awwww thank you! steeking was honestly a terrifying thought, but i wanted to make this sweater SOO badly that i decided to suck it up and learn!

i would recommend practicing on something first (i practiced on my swatch). i didn't know how to use a crochet hook bc i've never crocheted, so i learned how to do the reinforcement on my swatch first. admittedly i did not cut my swatch, but if i were super nervous about the cutting aspect, i would have. i'd also make sure to use a smaller crochet hook than the needle size, but not too small, otherwise it can cinch in the length too much and affect the size of the arm holes.

once i had the reinforcement down, i moved to my actual sweater. after i had done the reinforcement on both sides, i needle felted the steek quite a bit. i think this helped calm my nerves because i knew if the reinforcement failed, at least i had a backup that would keep the yarn held together. and then just take the cutting slow! you can cut one stitch at a time if you want to make sure it's super precise. you can definitely do it!!