You can find very lovely knitted and crocheted sweaters but can look too ill-fitting when you try them on. For these types of sweaters, unraveling after cutting is a strong possibility. But don’t let it stop you from altering that bulky cardigan into something that you would be proud to wear. Keep in mind that it is possible to cut a sweater without it unraveling. Worrying about unraveling can keep you from cropping a sweater that can make it into a perfect fit. If you want to gain confidence in cutting a sweater, you may try doing it on an old one from your closet. After which, it will inspire you to cut every ill-fitted sweater to your desired length. Knitters call the technique of cutting a sweater steeking. Learning this technique is essential when you want to alter your sweaters and make sure that they will not unravel in the process. Read on for some tips on steeking sweaters. Unreinforced Steeking Animal fiber yarns stick together more than plant-based yarns. You can take advantage of the stickiness of animal fiber yarns by applying unreinforced steeking. All you need are straight pins, scissors, and your long sweater. Using straight pins, mark the length of the sweater that you are going to steek. Slowly cut along the height you marked. The fibers will stick together without reinforcement. If you are still concerned about unraveling, you may rub the cut section’s edges for the fibers to felt together naturally. Steeking using a Sewing Machine You can use your sewing machine for the simple steeking of your sweater. Steeking with a sewing machine or a Serger machine will give your cut edges the sturdiest reinforcement. Bring out some straight pins, scissors, a sewing machine or Serger machine, and an oversized sweater ready for steeking. Mark the area that needs to be steeked using straight pins. Sew a line of short stitches around this area using your sewing machine to prevent the sweater from unraveling. Using your sharp scissors, cut into the area near the short stitches. You can use a Serger machine to secure the edges or make the zigzag stitch if you are using a common sewing machine. Steeking by Crochet If you do not have a sewing machine but knows how to crochet, you can use this steeking method to crop your sweater. The materials you will be needing are yarn, yarn needle, crochet hook, and scissors. Using a yarn with a contrasting color to your sweater and a yarn needle, mark the part you need to cut by making long stitches around. Using a yarn with a similar color to your sweater, single crochet around the marked line. The single crochet will be the new edge of your sweater after steeking the part you want to remove.