kitchener stitch

1
kitchener stitch

• How to sew together knitted fabric with no seam
  line

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Why learn Kitchener Stitch?

• Kitchener stitch creates a join that is difficult
  to see or feel.
• Its most appropriate in areas where a seam would
  be mildly or very uncomfortable.
• Underarm of a sweater worn next to the skin
• Toe or heal seam of a sock
• Under-alls and baby clothes

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Why is it so difficult?

• Kitchener stitch isnt difficult at allwhat can
  be difficult is
• Learning the stitch from written instructions
• Remembering the preparation steps

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Youve finished your first sock

• and now youre left with a hole at the toe. In
  the image below, the stitches that remain after
  decrease are turquoise.

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Active vs. Finished stitches

• In this tutorial, active unfinished stitches
  will be in bright colors, and stitches that are
  finished will be dark. Here, black shows stitches
  that are finished.

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How did those black stitches get on the needles?

• If you were to kitchener stitch the active
  stitches only, when you were finished youd still
  have a little slit in the sock the pink line
  shown here.

7
Pick up stitches

• Holes in the toes can be as annoying as a seam,
  so pick up a completed stitch at both ends of
  both needles.

8
Getting the Yarn to Kitchener

• Adding new yarn at the toe, even if it is just
  woven in can be uncomfortable after a day of
  wear. Instead leave a long tail of yarn. The tail
  is red and is now on a darning needle.

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Position the yarn

• The yarn tail is now in an inconvenient position.
  It begins on the last active stitch and crosses
  over the top of the finished stitches you just
  picked up.

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Correct Position to Start

• Using the darning needle, pull the tail through
  the first finished stitch on the back needle.

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Setup 1

• You can now begin the setup for kitchener. Pull
  the yarn through the first stitch on the front
  needle as if to purl. Leave the stitch on the
  needle.

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Setup 2

• Now pull the yarn through the first stitch on the
  back needle as if to knit. Leave the stitch on
  the needle.

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Kitchener 1

• Go back to the front needle and pull the yarn
  through as if to knit.

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Kitchener 2

• You can now slip the first stitch on the front
  needle off the needle and immediately set up the
  first front active stitch by pulling the tail
  through it as if to purl.

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Kitchener 3

• You then move to the back needle, run the tail
  through the first stitch as if to purl, slip off,
  set up the next back stitch by pulling the yarn
  as if to knit, move back to the front needle.

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Kitchener 4

• By continuing this pattern from right to left you
  will end up at the left end of the toe with what
  looks and feels like a row of stockinette stitch.

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Kitchener Pattern

• 01, 01, 01, 01 off on, off on, off on, off on
• No matter which needle you are working on, each
  stitch combo is removing a stitch and setting up
  the next and leaving it on.
• The front needle is alphabetical
• Knit off
• Purl on
• The back needle mirrors
• Purl off
• Knit on