Steeking
Steeking is the technique of knitting a tube and then cutting it open to create a flat piece. It is the standard method for stranded-colourwork cardigans, where flat knitting would interrupt the colourwork.
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When to use
Stranded-colourwork cardigans (knit as pullovers, then steeked open at the front). Stranded-colourwork tunics with neck or sleeve openings. Any place colourwork is easier to knit in the round than flat.
Reinforcement
Before cutting, the steek must be reinforced. The most common method: with a sewing machine, sew two parallel lines down the centre of the steek column, with the cut line between them. Alternatively: crochet a single-crochet line down each side of the cut line, anchoring each crochet stitch to the knit fabric.
In partnership Tools and supplies that make this technique easier.
Cutting
With sharp scissors, cut down the centre of the steek column between the reinforcement lines. Cut slowly and carefully — there is no undo.
Finishing
Pick up stitches along the cut edge with the project yarn and knit the front band, button band, or sleeve cuff outward from the picked-up stitches. The cut edge is hidden inside the band.
Abbreviation reference
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| BO | bind off |
Tips
- Always reinforce the steek before cutting — unreinforced steeks unravel.
- For colourwork in animal fibres (wool, alpaca), the natural fibre stickiness makes steeking nearly foolproof.
- For superwash wool, cotton, or silk, use a sewing machine reinforcement — the slippery fibres unravel even when crocheted.
In depth
Steeking exploits the natural stickiness of wool fibres to allow knitted fabric to be cut without unravelling. The technique was developed in Shetland and the Faroes for stranded-colourwork sweaters, where flat knitting would have made the colourwork much harder. Modern steeking with sewing-machine reinforcement extends the technique to non-sticky fibres.