An easier way to Kitchener Stitch (also called "grafting seams" or "weaving seams")
includes a how-to
click picture
Lord Kitchener, a British general, was concerned about the state of his men's feet--their sock seams rubbed their toes bloody. Accordingly, he invented (or more likely, IMHO, he had an expert knitter invent, and then took the credit for) a way to finish off socks smoothly. This toe-ending maneuver is now called the Kitchener stitch. Other names for this maneuver are: "weaving" or "grafting" seams.
Kitchener stitch makes a very lovely ending--a sort of optical illusion that the knitting just kept going "around the corner." Without the red yarn picking out the weaving for you to follow (little picture) the seam in this sock toe would be completely invisible (big picture). Kitchener stitching is most often used for sock toes, but is sometimes used to graft other "live edges" together. One example of a recent high-fashion pattern which used huge amounts to Kitchener stitching to close the long seams at the top of dolman sleeves can be found here (scroll--fur trimmed wrap).
Now, the thing about Kitchener stitch is that it is usually done with a tapestry needle and a length of yarn, and typically terrifies knitters, being considered an "expert" skill. The needle goes in and out of the live stitches, following the complicated path that a row of knitting would take, and this accounts for the invisibility of the seam--the fabric is actually grafted together with a seam which is structurally identical to the fabric.
After a bit of messing around, this new unvention has emerged--a way to graft seams shut with knitting needles. This TECH-unvention is now ready to spring upon the world.
This post asks you, dear readers, to fill the role of guinea pigs. My fellow blogger, kmkat, was the first guinea pig--she graciously volunteered to be a test-knitter before this post was ever published, and she found that the instructions worked for her. Now, perhaps you will try these instructions out for yourself and see whether you like this new method.
Like the traditional sewing method, this new way is still done with a length of yarn pulled through the loops, but the "stitches" are real knitting stitches (knit and purl) not sewing stitches, and the work is done only with knitting needles--you can leave the tapestry needle in the cross-stitch kit, where it belongs.
Wrap (bring) the working yarn around to the front of the work. Insert the right working needle over the yarn and use the working yarn to PURL the first stitch (green) on the left front needle. Draw the working yarn backwards all the way through this stitch until the end of the working yarn pops free. The loose end of the working yarn (red) will now be in the area between the left needles. This stitch (green) you were working is fully bound off--push this stitch off the left front needle.
These four steps are repeated again and again to create a Kitchener stitched seam. If you want to chant the steps to yourself as you work, here is the mantra:
This work goes MUCH slower than you expect, because each set of 4 steps only re-creates what amounts to 1 knit stitch. In other words, even if you could do this as fast as actual knitting, it would take four times as long. Since kitchener stitch actually takes a good deal longer than actual knitting, progress seems glacial. Persevere, however, and you will have lovely toes (or at least, your socks will).
(Many thanks again to kmkat for her behind-the-scenes willingness to test-knit these instructions before publication, and also for her valuable feedback. If you would like to volunteer to be a TECHknitting test-knitter, please contact me at "techknitting@hotmail.com" Thanks. )
--TECHknitter You have been reading TECHknitting on: A new way to Kitchener stitch, also called "grafting seams" and "weaving seams."
click picture
Lord Kitchener, a British general, was concerned about the state of his men's feet--their sock seams rubbed their toes bloody. Accordingly, he invented (or more likely, IMHO, he had an expert knitter invent, and then took the credit for) a way to finish off socks smoothly. This toe-ending maneuver is now called the Kitchener stitch. Other names for this maneuver are: "weaving" or "grafting" seams.
Kitchener stitch makes a very lovely ending--a sort of optical illusion that the knitting just kept going "around the corner." Without the red yarn picking out the weaving for you to follow (little picture) the seam in this sock toe would be completely invisible (big picture). Kitchener stitching is most often used for sock toes, but is sometimes used to graft other "live edges" together. One example of a recent high-fashion pattern which used huge amounts to Kitchener stitching to close the long seams at the top of dolman sleeves can be found here (scroll--fur trimmed wrap).
