Sewing a Hem as You Go in Knitting

I love knitting projects with hems. There’s something so pretty and finished and professional about them. Whether you’re doing a picot edge or a plain, folded over hem, it adds a special touch to a project.

But it’s also kind of a pain when you have to sew the hem after you’re done knitting. You just want to be done, right?

The good news is, it’s actually really easy to sew the hem as you knit, though it might be more correct to say to knit in them hem as you knit.

This tutorial from Kelbourne Woolens shows exactly how to do it, and this is exactly the way I do it, too.

I think of it almost like doing a three-needle bindoff, though I don’t use an extra needle; I just pick up the stitch from the hem and work it together with the live stitch.

It’s really easy, and though it is a little slow I’m sure it’s faster than sewing at the end of the project.

Have you ever tried this method? I’d love to know what you think of it.

[Photo: Kelbourne Woolens.]

Next Pattern:

Why should the fireplace get all the fun? Instead of knitting stockings this year, why not whip up a pair of Christmas themed socks? These Christmas sock knitting patterns are lots of fun to make and you can wear them to holiday gatherings for years to come.

For our friends in the southern part of the world, there are the Christmas in July socks from the Kiwi Lodge – Kylie (Ravelry link). These shorty socks are covered in Christmas trees and have bright pink heels and toes for a tropical feel. There’s also an option to make a longer sock if you celebrate somewhere it’s colder.

Twin Stitches Designs (Ravelry) has a fun pattern with mix and match colorwork motifs you can use to build your own cozy Christmas socks. From the sample socks I see Christmas puddings, trucks hauling trees, Santa belts, ornaments and a couple of different borders. There may be more patterns included but the listing doesn’t say. Make a pair that matches or use different motifs on each foot for extra holiday cheer.

If you want to stick to Christmas puddings on your holiday socks, check out this cute pattern from Stone Knits. These lovely socks feature a band of puddings around the leg and a bit of holly by the toes.

These vintage holiday light socks from Grey Owl Knits by Sarah are classic looking and lots of fun at the same time. I love this color combination but of course you can make your lights and stripes whatever colors you like or have on hand. They’re worked using stranded knitting.

And if you’d like even more of a mix of patterns for your socks, try Barbara Ceglédi’s Christmas Chaos socks, a free pattern on Ravelry. The pattern includes 25 little motifs you can choose from, ranging from snowflakes and Christmas trees to elf hats, reindeer and hearts.

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