Kitchenering the Easy Way

Kitchener stitch is a way of joining two sets of live stitches. Useful for the toes of cuff-down socks, underarm stitches left on hold, and a variety of other knitting situations where you want a flexible join with no visible seam.  I don’t recommend this for the shoulders of sweaters; it is so flexible the shoulder will stretch too much.

Start: have an equal number of stitches on two needles (or two ends of the same circular, or on a thread). Cut the working yarn with a long tail. Hold the wrong sides of the work together, one right side of the work facing you and the other facing away from you.  Thread the yarn through a tapestry needle (TP).

Set-Up: Front needle – put the TP in the first st. as if to purl. pull thread through and leave the st. on the needle. Back needle – put the TP in the first st. as if to knit, pull thread through and leave the st. on the needle.

After the set-up all stitches are worked as follows:

put TP through st. on front as if to knit, slip st off; TP in next st. as if to purl, leave on needle

put TP through st. in back as if to purl, slip st off; TP in next st. as if to knit an leave on needle.

The card in my knitting tool kit reads as follows:

START: Front: P on.  Back: K on.

CONTINUE: Front: K off, P on.   Back: P off, K on.

Work loosely to match gauge of knitting; this can be tightened but  loosening is difficult.  When done correctly the resulting join looks just like a row of stockinette stitch.  It can also be done in other patterns, including garter and rib, but those are for another day.