Finishing Workshop: Mattress Stitch

I 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.

Next Pattern:

I love a good pattern with a bit of whimsy, and luckily for me that’s easy to find when it comes to Easter knitting patterns. Read on for fun patterns with a theme of bunnies, chicks and eggs, perfect to knit for Easter and beyond.

There’s something about the combination of babies and Easter (and knit things, of course) that is just extra cute, so I couldn’t help sharing this bunny ear hat for babies from Catherine Anfield. It’s actually a set that includes a matching romper, but I’m focused on that sweet hat with the droopy bunny ears. It’s worked in worsted weight yarn, sized to fit a newborn and available on Ravelry.

For bigger kids and adults, Amanda Berry has this cute bunny ears headband, which is a free pattern on Ravelry. They call for bulky weight yarn and are worked in garter stitch, so they’re a great project for beginners.

Whether your egg hunt involves real eggs or the candy variety, you might want to knit up something to keep them warm. WarmandKnittedS on Etsy has a cute set of egg warmers with an Easter twist including a little hat, a chick, a bunny, an owl, a carrot and a sheep. The patterns call for sport weight yarn.

The patterns from Wild Welsh Knitting say they are specifically for creme eggs, but they would probably cozy real eggs just fine, too. This set includes a rabbit, hen, chick and piggy all worked in DK weight yarn. These knit up super fast for a fun little addition to your egg hunt or as a fundraiser.

How about eggs that look like bunnies? Amy Gunderson has this cute pattern (with knit and crochet versions) for an egg shaped rabbit that looks like it’s wearing a little ear hat made with a contrasting color. The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, but try different weights to get different sizes of eggs. You can find the pattern, called Egg-cited, on Ravelry.

Next Pattern:

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