Saturday, January 16, 2016

Kitchener stitch and all about that

Today I understood the Kitchener stitch.  It is a way to join two knitted  pieces, also known as grafting.  Why is it important - because it will be smooth with no bulk.  It is a neat thing that good knitters do to give their work a professional touch.

It was mostly used in joining the toes of a sock but now it  is equally coveted in sweaters, cardigan or other knitted garments.

I had a pattern that is almost finished except this Kitchener stitch part and I was really struggling to understand it for the last three days.

 It is supposed to be a gift.  I have rigid deadline.

And...finally I did it.

For that I am grateful to many knitters who have graciously shared their knowledge and expertise in the Youtube.  One that  helped me:



In this  second one I understood the rhythm better.

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I understood it more clearly as she showed the process with a better rhythm. Pick up the front stitch as if to knit, let go  off the stitch,  but not the thread, immediately go to the next stitch of the same needle as to purl.  This the part I was messing up and this video helped me sort it out.


Where did the name come from I wondered.  Strangely, folk lore goes that an English guy who was a Field Marshall General around World War I, also served in India from 1902- 1909 for recruiting soldires to go fight for the WWI  showed the English and American knitters how to graft the socks' end so that the bulge would  not hurt the toes. The soldiers' toes I believe.  Lots of socks were knitted for the soldiers I assume.  This is how the name of this military guy came in to our knitting world.

Any way I am happy to show that my two knitted piece are now grafted with Kitchener stich in such a way that no one will know where the grafting was made.  See the first picture with contrasting purple yarn  is where I showed  the grafting


And here is my second one  where I hide it by using the same color yarn

Now I am ready to finish the sweater for my darling little one. 

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