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.

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

Have you read?