Knitting Finishing Techniques--How to Sew Sleeves Into Armholes

The most challenging sweater seam of all is when you sew a set-in sleeve into an armhole. Two things can trip you up, even when you use the mattress stitch that can join sides, tops, and mismatched pieces of knitting. Use these tips for success.

This Curve Goes Into That Curve…How?

One reason sewing a curved sleeve cap into a sweater armhole offers trouble is because so often it seems like there’s too much sleeve or too big an armhole. If you pin or clip your sleeve into the armhole, you can ease any excess evenly. Plastic stitch markers shaped like a safety pin work great. There are special clips for this, also. Clothes pins, safety pins, or straight pins work.

Divide and Conquer

If you fold your sleeve down the center, you’ll find the center point at the top. Pin this spot to the shoulder seam of your sweater. Pin the front corner of your sleeve cap to the underarm corner of your front piece. Pin the back corner of your sleeve cap to the underarm corner of your back piece.

Now two more pins: one center front, one center back. They’ll connect a midpoint of the sleeve and a midpoint of the armhole together at both front and back. How’s it going? Need more pins? Another pin midway between your existing pins will help close each gap. By now your sleeve and armhole opening may seem well matched for a happy marriage.

Ready, Set, Sew

With a good length of yarn on your darning needle, push your needle up through  the end of the shoulder seam and pull half your yarn through. Leave the other half dangle until you sew down the other side later.

Up the Down Staircase

The second challenge about sewing in sleeves is how the direction of your knitting changes as you go. At the sleeve top, you join vertical columns of sleeve stitches to side edges of sweater stitches. Slide your needle under both legs of a sleeve stitch, then slide it under a bar between sweater stitches.

After a few inches, your sleeve cap curves so you’ll join sides of stitches like it’s a side seam. You can slide under bars here. When you reach bound off stitches at the underarm, you’ll join vertical columns like it’s a shoulder seam. You can slide under both legs of stitches here.

Besides the mattress stitch, other knitting finishing techniques include the whip stitch, running stitch, back stitch, a crochet join and more for seaming. Some give your knitting a different look, or serve a different purpose, like making a handle, or give your knitting a decorative touch.

Best,

Karen

P.S.

Here are two videos for you from BerrocoKnitBits. The first shows how to set in a sleeve.In the other Norah Gaughan demonstrates mattress stitch with an eyelet near one edge. Enjoy!