Jon's Knit Blog

This Postman Doesn't Ring At All

So I've been getting all your kind comments. You're too nice, I must say! And I'm so glad to hear that you love Zauberflote. Just wait til you see some of the other stuff we've got in the works for you here at Jon's Knit Blog.

The sad news, though, is that I have been having trouble with outgoing mail, so replying to your comments has been rather tough.

I wanted to address one in particular right now, though. Jess asked if a steek would be worthwhile in a single color piece and if the stripes will show on the finished product for Zauberflote.

The second part is easier to answer. In a word, no. The steeks, after being cut and trimmed, will be folded over and cross-stitched in place. After the button band and sleeve stitches get picked up, the steeks seem to actually want to go into place like that. And since you pick up the stitches for the sleeves and the bands on the "edge" stitch of the steek, which is always worked in the darker color, this is very much not a glaring point on the finished product.

As to whether a steek would be worthwhile on a solid color project, the answer that it depends. On what, you ask? Well, first and foremost on the kind of yarn you are using. Shetland wool is very sticky, so the steek basically keeps itself intact. Dale yarns are not as sticky and must sewn before they're even cut in order to not fall apart. Some really smooth yarns wouldn't do well at all with a steek. And yarn weight is a factor, too. With a heavier weight yarn, a steek could get especially bulky: remember that you'll essentially have, over a short portion of the sweater, a double layer.

I hope that makes sense, and I hope that any other stranding knitters will feel free to share their experience in the comments, too.