Finishing Made Easy: The Beginner's Guide (DVD + Streaming)

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: If you’d like to purchase only the DVD for this class, you may do so through this link. (Please note, any class PDF materials are not on the DVD itself. You must have streaming access to download those materials associated with the class.)

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 DVD will be shipped in the mail using the address you provide at checkout. Your purchase also includes access to a streaming version of the class and downloadable PDF class materials. After your purchase, you can find your streaming class and your PDF class materials by logging into your Craftsy account using the user name and password you established.

How do I access the companion materials for my DVD class?
Come to Craftsy.com and log into your account using the username and password you set up when establishing your Craftsy account or purchasing your DVD. In your “My Account” area, select the “Classes” content. On this page, you’ll see all classes you’ve purchased from Craftsy. Simply select the desired class from your content list, and you’ll be presented with your selected class page. From the class page you can easily view, download or print the companion class materials, which are in the “Bonus Materials” tab on the class page. You can log in any time, and download or print the companion materials as many times as you like. Companion class materials are not shipped in the mail with your DVD, and must be accessed on Craftsy.com.

How do I stream my class on Craftsy.com?
Come to Craftsy.com and log into your account using the username and password you set up when establishing your Craftsy account or purchasing your DVD. In your “My Account” content, select the desired class. Stream the video on-demand from the class page any time you like; your viewing access is unlimited. You can stream your class from any computer, tablet or mobile device with Internet access.

Do I have to purchase a Craftsy Membership to get my class?
No, you do not. Every DVD purchased on Craftsy.com includes both the physical DVD in the mail and unlimited on-demand streaming access at Craftsy.com. These benefits are yours 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. If you do receive a full refund, your streaming video class will also be removed from your Craftsy account, so on-demand video access will no longer be available to you.