Bruce's Jacket is looking good.

Backstitching the main panels is now complete and for sure, always knitting the edge stitches to create a clear selvage was very helpful as endorsed by James Norbury.

I own this funky book from the 80's called Wild Knitting by Angela Jeffs . There are so many of things to appreciate about this old chestnut, the freshness of the creativity, the joy and fun in the projects and for me especially, the use of mohair, one of my most favourite yarns.

I especially appreciate the stitch dictionary at the back and the drawings so beautifully rendered. The selection of stitches all solid and enjoyable picks.

I am using the wager welt for the collar and side panels of the jacket.

How can you resist a stitch also called puzzle stitch, dispute stitch and all fools welt.
To determine the measurement of the side panels in relationship to the sleeves I lay the parts on top of Bruce's fleece jacket.

It looks pretty good to me. The next step is to knit the sleeves. I am going to start from the top and decrease towards the cuff. The top of the sleeve will have a straight area that should sew neatly into the side panel.

Seams Incredible: The Back Stitch

We discussed seaming Bruce's jacket last night at the knit guild. Sewing up is actually one of the primary reasons we are making the jacket this season. The modular format (or knitted strips) create lots of opportunity for seaming.

Like a reverse New Year countdown, I made top ten list, are we ready?

1. Back stitch
2. Mattress stitch
3. Crochet slip stitch
4. Three needle bind off
5. Whip stitch
6. Grafting
7. Picking up and knitting
8. I cord
9. Sewing Machine
10. Knitting in the round (no sew)

For this post and Bruce's jacket I am using the back stitch for the lengthwise body pieces and a size 18 tapestry needle. This James Norbury's preferred method

It makes a very strong seam, is the devil to unpick and I think it works well when the knitter has the practice of knitting and slipping edge stitches to create a clear selvage.

I like a smaller needle for back stitch because it pierces the edge better and the blunt point avoids splitting the yarn and resulting snagging. The larger needle is a size 13, my preference for mattress stitch.

I am ok with a visible seam on the reverse side, though I understand many knitters prefer a smoother look. I will investigate this possibility later in the new year. I imagine it similar to flatlocking, the kind of seam common on sportswear.

I like the Clover stitch holders when I use the 3 needle bind off as they act like a knitting needle. You could alternatively use double pointed needles.

When the shoulders are complete, the stitch patterns flows smoothly over the shoulder. Notice the extra yarn I leave connected after I have knitted the parts. I leave a 4 times the width of the knitting length on each piece, so I have more options for which yarn I will eventually use to cast off. For me, this is one of the few places I leave a length of yarn from the knitted piece for sewing up. Mostly I prefer to sew up seams with fresh yarn.

My final tip for back stitch is to consider using a thinner yarn for sewing. For example a DK yarn with a chunky. Certainly with a soft unspun yarn like Lopi a yarn with twist and ply is necessary.