Nov 17 min read

How to Pick Up Stitches Before Steeking [TUTORIAL]

Steeking can be a nerve-wracking yet rewarding technique for turning in-the-round colorwork garments into open-front cardigans. One approach that makes this scary-seeming technique easier to manage is to pick up stitches for button bands before steeking.

But how exactly do you do that? When I was writing up the pattern for Terho Cardigan I could find exactly one tutorial on YouTube. In this video picking up stitches is done awkwardly from the wrong side without seeing what you're actually doing. It doesn't have to be that difficult!

Working on a steeked Icelandic cardigan (Gleði by Védís Jónsdóttir) recently gave me an opportunity to re-visit the process and write up a tutorial of my own. In this blog post you'll learn why this method is advantageous compared to picking up stitches after the steek has been cut. The tutorial will guide you through the process step and by step, from setting up steek stitches for a colorwork cardigan to finally taking the scissors to your work.

Why Pick Up Stitches Before Steeking?

The conventional way of finishing a steeked cardigan is to do it in the order of

reinforcing steek stitches
cutting the steek
picking up stitches
knitting button bands
finishing raw edges

The conventional order works well if your cardigan is knit in a grabby, woolly wool in which the fibers want to stick to each other and resist unraveling. But there days more and more yarns are made with smoother, softer, or slicker materials — such as superwash wool — which are not traditionally used in steeked garments. When picking up stitches is done after cutting the steek, you risk potentially exposing the yarn ends that have already been chopped up.

What I prefer to do is move the cutting further down so that it's the second-to-last thing in the process:

reinforcing steek stitches
picking up stitches
knitting button bands
cutting the steek
finishing raw edges

Picking up stitches for button bands before cutting the steek has several benefits, all of which revolve around manipulating the steeked edges as little as possible in order to minimize the risk of your work starting to unravel.

When you pick up stitches from an uncut fabric, the edges are more stable and less likely to stretch, distort, or curl up. This makes picking up stitches easier and gives a tidier finish. If you're not pleased with your first try, you can easily unravel the picked-up stitches and try again without causing too much strain on the stitches. Additionally, by picking up the button band stitches before steeking, you provide additional reinforcement to the fabric which helps in stabilizing the edges once they are cut.

And finally, doing the nerve-wracking task of snipping into your work last saves you from a lot of anguish and procrastination. It's very easy to put off starting to work on button bands on your cardigan, especially if you'd need to take out the dreaded scissors first. But once you realize cutting the steek is the only thing standing between you and a finished project, it makes the process much easier to tackle.

Steek Configuration

In many traditional Icelandic patterns there may be only one or two additional stitches for the steek. I like to add a little more than that for a bit of extra security: 5 to 7 stitches. In this tutorial I'm using a 7-stitch steek configuration.

Having an odd number of stitches in the steek makes sense. The middle one (stitch 4 with the scissor icon) is used for cutting. Flanking that on either side are two reinforcement stitches (stitches 2–3 and 5-6), then pick-up edges (stitches 1 and 7) furthermost on the outside.

The five center-most stitches (stitches 2–6) are worked in an alternating pattern using the colors of the colorwork motif. Some people recommend doing a checkerboard pattern but I prefer to knit them up in vertical stripes. This makes it easier to sew (in step 1) and cut (in step 4) in a straight line.

While the rest of the steek stitches are in stockinette, stitches 2 and 6 are purled. These columns of stitches create fold lines along which the steek will naturally want to flip under. That comes in handy when picking up stitches (step 2) and attaching the raw edges of the steek to the inside (step 5).

On the outermost edges are the pick-up edges (stitches 1 and 7) along which you'll pick up stitches for the button bands. As much as is possible, I like to work these columns with a single color so that it's easier to see where to pick up stitches from.

Step 1. Reinforcing Steek Stitches

Before we get started, wet block your garment to allow the stitches to settle and even out.

I like to reinforce steeks using a sewing machine because it's fast and secure, especially on shiny, slippery yarns like superwash wool or silk blends. If you don't have access to a sewing machine, there are other ways of reinforcing the steek stitches, such as crochet or needle felting. In these cases you only need to work your chosen reinforcement method on the marked knit columns — leave the purled fold lines intact.