Now, the thing about Kitchener stitch is that it is usually done with a tapestry needle and a length of yarn, and typically terrifies knitters, being considered an "expert" skill. The needle goes in and out of the live stitches, following the complicated path that a row of knitting would take, and this accounts for the invisibility of the seam--the fabric is actually grafted together with a seam which is structurally identical to the fabric.
click picture
MAKING IT EASIER
For some time, I have been nursing the theory that maybe the reason why some knitters avoid Kitchener stitch is because it is actually a species of sewing. It is my theory that if it you didn't have to dig out a tapestry needle -- if it could be done with knitting needles -- Kitchener-o-phobic knitters might find it more attractive.After a bit of messing around, this new unvention has emerged--a way to graft seams shut with knitting needles. This TECH-unvention is now ready to spring upon the world.
This post asks you, dear readers, to fill the role of guinea pigs. My fellow blogger, kmkat, was the first guinea pig--she graciously volunteered to be a test-knitter before this post was ever published, and she found that the instructions worked for her. Now, perhaps you will try these instructions out for yourself and see whether you like this new method.
Like the traditional sewing method, this new way is still done with a length of yarn pulled through the loops, but the "stitches" are real knitting stitches (knit and purl) not sewing stitches, and the work is done only with knitting needles--you can leave the tapestry needle in the cross-stitch kit, where it belongs.
SET UP
When you have finished the toe of a sock, you must set up your work as follows: arrange all the front (instep) stitches on one double pointed needle, and all the back (sole) stitches on another double pointed needle--in the instructions which follow, these two needles are called the left needles, both front and rear. The yarn should be coming out of the last stitch on the rear needle--in other words, by the right hand end of the rear left needle, as illustrated above.
For a typical sock toe, about 15 inches of yarn will be more than enough--cut the yarn to that length. This 15 inch length of yarn (illustrated in red, above) is the "working yarn." The work is actually done by manipulating this working yarn, using a third double pointed needle, the "right-" or "working needle." To complete your set-up, you must take this working needle into your right hand, while holding the two left needles in your left hand.
A final note before beginning: Although this method is done with knitting needles, it is different than knitting because it is done with a CUT LENGTH OF YARN--which we are calling the "working yarn." Instead of making endless loops, you are going to do something unusual with your knitting needle--you are going to use it to draw the working yarn ALL THE WAY THROUGH each loop each time. If you look at the illustrations below, you will see that the working yarn (red) passes AS A SINGLE STRAND, through the stitch being worked. In other words, with each of the 4 steps listed below, the working yarn is to be pulled all the way through the stitch until the end of the working yarn has popped free, as illustrated.
click picture
When you have finished the toe of a sock, you must set up your work as follows: arrange all the front (instep) stitches on one double pointed needle, and all the back (sole) stitches on another double pointed needle--in the instructions which follow, these two needles are called the left needles, both front and rear. The yarn should be coming out of the last stitch on the rear needle--in other words, by the right hand end of the rear left needle, as illustrated above.
For a typical sock toe, about 15 inches of yarn will be more than enough--cut the yarn to that length. This 15 inch length of yarn (illustrated in red, above) is the "working yarn." The work is actually done by manipulating this working yarn, using a third double pointed needle, the "right-" or "working needle." To complete your set-up, you must take this working needle into your right hand, while holding the two left needles in your left hand.
A final note before beginning: Although this method is done with knitting needles, it is different than knitting because it is done with a CUT LENGTH OF YARN--which we are calling the "working yarn." Instead of making endless loops, you are going to do something unusual with your knitting needle--you are going to use it to draw the working yarn ALL THE WAY THROUGH each loop each time. If you look at the illustrations below, you will see that the working yarn (red) passes AS A SINGLE STRAND, through the stitch being worked. In other words, with each of the 4 steps listed below, the working yarn is to be pulled all the way through the stitch until the end of the working yarn has popped free, as illustrated.
