We’ve just begun our second month in the Home and Away Woolful Knit-a-long, and of course there’s still time to join, heck I am just swatching for mine now! There have been some wonderful shares on Instagram (via #woolfulkal) and shares on the Ravelry group so make sure to check those out. I’ve loved seeing so many different projects in both seamed and seamless construction, from both beginners and seasoned knitters. I’ll be knitting a seamed Georgetown for the very reasons Hannah talks about here…
The word is out: one of the awesome features of Home & Away is that you can choose to either knit your sweater in pieces and then seam them or knit it seamless in one big piece.
There is no wrong choice, as either way will yield the same result. If you’re wondering, there are advantages to both methods which you can consider.
A seamed sweater, knit in pieces, makes your project more portable. Also, the seams in your completed sweater will add structure and stability. Knit fabric by nature wants to stretch. Seams keep everything in place. When you have a floaty open cardigan such as Hancock you might not be as concerned about structure. It can still be important, especially if you are working with a fiber that stretches, such as alpaca, cotton or a superwash wool. Good shoulder seams can be important as the entire weight of the garment hangs from these points.
Seamless sweaters have their own advantages, too. Good seaming takes time, and with minimal finishing to work once the seamless sweater is complete, that’s time saved. Another advantage of a seamless sweater, particularly a sweater knit from the top down, is that you can try it on and adjust the fit as you go. For these reasons, a seamless sweater can be a great choice for a first time sweater knitter.
There is a thread in the Home & Away group dedicated to seamed vs. seamless construction. Do you have a preference? Join the conversation! -Hannah
Seaming can be a bit nerve-wracking, especially if you’re a new knitter. My first sweater was seamed and to be honest when I chose the pattern, seams hadn’t even occurred to me…I was a bit naive. As I approached the time to seam and finish, I remember being nervous, but confident that if I took my time and watched plenty of YouTube videos I’d be ok…and I was! Taking proper time to seam your garment is key and having insight into both the benefits and know-hows of seaming helps tremendously. While watching how-to videos is still a great resource, there’s an even better one (in my opinion). Karen Templer of Fringe Association has done several very helpful posts on seamed and seamless construction as a part of her #fringeandfriendsknitalong that took place last year when many folks knit the Amanda cardigan. I highly recommend checking out these posts if you’d like to go a bit deeper on this seamed vs. seamless discussion.
- The simply joy of seaming
- Team Seam vs. Team Seamless
- Basted knitting: Or how (and why) to seam a seamless sweater
