Cut and sew - Stretch and cheating

First up, My hat isn't going as smoothly as I would have liked, but then that happens when you don't swatch and just guess... but all is never lost.

What I wanted to talk about was cut and sew. Just briefly, hence the subject, it is just a quick post.
I am finishing off my hat via sewing and also fixed some "over knitting" with the cut and sew method.

I used it on a lace piece of fabric I have ironed/steamed because it was too long.

As you can see, what I have read is that you sew like a channel; Two vertical lines and cut down the middle.
I did this and it worked fine, no unravelling, nice and strong.

The only thing I would do next time, is to do it in a stretch stitch or something. I assumed they were talking about just a running stitch, which is what I used, and I didn't even think about it, but the knitted fabric has stretch and the running stitch doesn't.

Anyway, if you want your fabric even and stretchy all the way around, don't use running stitch!

On a side note... I see a few machine knitters talking about finishing, and how they like to seam on the K'machine and traditional seams etc etc... It kind of makes you using the sewing machine or serger, feel like you are cheating.
What do they call Hong Kong seams? is that sewing machine done?

Either way, I think it's kind of hypocritical being that they are also the ones who complain about hand knitters saying machine knitting is cheating.
I mean do all these actions work to the end result intended? Who cares how you do it, if it works and the finished result is just as good? (as in a usage, what the end result was intended for, use)
I mean is someone going to come up to you and say " wow that is a pretty jumper? let me look at your seams?"... come one guys, like with knitting machines, the technology is there... if you can afford it, use it?

Unless you find hand seaming soothing, which you would probably enjoy hand knitting better?

I love knitting machines for the creative side, and I am not afraid to say, that if there is a shortcut and the end result is the same, I will take it. The quicker I get the ideas out of my head the quicker I can move on to the rest.

What are you ideas on hand seaming/finishing? :)