Fine Finishing: Knitterly Finishing Techniques

So here I am, back on schedule. Sorry you get two posts from me in two days, but there you go. Today, I’m thinking about why many knitters that I meet absolutely hate finishing. It seems such a shame to think of all the pieces of all the sweaters in all the rubbermaid totes all over the world, languishing because their respective knitters all hate to finish things.

One student put it rather succinctly when she said that she just doesn’t know how to sew, and finishing feels like sewing, not knitting. I think that really does sum it up. Knitters do like to knit, don’t always know how to sew and finishing does not, in fact, feel much like knitting. It is a wholly different sort of process, without the repetition, movement and structure of knitting.

So, what’s the owner of languishing sweater pieces to do? Learn some techniques for finishing that feel more knitterly, so you won’t hate it so very much. Examples include:

• Three-needle bind-off
• Slip-stitch crochet seam
• Knitted-on edgings
• Knitted-in pockets
• Integral edges, such as i-cord or double-knitting
• Sleeves picked up and knitted from the shoulder to wrist

Each of these has many applications, but nearly all of them require some planning, so as has been discussed before in this column, remember that finishing begins before and during the knitting of the sweater. Educate yourself, learn some new techniques and you might be able to maximize your knitting time, all the while finishing your sweater elegantly and beautifully while you go.