How to sew knitting pieces together and obtain a flat seam

How to sew knitting pieces together?

It is quite easy and even if you are not a sewist, you'll still be able to do it.

Can I not skip the sewing part and knit everything in one piece?

There are two answers to this question:

You can knit some items in one piece, such as wraps, throws, dishcloths, scarves and blankets;
But, most wearable knitted items, toys and projects with more than one piece, usually needs to be seamed;

And eventhough you may not need to sew pieces together, you will always need to weave in the ends.

Let's say that part of finishing your knitting projects, requires basic sewing skills. And some of it, you can learn in this post.

Without further ado, let's look at:

how to sew knitting pieces together

It is always better to see how to do something and therefore I prepared a short video - scroll a bit down for it.

just something about smooth knitting edges:

To always ensure neat knitting edges, knit as follows:

Slip the first stitch of every row - except your very first row or after a color change or increase and decrease.

and

Knit the last stitch in your row in the back loop.

If you use this method, you will always have decent bumps along your edges which will make your seaming so much easier and neater.

what if your knitting edges do not have 'bumps'?

It is very possible that your pattern created a flat edge, with hardly any visible bumps.

If that is the case, you may have to use a different sewing technique, such as mattress stitch.

For a full tutorial on using mattress stitch to seaming your knitting, Purl Soho has this very explanatory post.

before you start seaming, here are some tips to follow:

Most of the time, you'll use the same yarn for seaming that you've used for knitting;
Some novelty yarns are not suitable for seaming and in that case, use a similar color yarn, preferably in the same weight or thickness. A thinner yarn should not make much of a difference though;
Very bulky yarn may be too thick and will cause your seams to look like scars. It's best to use something else instead, embroidery floss is very strong and washable;
Make sure whatever you're using to seam with is colorfast; and
That it can be washed in the same manner as your knitting;
If you are seaming a wearable item, you may want to baste the pieces together to make sure it fits;
Some people swear by blocking their knitting before sewing it up, but it is purely your choice. My Mom clothed a whole family and never blocked her pieces.

getting started (to sew your knitting pieces together):

1. The method demonstrated in this video, is not the mattress stitch method.

2. This seaming technique is vertical and is called Edge to Edge Seams.

3.Seams will be almost invisible with no ridge (perfect for baby clothing).

4. Place your pieces to be joined right-sides facing; or

5. Edge to edge, matching up rows and stitches.

6. Hopefully your starting tail will be long enough to close the seam or you can use an extra piece of yarn with your embroidery/darning needle.

7. Sew into the bump of each side, row by row. In the video you will notice that I insert my needle into the right bump from bottom to top and insert the needle into the left bump (same way) and pull the yarn tight. And proceed with all the next stitches.

8. Repeat sewing to the last bump and weave 2/3 times through your edges/stitches and fasten off.

9. Try to obtain the same tension as the knitting.