HOW TO KITCHENER STITCH with
KNITTING NEEDLES
KNITTING NEEDLES
Step 1:
click picture
Wrap (bring) the working yarn around to the front of the work. Insert the right working needle over the yarn and use the working yarn to PURL the first stitch (green) on the left front needle. Draw the working yarn backwards all the way through this stitch until the end of the working yarn pops free. The loose end of the working yarn (red) will now be in the area between the left needles. This stitch (green) you were working is fully bound off--push this stitch off the left front needle.
Step 2:
click picture
The working yarn should now be in the area between the left front and left rear needles. Insert the right working needle into the next stitch (purple)--which is the second stitch on the left front needle. Use the working yarn to KNIT this stitch. Draw the working yarn forward all the way through this stitch until the end of the working yarn pops free of the stitch. The loose end of the working yarn (red) will now be in the front of the work. The stitch (purple) you were working on is only half bound off--you must leave this stitch on the left front needle.
Step 3:
click picture
Wrap the working yarn around to the back of the work. Insert the right working needle into first stitch on the left rear needle (blue) and use the working yarn to KNIT this stitch. Draw working yarn forward all the way through this stitch until the end of the working yarn pops free. The loose end of the working yarn (red) will now be in the area between the left needles. The stitch (blue) you were working is fully bound off--push this stitch off the left rear needle.
Step 4:
click picture
The working yarn should be in the area between the left front and left rear needles. Insert the right working needle into the second stitch on the left rear needle (teal) and use the working yarn to PURL this stitch. Draw the working yarn backwards all the way through this stitch until the end of the working yarn pops free. The loose end of the working yarn (red) will now be at the back of the work. The stitch (teal) you were working is only half bound off--you must leave this stitch on the left rear needle.
These four steps are repeated again and again to create a Kitchener stitched seam. If you want to chant the steps to yourself as you work, here is the mantra:
- Step 1: Purl front, push the stitch off
- Step 2: Knit front, leave the stitch on
- Step 3: Knit rear, push the stitch off
- Step 4: Purl rear, leave the stitch on
TENSION and SPEED
Resist the temptation to give the yarn a good yank as you pull it through. Instead be mild in your adjustment--remember, when you're drawing the working yarn through the stitches, you don't have a knitting needle around which to form your loop. Therefore, if you want your Kitchener stitch to look like the rest of your fabric, you've got to leave enough extra slack to approximate the loop the working yarn would otherwise make around a knitting needle. Some instructions have you adjust the tension at the end, but that is really only possible with a smooth yarn over a short span. The hairier your yarn (or the longer your span) the more it pays to learn to adjust the tension as you go.This work goes MUCH slower than you expect, because each set of 4 steps only re-creates what amounts to 1 knit stitch. In other words, even if you could do this as fast as actual knitting, it would take four times as long. Since kitchener stitch actually takes a good deal longer than actual knitting, progress seems glacial. Persevere, however, and you will have lovely toes (or at least, your socks will).
(Many thanks again to kmkat for her behind-the-scenes willingness to test-knit these instructions before publication, and also for her valuable feedback. If you would like to volunteer to be a TECHknitting test-knitter, please contact me at "techknitting@hotmail.com" Thanks. )
--TECHknitter You have been reading TECHknitting on: A new way to Kitchener stitch, also called "grafting seams" and "weaving seams."
contents © 2006-2008 by techknitting@hotmail.com
26 Comments:
Sometimes I think knitters think something is hard just because they're told it's "an expert" technique. I'm new enough not to know any better and find that most things can be fingured out with a little patience. I do hate digging out the tapestry needle, though. It's all the way on the other side of the room!
