How do I sew ribbed knit?

Ribbed knit stretches a great deal across the width and recovers, which is why it is used at cuffs and necklines — and that recovery is what your seam must not destroy.

Use a ballpoint or jersey needle, 75/11 or 80/12. A sharp point cuts the loops and the cut spreads into a ladder.

Use a stitch with give. A narrow zigzag, a lightning stitch, or an overlocker. A plain straight stitch snaps the first time the rib is stretched over a head or a hand.

Stretch the fabric gently as you sew where the finished seam needs to stretch — necklines and cuffs. Not the whole seam, and not hard: just enough tension to keep the thread from locking too tight. On an overlocker, use differential feed instead.

Cut with the ribs running vertically on cuffs and bands, so the stretch runs around the wrist or the neck. Cutting a band the wrong way gives you something that will not go on.

Cut bands shorter than the opening — commonly around 85 per cent for a neckband, less for a firm rib. The band has to pull the edge in; cut it the same length and the neckline gapes.

Do not press the rib flat. Steam it lightly from above without crushing it, or the corrugation collapses and the recovery goes with it.

Reduce presser foot pressure if your machine allows, so the rib is not stretched by the foot itself.