Steeking - tips

Are you new to knitting in the round, then cutting up your knitting. Here are a few tips. I´m no expert by any means. But here are a few tips if you are trying it for the first time.

• Steek with yarn that can be felted (superwash yarn isn´t ideal)
• Always wash/block before steeking, if not the stitches in the sewing machine or the crochet border wont stretch with it in the wash and you can end up with a skewed garment.
• If you are planning to use a sewing machine, it has served me well to purl 2 stitches where you plan to cut.
• If you are planning to crochet, and then cut (skip the sewing machine), purl 1 or 3 stitches (5,7,.. etc)  I have heard that 3 is ideal, but 1 is sufficient.
• Here is a tutorial for steeking without a sewing machine
• If you are going to use the sewing machine, most Icelandic patterns state to sew 2 times in each of the purled stitches (on the wrong site). I always do it 3 times to be on the save site.
• If you ask why to have this purled stitch, and why to sew on the wrong site (see picture below), it is so that it is easier to see where to sew.
• Make sure to strech the sweater a little while you are sewing (so that it won´t be to tight the seam)

A little helper in a good mood is also very helpful... well one in a bad mood will stop your plans.

Hope that these tips will be helpful for you.