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Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

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7 Reasons to Knit Seamed Sweaters

August 31, 2020 3 Comments

This post is brought to you by Knit Picks, which also provided yarn support. Post contains affiliate links. See site policies.

Sometimes it may seem like seamless sweaters are the only way to go, but let's take a look at 7 reasons to knit a seamed sweater - you might find yourself ready to mix up your making!

Last year, I spent a lot of time upping my sweater knitting game. My body was changing as a result of some health issues, and since I was in need of some garments that fit, this presented a great opportunity to not only polish my gauge game, but also to give several sweater construction techniques, using patterns from the 1930s to today.

Knittable in two weekends (really!), a short sleeved, worsted weight cardigan is a quick addition to a handmade wardrobe. Check out Heidi's modified take on the Myrna cardigan using Blue Sky Fibers' Woolstok yarn.
My Stripey Myrna Cardigan

On the sweaters I knit last year

After attending a vintage knitting workshop hosted by @squidneyknits in the spring of 2019, I was inspired to spend the rest of the year (of my personal making time, that is) working on my sweater knitting. In the end, I knit the Fernlace Pullover (1938) twice, the vintage-inspired Myrna Cardigan (2014), and I improvised a short-sleeve sweater for Halloween featuring an intarsia Jack O’Lantern design on the chest. For that one, I used a standard seamed sweater construction similar to the Fernlace Pullover (more on this improvised one in a minute).

Handmade beachwear is so much fun to make! Find tips for achieving a good fit when knitting from a vintage pattern, and take a look at a handmade, 1940s-inspired swim set.
My second Fernlace Pullover, last August.

Eager to see what sort of impact working from vintage knitting patterns for awhile, as well as the knitting retreat, had had on my knitting. I followed up this burst of sweaters by making two more many contemporary knitters who frequent local yarn shops will recognize: the Soldotna Crop & Find Your Fade. Arguably two of the most-knit patterns of the last few years, both feature the currently-common seamless (often top-down) construction. That is, they are knit from the neckline to the hemline, most often before picking up stitches to then knit the sleeves from armpit to cuff.

Read about one knitter's Christmas inspired take on the Soldotna Crop sweater pattern by Caitlin Hunter, including tips for customizing for fit!
My Christmasy take on the Soldotna Crop Sweater

There’s more than one way to knit a sweater!

Yes, I am very impressive with my 2019 sweater making obsession and I definitely only listed the above to make you all know how good I am. Kidding! It’s just this:

A lot of folks would have you believe there is only one way to knit a sweater. Or perhaps they’ll imply there’s one “right” way to knit a sweater because it’s the newest or currently trendiest way of making a sweater in the mainstream knitting community. I don’t know how to break this to you, but a lot of folks are wrong. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Read about how this intarsia jack-o'-lantern sweater came to be, and the joy of making exactly what you want to make, just for you.
My improvised, seamed jack o’lantern sweater.

I once had a neighbor who, upon finding out my job involves knit design, she cornered me asking “why do all of my patterns have me making PARTS of sweaters? I want to knit a sweater, not SEW one.” I guess she missed the boat on contemporary seamless making trends, but that does present me with a great story to segue into my list of 7 reasons why you might want to knit seamed sweaters.

Sometimes it may seem like seamless sweaters are the only way to go, but let's take a look at 7 reasons to knit a seamed sweater - you might find yourself ready to mix up your making!

7 reasons to knit a seamed sweater:

  1. Seams = structure. Seamless sweaters can stretch out and warp badly at the shoulders over time, for instance. Shoulder seams and seams from joining sleeves and picking up a neckline give your sweaters internal structure, helping bear the weight of the garment.
  2. 3 words: free vintage patterns. There are literally hundreds of free vintage knitting patterns to choose from online featuring seamed construction. Free Vintage Knitting is one of my favorite sources for vintage knitting patterns.
  3. Intarsia colorwork is much easier to knit flat (vs. in the round), making it a dream to pair with seamed sweater knitting.
  4. Stripes are easier. You don’t have to worry about compensating for jogless stripes because you’re knitting flat.
  5. Repair is a cinch. If your sweater is showing signs of age, but you’d like to salvage it, you can simply re-seam it to compensate. This process is similar to taking in a roomy garment at the seams.
  6. Seamed garments tend to have a more professional, tailored look.
  7. Hot take: Seaming is fun! I’m sorry, I have always loved grafting my ends with kitchener stitch, and I am one of those knitters who delights in the feeling of magic at pulling closed a mattress stitch seam.

