How to Steek / Cut Your Knitting

[@erinkelley1943]

I love it! I have so many projects that require steeking. It is time to accomplish my ideas especially since I unfortunately can't afford anything for Christmas gifts. No one other than my sister will realize the extent of my procrastination, but hopefully everyone will love their re-invented treasures. I'm going to be a busy lady! The plan is making an ungodly amount of scarves and gloves, a couple pair of leg warmers made from sweater sleeves, a few headwraps and 2 shawls. Undoubtedly, I am definetly going to accomplish this! I really have no choice! Never have I ever tried crocheting or knitting so there is that. 😅 I am genuinely impressed with your teaching method and feel surprising confident I will have success. Thanks for posting! Wish me luck!

[@marenbzdell8415]

Absolutely stunning workmanship on your cape! Just WOW! Great tutorial for steeking as well. Thnx, Maren

[@Yarniversity]

Thank you, Maren. It's a beautiful piece of knitting, worked for us by a lovely sample knitter, Pat.

[@reiningercg]

Thank you everyone just stops at the steeking I appreciate you showing the entire process!

[@CynthiaHyslop]

Good to hear. We're glad you enjoyed the video. Hope it makes a difference in your next steeking process.

[@jenniferkadach3819]

I can't get over how gorgeous that shawl is!

[@CynthiaHyslop]

Isn't it lovely?" And it's so cozy. We've ordered new colours of Kauni because we know it's going to be a big hit.

[@roulatornariti9005]

Excellent tutorial. I need this just now. The shawl is fantastic. Thank you

[@Yarniversity]

Glad it was helpful!

[@CalmbirthGOLD]

Thank you so very much. You are an excellent teacher...and what a magnificent shawl.

[@CynthiaHyslop]

Thank you so much for the compliment. I'm really glad you found it helpful!

[@IrisMG]

Oh thank goodness there's a way to do this without a sewing machine! Thank you!

[@EuphroseneLabon]

My thoughts exactly!

[@flyingcloud9253]

Beautifully. done! Your video was so well done....thankyou for your sharing your skills.

[@CynthiaHyslop]

Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it.

[@Craftyjoppy]

Great video but it would be nice to know how to attach it to the back of the edge also. Is this a part 2 ?

[@Yarniversity]

Hi Joanne, sorry about the delay in responding. Do you mean how to sew down the edging on the shawl?

[@Craftyjoppy]

@@Yarniversity yes the last bit I wasn’t sure after knitting the extra piece how it was the attached to cover around the edge

[@susannawarner6817]

Interesting, great to know how it is done and to see it being done.

[@charlottegibbs8950]

Thank you so much for this very clear video! I am a newer knitter and have had to take in an acrylic vest I knitted for my husband. I mattress-stitched a new seam and have undone the prior seam. This leaves me with excess on either side of the new two new side seams, on the wrong side of the piece. Questions: 1) Is that mattress-stitched seam sufficient to prevent fraying or would it be better to steek, too, before trimming away the excess? 2) If steeking would be good, will the acrylic likely be "sticky" enough? 3) Is the wraparound you do important to prevent fraying or only for appearance? I'd rather avoid it since it will add bulk to the side seams and since this is on the wrong side so appearances matter less, but don't want to risk fraying. Thank you so much for any insight you can offer!!

[@Yarniversity]

Hi Charlotte. These are good questions. I don't know if I have really definitive answers for you. I would suggest that you try it out on a swatch first to see what happens. My instinct is to say that I would probably not cut a non-wool project without securing it with more than a mattress stitch. If you have a sewing machine, you can sew along the new seam before you trim it back. I don't think the acrylic yarn will be sticky enough but I could be wrong! I did a knitted hem (wraparound) to neaten the appearance as the shawl edges will show. The inside seams of a vest I wouldn't fuss too much about. I hope that helps.

[@margaritatidemand6907]

Thank-you, this was great ! Beautiful shawl by the way !!

[@CynthiaHyslop]

Yay! I'm glad you enjoyed it. It is a beautiful shawl and the Kauni yarn is a great yarn to work it in.

[@mwendapoleee]

Beautiful, I didn’t get the last part about covering the edge with the knitting.

