How to sew a sleeve cap with a split to an armhole

In this lesson, we'll guide you through the process of sewing a sleeve cap with a split to an armhole. This is often illustrated in patterns with a diagram, instructing you to sew A to a and B to b.

The garment shown in this lesson is the 'Restful River' sweater (DROPS 239-2), knitted in DROPS Air.

The sweater is worked bottom-up. Stitches are bind off for the armhole. The sleeves are worked bottom-up in the round and once the sleeve reaches x cm/inches, you create the sleeve cap by working back and forth (starting from mid-under the sleeve) until it reaches the finished length.

1) This results in a split of x cm/inches at the top of the sleeve.

2) Open the “split” at the top of the sleeve and lay it so it matches the bottom of the armhole.

3) Now we’ll start sewing with a contrasting yarn to clearly demonstrate how it is sewn together.

4) From the right side, sew sections B + b together using the mattress stitch technique.

5) Here’s the sleeve from right side:

6) And the sleeve from the wrong side:

7) Then sew sections A + a together, all the way around the armhole.

Sew in the other sleeve as well and then you are finished!

Do you need help?

If you require further information about different stitches or techniques, you will find a list of videos which might be of help: