There are some significant differences between the traditional Fair Isle and Norwegian methods for steeking an armhole. The Fair Isle method for both dropped and set-in sleeves uses a classic steek with the additional column of stitches - essentially the same process as the cardigan opening - yet it begins in the middle of the garment on the sides. For the Fair Isle armhole, once you've knit around up to the starting point of the armhole, several stitches are either bound off or placed on holders on either side of each (imaginary) side seam. On the next round, steek stitches are cast on over the bound off/held section and worked into every round; then they're bound off at the top, optionally reinforced and cut as with the cardigan steek. The shoulders are joined, stitches are picked up around the armhole and the sleeve is usually worked from the top down to the cuff. As with the cardigan, the raw steeked edge is often covered by crossed/overcast stitches. The armhole/sleeve top/ shoulder line can be straight or decreases can be used on either side of the steek to shape the armhole for a set-in sleeve. The hole formed in between the bound off or held armhole base and the cast on steek stitches provides a very convenient and thankfully obvious point for starting or ending your cutting. The bound off/held bottom edge of the armhole provides insurance against unraveling. (I prefer to hold those stitches on safety pins and pick them up later, rather than bind them off - that eliminates the need to sew that spot later and it helps to reduce unwanted underarm bulk.)

Neckline Steeks

Usually, the number of steek stitches cast on over the base of an armhole will end up being smaller than the number of stitches that has just been bound off/held below, but that's not the case for every section of the garment. In fact, with a steek for a v-neck collar, we usually put the center 1 or 2 stitches for the bottom point of the v-neck on a holder (they're later worked up into the ribbed trim), we don't bind off a single stitch; yet, we cast on as many steek stitches as we need (3 to 10) over the holder. As with the armhole, we use decreases on each side of the steek to shape the collar. Both sides of the v-neck's slanted edge are brought together around the steek so that the garment is narrowing toward the top as we knit, taking on a conical shape. But once we cut down the middle of the steek, the v-neck splays open and the garment lays flat. The same method can be used for rounded or square necklines. As with the armholes and the v-neck, the bottom is either bound off or held; the sides are shaped with decreases on either side of the steek, then stitches are picked up all around and knit into the collars trim. Since we establish the armholes' lower boundaries in the Fair Isle body, we force ourselves to make sleeve tops which precisely match the preset armholes' dimensions. The benefit of the Fair Isle's neatly established armhole base and convenient open cutting point is countered by the detriment of having a precise sleeve top width dictated before the sleeves are even begun. It can be a little tricky to pick up just the right distribution of stitches around the armhole for knitting the sleeves down. It can be a good bit trickier to knit, shape and attach an exactly perfect sleeve cap if the sleeves are made separately.

Next: The Norwegian Cutting Method

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