Fine knit fabrics are gorgeous. Take a look at this gorgeous knit below from Minerva Crafts.
Fine knits are soft, resilient and drape lightly. So the key skill here is how do you work with them. Overlock? Coverstitch? Machine stitch? Or just use the fabric as a blanket? This type of fine knit is too good to be used as a blanket.
I decided to make Simplicity 2603 again and work on this new navy version.
Overlock
Using a basic 4-thread machine sews the seams well but be aware of the best stitch and thread tension. As Maris says, test your fabric first.
Overlocking worked well to construct the seams and finish the edges nicely.
Coverstitch
Testing this knit with no stabiliser resulted in tunneling. Even ‘steam a seam lite’ didn’t help. So without any additional tear away fabric, Coverstitching wasn’t going to work.
You can see how fine this fabric is and it just didn’t go through the coverstitch machine without looking ‘angry’.
Machine stitch
Aaah. Success. A simple straight stitch worked.
Testing your machines with fine fabrics will help create something you’re happy to wear.
velosews 
Love the colour and it will certainly keep you warm. I think I might have these issues with the wool jersey so thank you for the reminders.
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A lovely cardi and very nice fabric.
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Very timely Maria – I've just purchased a gorgeous wool knit. You are right, sampling first is essential with knits to find out what works. Your new cardigan is lovely 🙂
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Lovely cardigan! I always do a test run with scrap fabric on my serger and cover stitch to make sure the tension is correct.
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You're welcome
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Thanks Beajay.
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I know you'll work it out Sarah Liz
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Thanks Jennifer. Testing fabric helps overcome disappointment.
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Thanks for doing this experiment on behalf of those of us without fancy gadgets!! I guess I always assumed that overlockers & coverstitch machines would give a better result so I'm glad to hear that a regular old machine can cut the mustard 🙂
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I'm very conscious that new sewers only have one machine and I'd like to support them so there's less pressure to keep buying a new gadget for every step Thanks Jenny.
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Good post. Not all knits are equal and pretesting is the only way to go.
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I wouldn't have guessed the straight stitch would work better than the coverstitch! Good thing to keep in mind.
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