I have finally finished this sweater for my husband...Should I block it before I sew it together?

When I put a sweater together I stitch the shoulder and then put in the sleeves and then sew the sides from the bottom of the sweater to the bottom of the sleeve in one clean sweep. What I have found that helps and if you have some safety pins around pin the material so it will come out even and you wont have to scrunch the last part. What I do is just use the overcast stitch on it. For some reason I have never blocked my sweaters but I would do it after it is put together.

Is the sweater reasonably the right size without blocking? Or do you need to sort of stretch it to shape? What's it knit out of?

If the pieces are the same size and shape as one another (it happens <G>) and the row numbers are consistent you may be able to put it together and block it afterwards. If the pieces need, shall we say, a little help, make a paper pattern of the schematic and use that to help shape the pieces correctly by wetting them and blocking them to shape. The big problem is if it is made from a man-made yarn, because man-made fibers don't hold the blocking, they'll spring back to the shape they were knit. Wool and animal fibers block, although other animal fibers can stretch, as can cotton and other plant fibers.

Mattress stitch is usually considered the best means of seaming because it does not leave big welts inside and is fairly invisible. Seam shoulders first, fit the sleeves in next/or knit the neck band and any front bands, then seam from sleeve cuff to hem. Then, if necessary, weave all your ends in on the inside.

This is one reason I like seamless sweaters in the round <G>.

Congratulations on finishing the sweater! After all that work it's worth finishing it nicely.

Blocking the pieces should make them lie flat and you can ensure the edges you are trying to join are exactly the same size. I have just recently started using mattress stitch and it makes an amazingly neat seam. (I always overcast before, but it doesn't look so good.)

if the sweater came out the size that is needed then there is no need to block.

my prefference is mattress stitch, is makes the sweater look better and more professional. and no its actually just as easy as knitting the sweater.

here is a link on how to mattress stitch.

http://learntoknit.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/faq-searc...

if you need a video heres one as well.

http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/knitting-tips?s...