Best way to seam shoulders?

[redheadrachel]

Hey everyone! I'm doing my first sweater with conventional construction, a central park hoodie! I'm really excited, but I'm not sure how to seam the shoulders! I see that a lot of people say the three needle bind off is best, but I've already bound off! (Not my fault, the pattern told me to!!!) Should I undo the bind offs and do it that way? Or should I graft them? Or should I... (insert other option)?

Thanks :D

[G J]

If it's not a fitted shoulder and you're good at seaming, just use the Mattress Stitch.
If you aren't great at seaming, go back and then join with the 3 needle BO. I've become very partial to this technique and even use short row shaping on sloped shoulders so I can do it!

[redheadrachel]

Hmm, that's cool! I love mattress stitch, but I thought you could only do it for vertical seams...

Thank for your tip

[GinnyG]

I just finished my CPH (see KAL). I WISH I had used the three needle bind off and on the next one I will. In retrospect I wish I had frogged back and done it that way.

[redheadrachel]

Yeah, I might frog back. I hear such good things about it!

[cam90066]

I almost always opt for 3-ndl. Undoing the BOs is NBD and I think you'd be happier with the results. If you're set on seaming with the BO edge there's helpful info here.

cam

[redheadrachel]

So to do a 3 needle BO, I have to frog all the way back to the beginning of my first BO stitches? So back, like six rows on the CPH? I kinda don't understand how to do it because they're not all bound off on the same row...

[G J]

If it's a sloped shoulder (and it sounds like it is), frog back to the row BEFORE you did your first BO stitches. Instead of BO, you'll do a wrap and turn. Since you knit socks, you know how to do that, right? You'll do wraps and turns instead of incremental bindoffs. Then, knit one more row, picking up the wraps. After that, you'll be ready for 3NBO. IS that as clear as mud?

[cam90066]

You'd do short rows for each row of BOs thereby keeping live sts on your needle until the last row. If pattern says to BO 4 sts...first BO...you'd work to within 4 sts, W&T, work back. Work in pattern to next BO row (for example 3 sts). Work until 7 sts now on ndl (orig 4 + 3), W&T, work back. The unworked, 'live' sts are accumulating. Continue until all BOs done and then work all the wraps on last row. Place shoulder live sts on holder. Do same for all remaining three shoulders. Then just pair up front/back for each side, do the 3-ndl, and you'll have sturdy, clean and professional looking slope.

If need be, you can practice the W&T, if you're unfamiliar, on swatch. CO 20, work to w/in 5, W&T, work back on 15. Work to w/in 10 (5+5), W&T, work back on 10, etc.

HTH,
cam

[G J]

Wonderfully thorough explanation!