[@Yarniversity]

Are you wondering about how to cover the raw edge with a knitted hem?

[@wendiweir2595]

Marvelous! How would you finish the edge if this was a cardigan with buttonholes?

[@Yarniversity]

Great question. Now that I've seen it, I would use Lucy Neatby's Double Bands with her "Magic Buttonholes".

[@VAHelix]

Thank you for posting this vlog tutorial. I am working on my first steeled cardigan. 😮 I now think I can do this.

[@CynthiaHyslop]

Thank you for watching! It's never a bad idea to steek a swatch first... just to get over your nerves and practice the steps.

[@lizhahn2135]

What a beautiful shawl nice tutorial . I have a pair of winter socks ( for skiing) that one is too wide in the calf ( 1/2 calf socks) top is fine - heel and foot is fine. I was wondering if this would work except i don't want to add any more yarn and need to get them re attached - similar to a sewing seam. Any thoughts on that? TY

[@CynthiaHyslop]

Hi Liz. That is a conundrum. Let's talk about it more (and maybe you could send me a picture of the socks?) Email me: [e-mail].

[@marinellamassaro4677]

Hello Cynthia, I'm Italian and I'm using the Google translator to write to you. For a couple of years I started weaving with the Fair Isle style (using Pinterest and Fassett books). I would try my hand at steeking and luckily I found your video , very clear. At the time of cutting with scissors I went apnea like a diver! but with your sweet and calm voice I resisted until the end of the cut. I miss knowing how to start the shawl, in the sense of how many points you need for the real shawl at the beginning on the sides of which I see that you have already worked the edges. What you are cutting is therefore the base of the triangle and how many points are you putting in the alternating series of colors A / B which then will be cut: 5 or 7? Is there a video you did or can you suggest for my doubt? Many thanks and congratulations for your explanations! Marinella

[@CynthiaHyslop]

Thank you so much, Marinella. The place where I cut is called the "steek" and it is usually a width of 5 - 7 stitches of alternating colours. I like to have the steek be approximately 3 - 4 cm wide so that when I cut it, the edge is big enough to fold back but not so big that it's hard to deal with. The pattern is called "Eliza Too" and it has the steek instructions built in. You can find it here: www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/eliza-too. I hope that helps! Thank you so much for communicating with us. Google is wonderful! ------------------------------------------------- Grazie mille, Marinella. Il luogo in cui ho tagliato è chiamato "steek" e di solito è una larghezza di 5 - 7 punti di colori alternati. Mi piace avere lo steek di circa 3 - 4 cm di larghezza in modo che quando lo taglio, il bordo sia abbastanza grande da piegarsi all'indietro ma non così grande da essere difficile da gestire. Lo schema è chiamato "Eliza Too" e contiene le istruzioni steek integrate. Puoi trovarlo qui: www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/eliza-too. Spero che aiuti! Grazie mille per aver comunicato con noi. Google è meraviglioso!

[@marinellamassaro4677]

Thank you , very much !!!!!!!

[@Vb-fy4sv]

WOW!! Beautiful work

[@CynthiaHyslop]

Thank you so much, Vera.

[@rosemarybutler1259]

So well demonstrated thank you!

[@Yarniversity]

Glad it was helpful!

[@sherrymacaroni5916]

I was just given a free heavy knit cardigan from Bolivia. It's wonderful but makes me look like a fridge. Do you think I could cut it? Needs to be taken in from elbows, under arms all the way to hem. Scared!

[@Yarniversity]

Yes, I think you can cut it. But you might want to practice on a smaller piece first. You could make a swatch that is about the same thickness as your Bolivian sweater and cut it. Remember, though, that you'll have thicker edges to deal with (e.g. if you wanted to put in a button band or a zipper, the cut edges will need to be folded back (twice as thick) or encased (as I did the with the shawl in the video).

[@erniejofo]

I'm nervous. I just finished a pullover made out of Berrocco superwash. I now love the feel of it and the color but not the style. I wish I had made it in a cardigan style instead. My issue is that I already wet blocked and air dried it naturally. Is it to late to steek? It has bottom and neck ribbing.

