Finishing Made Easy: The Beginner's Guide DVD

Set all your future projects up for finishing success! Join instructor Chris Bylsma as she guides you step by step through the basic skills you’ll use again and again. During class, you’ll learn to work three basic but sturdy seams: vertical, horizontal and combination. Once you’re comfortable knitting seams, Chris shows you how to pick up stitches along your edges without any frustration or unnecessary counting. Want to finish your work with a special touch? You’ll conquer steps for garter-stitch, ribbed band and reverse rolled edgings. Plus, you’ll discover best practices for weaving in your ends, washing, blocking and storing your projects safely.

NOTE: Any PDF materials associated with this class are not provided with the DVD-only purchase. You must have streaming access to download those materials. To purchase the combination DVD + Streaming form of this class, click here.

Start Your Finishing Fearlessly (10:08)
Designer Chris Bylsma loves teaching students to make knitted projects shine! Start by learning what finishing really means and see Chris’ easy and effective steps to plan ahead for sleeker results. Plus, you’ll get tips on preventing common problems.

Horizontal Seams: Matching Stitch to Stitch (11:02)
Horizontal, or stitch-to-stitch seams, are considered the basic seams that provide stability and strength to your project. Chris shares not only how to work this seam on practice swatches, but also the incredibly easy secrets to correct mistakes such as jumped stitches in the seam.

Vertical Seams: Matching Row to Row (13:23)
Move on to vertical, or row-to-row seams. You’ll get detailed instructions on how to compensate while seaming pieces that might not be the same size. Chris will even help troubleshoot situations such as seaming garter and textured knitting.

Combination Seams (13:01)
Combination seams do just what you might think: combine horizontal and vertical seaming along one edge. After a detailed demo, Chris will help you figure out compensating in combination seams and show you how to apply those skills on a real project: seaming a sleeve to a body.

Picking Up Stitches (15:53)
After lots of seaming practice, it’s time to learn to pick up stitches. Chris walks you through when and why you’d want to pick up stitches along a knitted edge, showing horizontal, vertical and combination edges. You’ll learn to pick up stitches easily, without counting or frustration.

Edging Options (14:59)
Learn three practical and sleek edges for the stitches you’ve just picked up. Garter stitch adds a simple and sturdy edge. Ribbed bands are great with flexible knits and purls. Reversed rolled edges are perfect for the neckband of a sweater.

Final Touches & Care (18:32)
Master essential finishing techniques and practical tips to care for your knitted treasures. From weaving in ends (see why Chris calls the seamed edges her ‘California Closet’) to washing, blocking and storage, ensure that your projects stay in great shape!

Chris Bylsma

Chris retired from a career in marketing communications and advertising to pursue her artistic passions, knitting and textureplay, and enjoy a little gardening with her husband, Charlie. Instead, she is having a wonderful time teaching workshops from coast to coast and beyond for TNNA, shops, guilds, cruises and conferences and has her own line of knitting patterns. She also has designed knit garments for the American Girl clothing line and has been featured in Vogue Knitting, Knit Simple, Creative Knitting and Knit n’ Style. In her teaching role, Chris’ reward is when knitters discover and trust their own creativity. She encourages knitters to “color outside the lines,” where it’s more fun! Chris firmly believes that knitting is not construction. Knitters should explore and make mistakes, feel free to change their minds and most of all, enjoy what they are doing

How will I receive my DVD class?
Your class DVD will be shipped in the mail using the address you provide at checkout. You will not have streaming access to this class in your Craftsy Account unless you purchase(d) it separately. If you’d like to own this class in BOTH on-demand streaming form and DVD, we recommend you purchase that combination item on Craftsy.com.

Will the companion materials come with my DVD class?
Any downloadable class PDF materials are not included on the DVD, so you will not have access to those materials. While the video instruction on your DVD is complete, you must have streaming access to download the PDF materials associated with the class. You can purchase streaming access or a combination DVD + Streaming access on Craftsy.com.

Do I have to purchase a Craftsy Membership to get my class?
No, you do not. Every DVD-only class purchased on Craftsy.com includes the physical DVD in the mail. The physical disc(s) are yours to keep forever, with or without a Craftsy membership.

Are DVDs included in a Craftsy Membership?
No, they are not. DVDs can only be purchased on an individual basis and are not included in Craftsy memberships. For non-members, DVDs are a flexible way to purchase only the classes you love best. For members, DVDs are a great choice to build an at-home library you can keep forever and enjoy any time, with or without Internet access.

Do you ship internationally?
Yes, we do ship most physical products, including DVDs, to several International destinations. In addition to the USA and Canada, we ship to Australia, Brazil, India, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, and most Western European countries. If you live outside these countries, you can still purchase digital items including memberships, individual streaming classes, and pattern downloads.

Do your DVDs work on international players?
Yes, our DVDs should be compatible with any DVD player in use today. All our videos have been created with all current Region Codes (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8). If you have trouble viewing a DVD purchased from Craftsy.com, please contact Customer Service.

What is your return policy?
We want to be sure you’re satisfied. If you have trouble playing your DVD, if the content is not correctly presented on the DVD, or you are dissatisfied with the content of your class, we will work with you. Contact Craftsy Customer Service via email or phone. Upon your request, and upon your return of the DVD to us, we will refund your purchase price or send you another DVD to replace a damaged or incorrect DVD, whichever is your preference.