Reinforce steek stitches using a short straight stitch on a sewing machine.

Hold the work in the direction of the knitting so that the Vs of the stitches point downwards. Using a short straight stitch on a sewing machine, sew through the dashes of the purl columns (the fold line, stitches 2 and 6) and the center of the Vs in the knit columns (stitches 3 and 5) on both sides of the center steek stitch. Backstitch at the beginning and end of each seam and trim the ends. You will have four lines of machine stitching, two on either side of the center column.

Step 2. Picking Up Stitches

Pinch the steek between your fingers to expose the pick-up edge.

When you pinch the steek between your fingers it'll naturally want to flip where the purl column is. The Vs of the knit stitches next to the fold line are now sitting neatly at the top.

Pick up stitches for the button bands by going through both legs of the stitches in the pick-up column.

Fold the steek towards the back of the work, exposing the pick-up edge on top. You'll pick up stitches for the button bands by going through both legs of the stitches along this column.

Using your knitting needle, pick up and knit stitches evenly along the edge. Aim for a ratio of approximately 2:3 (2 stitches for every 3 rows) or 3:4 (3 stitches for every 4 rows) or calculate a more precise ratio based on your stitch-to-row gauge numbers. You can also use a crochet hook to help pick up stitches if you find it tricky with knitting needles. Here I've gone for a 3:4 pick-up ratio: pick up and knit 3 stitches, skip the next row.

Step 3. Knitting the Button Bands

Picking up stitches can be time-consuming but now it's time for a bit of a break! Work the button bands with your chosen edge treatment. Here I've done a trusty 2×2 ribbing. Don't forget the buttonholes!

Step 4. Cutting the Steek

Cut the steek by going through the center of the V in the middle of the steek.

Once the button bands are done, fold them out of the way. You can also secure them with pins or locking stitch markers so that you don't accidentally cut into them.

Again, hold the work in the direction of the knitting so that the Vs of the stitches point downwards. Using sharp scissors cut through the center of the the middle steek stitch column (stitch 4 with the scissor icon in the chart). Be careful not to cut through any of the the reinforcement machine stitching. I like to place a newspaper or a piece of cardboard inside the garment to prevent accidentally nicking into the back.

There's no need to rush! Take it slow and snip one stitch at time.

Step 5. Finishing Raw Edges

As a last step you need to secure the raw edges of the steek so that your cardigan can be safely worn and washed time and time again. The two most common ways of finishing the edges are making a steek sandwich — encasing the raw edges inside a knit edging — or hand stitching a piece of grosgrain ribbon to the inside. Both give a clean, professional-looking finish. For a quicker (and dirtier) way you can just whip stitch the edges to the inside.

For extra security you can finish the raw edges on a serger.

If your yarn is particularly sticky or felts easily, you can leave the raw edges untreated, allowing them to naturally felt with wear. On the other hand, if your yarn is very slippery or you're afraid of the reinforcement stitching coming loose over time, you can overlock the raw edges with a serger. Disengage the upper knife by rotating it to the upmost position. Sew along the steeked edge aligning the outer edge of the presser foot with the edge of your garment.

Hand stitch the steek to the inside enclosing the raw edges.

Fold the steeked edges once to the wrong side along the fold-line purl columns. Then fold a second time, this time along the knit column so that the raw edges are enclosed between the garment and the steek itself. Similar to what you did when picking up stitches in step 2, go through both legs of the knit stitches with a tapestry needle and hand sew the edges of the steek to the wrong side of the garment using whip stitch.

After completing the steek and button bands, you can block your garment a second time. Since it's already been wet blocked once, this time it's enough to block just the button bands by lightly steaming or placing a damp towel over them. Blocking will help the button bands lay flat and the cut edges to relax into place.

Finished button bands on a steeked colorwork cardigan.

By picking up stitches for button bands before steeking, you ensure that the edges of the garment remain intact and stable. This method minimizes the risk of the steeked edges coming undone or starting to fray, especially when using slippery yarns such as superwash wool.

Next time you need to steek a colorwork cardigan, you can do so with confidence.

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