My real problem with Kitchener stitch, no matter what method I'm using, is that if I look up from what I am doing without remembering exactly which step I was on, I'm lost. Sometimes I can figure out what I just did and hence what I need to do next, sometimes not. My test-Kitchenering has a wonky couple stitches halfway across where I did that last thing. What I do that works, assuming I remember, is to never, ever stop unless I have just completed step 4. Then I know to just start over at the beginning.
If someone could do a tutorial on how to read Kitchener stitch in progress it would be a great help :-)
Even though I'm one of those mutants who has always enjoyed doing Kitchener stitch with a yarn needle, I think your unvention is bloody brilliant!
I've never tried Kitchener as you show it (I've used a tapestry needle), but it always has been an obstacle. I still need to practice before I do it on the actual project. My initial problem arose because my stitches are not oriented on the needle as you show. Being a combined knittter, I have to reposition them so they are. (And the "knitwise" and "purlwise"' instructions of conventional knitting make my head spin.) My second problem is starting the first stitch, and I think your directions will solve that problem. After that, it is reasonably smooth sailing, but it is definitely an advantage to use knitting needles. I'll try your method on my next pair of socks.
The first time I had to close a sock using Kitchener stitch, my husband accused me of using language that would make a sailor blush.
primetimeknitter.typepad.com
I'm 2/3 finished with a sock at the moment, so I will get back to you in a few days with my attempt! Sounds intriguing ... Maryjo
I KNEW there had to be a way to do this! Can't wait to try it on my next pair of socks.
Just bought yarn for the first socks I'llhave knitted in almost 30 years! Now I have what looks like a great way to finish them. Thanks.
I don't mind doing kitchener stitch with a tapestry needle but that doesn't mean I'm going to ignore your unvention. On first read through it makes sense so I'm going to try it next time I need to graft toesies.
[ and a slightly belated happy half-blogversary ]
I think the problem a lot of people have with kitchener stitch is that they try to memorize steps, instead of simply understanding how a strand of yarn moves along a single row.
I noticed that the first two stitches only end up with the yarn passing through them once. I think if you add the following two steps to the very beginning, then repeat the four step process, you'll have the yarn pass through every loop twice:
preliminary step 1 (Step 2): Knit front, leave the stitch on
preliminary step 2 (Step 4): Purl rear, leave the stitch on
(I haven't tried it to double check if it will work or not.)
Hi Noricum--
I was wondering whether anyone would bring this up! The thing is, the first two stitches start off with a yarn already through them--it is what ties them to their neighboring stitches, and that yarn was put there when you did the original knitting. So you actually can just start right off in pattern. Same with the last two stitches.
Thanks for writing, (and hello, Winnipeg!)
--TECHknitter
I'm wondering if you have any hints on grafting lace? I've made three lace shawls now and the very last step is grafting the start and end rows of the lace edging together. I've tried three different things so far: a standard graft (looks like a sewn seam, yucky!), a very loose graft that I go back and adjust the tension on to simulate the pattern(okay but not great) and a three needle bind off that still looks like a seam but not as bad as a standard graft. The problem is the lace yarnovers - a standard kitchener puts a full stitch where a yarnover would maintain the lace pattern.
Anyway, any tips or insights you might have would be so appreciated!
Hi Zoe: I wish I could see the problem. From a long distance away, and using only words, the easiest thing I can think of is to add an extra row of plain knitting before trying the grafting, so the YO's aren't at the edge--then do the Kitchener L-O-O-S-E-L-Y adjusting the tension as best as possible afterwards. An extra row of knitting is probably going to be less obvious than having a row which interferes with the pattern.
Another trick along these lines would be to make the YO one row early, and then you'd have a plain stitch to work at the grafting edge--a plain stitch where the YO ought to be. Having the YO one row early will distort the pattern, but again, it is a lesser of two evils situation--that distortion might well be less obvious than a frank seam.
You could also try "manufacturing" a YO where you need one, by working off two stitches together--but play with that in scrap yarn first.
