How to Finish a Knitted Sweater at the Armpits
- 1). Flatten the sweater body so the front faces up. Insert one straight pin at the top of the shoulder and one at the bottom of the sleeve hole, at the armpit. Insert two straight pins on the front edge, halfway between the shoulder pin and the armpit pin. Insert two more straight pins at the same position on the back edge.
- 2). Flatten the first sleeve so the side seam is to the side. Insert one pin at the very top of the sleeve and one at very bottom of the opening. Insert two pins onto the front edge of the sleeve, halfway between the top and bottom pins. Insert two more pins at the same position on the back edge.
- 3). Line up the top of the sleeve with the sleeve hole on the sweater body, with the right sides facing outward. The top pins, side pins and bottom pins should all be aligned. Remove the pins from the individual sections and reinsert them so they hold the sections together.
- 4). Cut a long length of yarn to match the sweater and thread the tapestry needle.
- 5). Gently move the sleeve to the bottom opening of the sweater so you can work on the wrong side of the garment.
- 6). Sew the sleeve in place with the threaded tapestry needle using a backstitch. Start at one side of the armpit. Insert the needle through both layers of fabric, then bring it out two stitches ahead of the insertion point. Reinsert the needle two stitches back, then bring it out two stitches ahead of where it last emerged. Continue doing this all around the sleeve hole, finishing at the other side of the armpit.
- 7). Ensure there is no gap between the beginning and ending sewing stitches at the armpit. Weave in the loose ends of the yarn. Remove the pins.
- 8). Repeat Step 1 through 7 for the second sleeve.