If I missed anything on this list, comment and let me know! I resisted seamed sweater knitting for far too long, and it’s officially my favorite way (of the moment at least! 😉 ) to knit a sweater.

What's up, 2020? Check out this brand new blog post about what Heidi has been up to on Hands Occupied hiatus, and plans for the rest of the year to come, including some surprises!
I didn’t do a blog post about it, but here’s my So Faded Pullover too!
Sometimes it may seem like seamless sweaters are the only way to go, but let's take a look at 7 reasons to knit a seamed sweater - you might find yourself ready to mix up your making!

This post is brought to you by Knit Picks, which also provided yarn support. Post contains affiliate links. See site policies.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Reviews & Sponsored, Knitting & Crochet Tagged With: free knitting pattern, knitter, Knitting, seamed sweaters, sweater knitting, vintage sweaters

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

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Comments

  1. LisaBinco

    September 1, 2020 at 6:23 pm

    You forgot portability. One thing about seamless sweaters is you are caring around the whole sweater, pretty much. With seamed pieces, you are only carting around the left sleeve, say, or the back, at any given time. Great post!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      September 11, 2020 at 3:42 pm

      Oh man, you’re right! I also really like knitting short sleeved, seamed sweaters these days, so the portability is amazing. :) Thanks for the tip! -Heidi

      Reply
  2. Helen

    February 9, 2021 at 5:49 am

    I am currently knitting my first top down sweater and I can already see that it is NOT going to be as tailored looking as a seamed article. Plus, the other comments are so right: portability sucks.

    Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

Professionally I’m most known for: advanced intarsia knitting design & modern latch hook design.

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“You’re telling me words can be pronounced in “You’re telling me words can be pronounced in different ways and mean the same things?!” 👀 Posting this here, just to make it clear: when anyone says skayne, skeen, or skyne, it can be safely assumed we’re talking about a bundle o’ yarn,  a SKEIN. It’s not necessary to shame someone for using a word that is known to have MULTIPLE common pronunciations. 🧶
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Can you plz comment sharing how you say SKEIN and where you learned it? The OED happens to say SKAYNE, but it’s not a personal attack if someone says SKEEN and you say SKYNE or even Saskatoon. I’m legitimately curious. We don’t all knit or crochet the same way, and craft evolves a bit like language - it is passed on. There is so much value in having conversations about & embracing these variations! ✌🏻
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Sometimes my weekend projects involve hair rather Sometimes my weekend projects involve hair rather than yarn. Here’s the latest mediocre-but-improving result of my slow quest to learn to set vintage inspired curls. 💇🏼‍♀️ I’m hoping to be able to wash my hair less using a regular vintage set, but we’ll see if it ends up being practical. 😆 Hair frustrates me so much more than crafts! 
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Do you also style your hair using vintage methods? If you have any tips for vintage hair styling or good resources to share, please do!
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Pictured: A medium sized, brown, senior dog asleep on a green bed. For some reason a donut ball of navy wool yarn sits on his head.
The first stitch tutorial of the new year is live The first stitch tutorial of the new year is live on YouTube! Diamond Brocade is a great knit+purl only stitch for beginners or anyone wanting a classic look for their knitting project. Find the video with a written stitch pattern on the blog or head directly to the video on YouTube. Both are linked in bio. ✌🏻 
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When your WIP loves ya back! 🥰 This may or may When your WIP loves ya back! 🥰 This may or may not be the third sample I’m making for an upcoming YouTube series on knitting seamed & vintage sweaters. I figure I’ll get to wear them all at the end, so why not? 🧶🤓 
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