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Finishing Workshop: Mattress Stitch

February 13, 2014 by Sarah White

mattress stitch knittingI think when so many people said they were interested in information on finishing, what they really wanted to know, at least in part, was how to seam together knit pieces so they look their best. And if you’re working with pieces knit in stockinette stitch — or with selvedge stitches so the seaming is done over stockinette — you’re talking about mattress stitch.

Mattress stitch is something that seems (and I have to be honest and tell you I typed “seams” there first) mysterious and complicated before you do it, but once you understand how to do it and where you need to take your stitches, it’s actually pretty easy.

If you kind of pull on the edge of the knitting you’ll see the ladders between the stitches, and that is where you need to work. Just pick up a ladder on one piece, then the other. Don’t worry about pulling it tight in the beginning, just work an inch or so of stitches, then pull snugly enough so that the seam closes up and makes the knitting look like one continuous piece.

Getting your tension right is key because you want it to look seamless on the outside: not too tight or too loose. I like to pull pretty tight on the yarn, then pull the knitting along the seam to make sure that the seam doesn’t feel too firm.

Another important thing to keep in mind is that you’re always stitching up the same column of ladders. Some people like to seam a half stitch in, some a whole (a whole stitch is a lot easier, to me) and it doesn’t really matter so long as you do it consistently.

My tutorial on mattress stitch is linked above, but there’s also a good video from Knitting Help that may, well, help. The article on mattress stitch from Knitty includes how to do it on garter stitch, which I cover in a separate tutorial.

Have you mastered mattress stitch? I’d love to hear how you like it or if you have any tips to share.

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Textured Baby Blanket Knitting Patterns

There are so many baby blanket knitting patterns out there I could probably do a post a month full of them and not run out for a very long time. This time I thought I’d look specifically at single color baby blankets that are interesting because of the inclusion of textured stitching. This makes them easy enough for new knitters but engaging for knitters of all skill levels. 

Take the Textured Checks Baby Blanket from Janet Dubbelman for example. This project is mostly stockinette stitch, with some what looks like reverse stockinette and garter stitch thrown in to make the ridges. You can use whatever yarn weight you like to make blankets of different sizes. Find the pattern on Ravelry. 

The Seedling from Modern Made Shop is just about as easy as it comes, combining seed stitch with a garter stitch border. It calls for worsted weight yarn and is perfect for beginners. 

The Julie Baby Blanket by Elisabeth Kristiansen is another one with an easy allover stitch pattern that you can knit up in a flash in whatever size you want. (The pattern notes say any gauge but it also says 28 stitches per 4 inches, which would be a superfine or fine weight yarn. Learn more on Ravelry. 

The Oscar Baby Blanket from Snufflebean is another one with an easy repeating stitch pattern that has a really fun, graphic effect. This is also great worked in a bright color, reminding us that babies don’t have to be in pastels! This one uses DK weight yarn. 

If you want to get a little fancier, check out Sammy Bristow’s Georges Blanket. This one alternates blocks of stockinette stitch with boats and anchors made by purling on the right side of the blanket. It calls for DK weight yarn and has multiple sizes for dolls through toddlers. Check it out on Ravelry.

Another cute texture is this heart blanket with diamonds that are a little reminiscent of argyle. Yarn Sonata Patterns has this one, which is worked in DK weight yarn and comes in four sizes. It includes a chart and row by row instructions. 

Or try the pretty Seton Portage baby blanket from Knitted Wishes, which has a border of trees and textured stitches that look like snow falling. The pattern includes different options for snowflakes and doing a mirror image of the trees on each end of the blanket. It’s worked in worsted weight yarn. This one includes charts, written instructions and video tutorials for special stitches.

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