit it too big or blocked it too big or whatever.
The back was not supposed to ruffle, and I hadn’t knit or blocked anything to the wrong size.
I won’t tell you what I got wrong. I don’t want that mental error to infect your brain one little bit. But my mistake was based on an assumption I made about the placement of markers a certain distance in from the edges of both the sleeve and the body rectangle of the cardigan. The words on the page? They were just fine. Had I simply followed them, Jeanette and Susan could have gone about their day without my panicky cries for help.
Seaming the Mood Cardigan
I will tell you how I did seam my Mood Cardigan, eventually and perfectly, as directed by the pattern.
I steam blocked the sleeve section and the body rectangle to their correct dimensions on the schematic.
I placed a marker 8.75 inches (22 cm) from each end of the body rectangle. I placed a third marker at the center of the same edge.
I placed a marker 8.75 inches (22 cm) from the top of each cuff on one edge of the sleeve.
I placed a third marker at the center of the sleeve on the other edge.
(Placing center markers was not directed by the pattern, but I love a center marker, and it can do no harm.)
I laid the body rectangle flat on the table, face up, with the edge with the markers on it at the top.
I laid the sleeve flat on the table, with the side with the center marker face up, aligned with the center marker on the body rectangle.
Center markers: align!
I scootched the two pieces into position so that the two end markers on the body rectangle lined up with the tops of the two cuffs of the sleeve section. (This required very little scootching because the marked section of the body rectangle is the exact same length as the length between the two cuffs of the sleeve.)
I worked a mattress stitch seam to attach the body rectangle to the sleeve, forming the back of the cardigan. I worked the seam in two pieces, from the center marker out, because that is the way I like to do mattress stitch seams.
Ah . . . mattress stitch.
This is how it looked when the back seam was done, with the end flaps still unattached to the other side of the sleeve section.
I flipped the whole cardigan over to the other side, so that the markers on the sleeve were now facing up.
I turned the unattached end flaps of the body rectangle to the front of the cardigan and matched up their ends to the (green) markers on the sleeve section.
The yarn: Neighborhood Fiber Company Rustic Fingering, shade Cooper Circle, single-stranded.
And now the seaming is done, and I’m ready to pick up stitches along all three sides and work the mitered rib.
It was easy! I needn’t have worried! WORDS ON PAGE. NO ASSUMPTIONS. In other words, get out of your own way, lady. Let the pattern do the work for you.
A Tip on Placing Center Markers
I place center markers on seams (and sometimes even center markers between center markers) so that I don’t end up stretching or bunching the knitted fabric when I seam. It’s especially important on a seam like this one, which is a visible and very beautiful feature of the back of the cardigan. You want the back of the cardigan to hang dead straight, with no warbles from scrunching or stretching the fabric along the seam.
the magnificence of a warble-free seam. Photo by Sam Sloan.
When marking the center of the sleeve and body rectangle, it’s fine to fold each piece in half and put the marker on the fold, or use a tape measure to determine the center point. But if you want to be extra happy with your seam, after you do that, lay out the piece and count the repeats of the lace pattern that are between the end markers, and make sure that the center marker is in the exact center. For example, if you have 30 repeats of the lace pattern between the two cuffs, be sure that the center marker is between repeat number 15 and repeat number 16. This works whether you are counting the repeats horizontally (on the body rectangle) or vertically (on the sleeve). This way you know that you have the exact same number of stitches or rows on either side of the center marker.
Love,
Kay
Such good advice- Read the directions.
It’s beautiful knitting, lovely fabric, and nice weather for outdoor mattress stitch.
So when are you going to model?
Preferably with Olive, of course!
That depends on whether she meets my modeling fee and if I have time in my busy schedule. I think I can fit her in between the Cartier shoot and St. Laur….IS THAT A SQUIRREL?!?!?
oh, did I ever click to save this (although at the rate I’m plodding along I should be seaming waaaayyyyy past Chanukah, Xmas, Kwanzaa and mebbe New Year’s). Thanks, Kay!
So-o helpful. Particularly in spelling out the sequence of events. I am not methodical by nature so this might help to train my mind a little bit.
Seaming that beautiful cardigan perfectly reminds of how the right frame will ‘make’ a picture. Thank you for passing along what you learned.
You are ramping up my desire to make this cardigan!
I’m 2/3 of the way through the body so will be heeding this advice soon. Thank you for all of your great tips! Maybe I’ll be successful, too
Thank you Kay. I’m nowhere near that point, but this article will be enormously helpful to me when I get there. And congratulations on your beautiful sweater!
Thank you, so helpful. I have the sleeve portion done and I am about to start the body. I’ll be keeping this!
Thank you now I know a better way to make my seems look better
I’m having a week of learning not to be so impatient to get things done that I rush and mess them up too Kay. I’m glad I’m not the only one. And writing that has just reminded me of how my great grandma used to tell me to tie a knot in my hanky to remind myself of stuff, I’m not sure if there’s a connection there but I bet I’m not the only one who was taught that by my elders. Since I don’t have a hanky I’m just going to have to learn the lesson of patience by remembering it myself. Anyway, I can’t wait to see your finished cardigan, I love the colours.
It’s BEAUTIFUL!
Can’t. Wait. to see this cardigan on you! Looks super. Seams real nice. 🙂
Ah, seaming. I can do it decently, but I have to make sure my well of patience is full and pure before I start. Excellent seams, and great advice. I’m going to borrow the start from the center. I like to break things up. I already use a million markers and count. Can’t wait to see that neckline! Your close ups are making me covet some of that yarn. It looks divinely cozy, yet light.
Oh my gosh!! I am SO GLAD I saved this letter. I am reading it WORD FOR WORD. I’m not sure I would have managed this putting together without it. THANK YOU KAY. I’m excited because it’s starting to make sense to me now.
Thank you! I was struggling with this part, but I felt sure you would have the solution. Bless you, you did. I’ve got half the seaming done. I hope to finish this sweater this week. I got a late start because I broke my wrist last fall!
Thank you for documenting each stage of this sweater! You were right, this was my travel knitting. But… I needed your encouragement for the tubular bind off, and again with the seaming. I’ve laid out, looked, reversed, repinned, doubted this was right… and gone looking for your Mood posts again. I’m w-a-y behind most makers, but fired with your enthusiasm and by the lovely photos knitters have posted, I’ll try again tomorrow!