Cutting and Finishing a Steek

Take a deep breath.

Use the sharpest scissors you can find to cut through the center steek stitch. Be sure to cut your steeks slowly and carefully, taking care not to cut the fabric on the other side of the tube.

You wouldn’t be the first knitter of all time to do so! (Don’t ask me how I know.)

As you work, be careful not to cut any reinforcing stitches— and don’t forget to breathe.

Whew!

With your steek cut, you are now ready to finish your garment, attaching sleeves or adding a zipper, cuffs, a decorative neckline, or any other finishing detail you like.

You may choose to sew another part of the garment (such as a sleeve) along the steek, or you can pick up and knit stitches along the steek’s edge.

Since the steek has been worked in stockinette stitch, the leftover steek stitches will conveniently and neatly roll to the wrong side of the garment, making it easy to pick up and knit under both legs of the edge stitch of the steek.

This method is often used when making sleeves.

Stitches are picked up along the armhole, and the sleeves are worked downward to the cuff.

Many knitters finish their steeks after the garment has been completed by folding the remaining stitches over and sewing them down, using whipstitch or overcast stitches.

Unless a very wide steek has been used, this step is often unnecessary.

If the garment has been knitted in wool or another animal fibber (except super wash wool), the cut edges will felt with every wearing to create a strong bond.