A different sort of solution might be to find an edging pattern which has points which wane all the way down to the fabric edge--a sort of repeated "V" shape where the points of the lace come all the way down to the fabric edge-this sort of edging completely eliminates the problem. If you want a more elaborate edge, work a round and round edge first, THEN put the points on, side to side over the first edging.
One final thought--you KNOW where to look--your eyes go first to the graft, ignoring the rest of the beautiful lace work. No one else's eyes do that. What looks horrible to you is probably never going to be noticed by any other eyes--so take heart!
--TECHknitter
Thank you so much for posting this! I tried this out and it's worked well on my socks! :) I really appreciate this!
Dear alt.ayu-- I'm glad it worked for you--it is kind of you to write and let me know. As you could tell by the little guinea pig with needles, this is a new trick, not as well field-tested as some others. so feedback on this one is especially valuable.
--TECHknitter
Worked great for me, and I found that it took care of one problem I always have with tapestry-needle Kitchener: the little "ear" that sticks out from the first couple of stitches, if you know what I mean!
Wow! That is so much simpler than the sewing method. I came to your blog looking for help with Kitchener because I was almost done a pair of slippers and I knew the toes would be obvious if they weren't right and I've never been happy with my sock toes. Thsi worked so well.
Thanks!
Dear Tech Knitter--
I wonder if you could translate these directions for garter stitch. I have just spent hundreds of hours finishing a Shetland shawl. I have the beginning stitches of the border on one needle and the ending stitches of the border on a second needle. They need to be joined with a purl row.
After 14 hours of trying, I gave up and threw the entire gossamer shawl in the trash bin. If you can explain how to graft these two rows together, I will fish it out and give it one more try.
I usually have no trouble grafting anything, but I made the terrible mistake of trying to use someone's brilliant suggestion for doing this. Unfortunately, it turns out that only someone who can easily visualize tesseract construction could follow his directions.
I am at a loss. Help?
Thank you! I bookmarked this back in May for the next time I needed to graft and just used it yesterday. My previous attempt at grafting left me in tears (and I KNOW that it should not) and it was only 4 stitches on each side! This was not only easy to follow, it was FUN. It made finishing seem like less of a chore and just more of the fun knitting part.
Thanks again! I love all of your techniques but this one is literally a life changer ;)
Thanks so much for this tutorial. I found you through Ravelry, and now you are book-marked as my go-to reference. Being left handed, I found Kitchener impossible to do. But your instructions were wonderfully clear. Now I can't pretend that my first attempt came out perfectly, but it is heads and shoulders above the nonsense I was doing before. Thanks for sharing.
So I should have read the 'Don't yank' part before I started but it really was clear to follow and worked out great.
Bloody Hallelujah! Thank you, Thank you - you are clever, and my sock is done! On to #2...
I'll try this on my next sock (just now turning the heel). I feared Kitchener too, but after about 10,000 sock toes grafted I finally got the hang of it. (as you have no doubt deduced, I'm a slow learner) thanks for your great blog, I love learning new knitting tricks!
Tried it and liked it. Kudos to your illustrator and congrats if you share that talent too!
I'm stuck trying to make the last 2 stitches work. When I have 1 stitch on the left front, and 1 on the left rear, I can't complete step 2.
Thanks, Knitknots in Kananaskis
Simply Brilliant. I am using it and I love not having to thread a needle
-Socker in California
Thanks for unventing this technique! I found it more intuitive than the tapestry needle method as I was going along, since whether one must knit or purl the next stitch is indicated by the position of the working yarn relative to the stitch in question.
It was also easier to keep the correct tension using your knitting needle method. I tensioned the yarn around my hand for each stitch as if I were knitting normally, which I think helped. I ended up with a gorgeous sock toe with a minimum of futzing after the fact.
Hi TechKnitter
Thanks for your amazing resource, you are an absolute treasure to the knitting community.
I finished my first pair of socks about a month ago, and the only bit I was unhappy with was the toe seam.
Your unvention has encouraged me to go get the socks back (they were a gift), frog the seam out and try again.
Thanks!
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