[@CynthiaHyslop]

Hi Julie! I understand your nervousness. It doesn't matter that it's been washed, in fact that's usually a good thing. Because your yarn is superwash, though, I would recommend sewing the steek lines with a sewing machine. Part of the ease of steeking comes with using "sticky" wool (that fulls slightly when washed). Superwash yarns are missing the scales that help the yarn to felt slightly and hold it's shape when cutting.You will need to plan your steeks so that you don't interrupt the bottom ribbing and neckline ribbing too much (i.e. you might need to cut a few stitches out in the middle so that your cut line runs up - symmetrically - between the ribs.) That last part is a little hard to explain. Here's what I'd do: make a swatch with ribbing at the bottom and a little neckline at the top. Wash it and steek your swatch, to see how the yarn will work with the cutting and to give yourself confidence. Let us know how it goes.

[@rosannazerafa3422]

Beautiful.. question please: Are you crocheting every purl stitch or every other? Also, do you have a video on how to capture the steeked edge to cover it up?

[@CynthiaHyslop]

Hi Rosanna! I’m stabilizing with a crochet chain in between every stitch but you could do every other stitch if the knitted fabric is fine or the rows are very close together. We haven’t done a video on how to cover the Steeked edge but I’ll add that to our list of requests. Thank you.

[@rosannazerafa3422]

Thanks Cynthia. I look forward to your upcoming videos

[@lydiavimont9312]

Bonjour, Dommage que je n'aie pas accès aux sous-titres pour traduction française. Vous êtes il possible de les ajouter ? Votre vidéo est très intéressante et bien expliquée, je ne voudrais perdre aucune de vos explications. Merci beaucoup

[@Yarniversity]

Bonjour, Lydie. J'ai activé les sous-titres anglais sur la vidéo et je pense que vous pouvez les traduire automatiquement en français. J'espère que cela fonctionne pour vous ! Hello, Lydia. I have enabled English subtitles on the video and I believe you can auto-translate them into French. I hope this works for you!

[@lydiavimont9312]

@@Yarniversity J'ai enfin réussi, malgré& les beug. Merci beaucoup pour votre réponse.

[@naomiswyers4197]

Thank you so much, I am starting a baby sweater that has you cutting down the center and it terrifies me.

[@Yarniversity]

Once you start, you may never go back!

[@nicolehildebrand8865]

Thank you so much! This was very helpful!

[@CynthiaHyslop]

Thank you, Nicole. I'm really glad you liked the video!

[@Joya0902]

Awesome tutorial! Thank you!

[@CynthiaHyslop]

Thank you!

[@helenward681]

I’m not sure why you wouldn’t do it with a sewing machine? Isn’t it safer with a machine as it will pierce the yarn and secure it really well and you can use a stretch stitch. Can’t the cut yarn work through the crochet chain?

[@Yarniversity]

Good questions, Helen. Sorry about the delay in responding. You can use a sewing machine, absolutely. I have a sewing machine but I'm not a very good sewist, so it stays in the closet. If you use a non-superwash wool, you can (the Shetland Islanders tell me it's true) cut your knitting without any stabilization at all. I still have and wear the shawl in the video and none of the stitches are coming out. It's tried and true!

[@4MaryJaneInsane]

looks great! Im gonna try this! ;)

[@CynthiaHyslop]

mary jane insane You definitely should. It’s easier than you might think. And you can try it on a second hand pullover first if you like.

[@RebekahKorenowskyReb]

this just blew my mind

[@CynthiaHyslop]

In a good way, right?

[@RebekahKorenowskyReb]

Haha, yes. I love cardigans and hate purling so I’ll definitely be putting this technique to work.

[@lesleyshiels9134]

Wow!

[@Yarniversity]

Thanks! Going to give it a try?

[@glendabathgate2088]

thanks cynthia

[@CynthiaHyslop]

This video was made possible by the lovely knitting of Pat G. She's a special person who is always up for a knitting challenge. I just did the cutting. :)

[@fetepetitspois]

Magnifique !

[@CynthiaHyslop]

Catherine C Thank you for watching!

[@magicalotter9302]

Can I steek to attach a sleeve?

[@Yarniversity]

Yes, you can.

[@theastewart6721]

Amazing!

[@CynthiaHyslop]

Glad you think so!