As Kitchener is to Stockinette, ? is to Garter

#1

I’m wondering if anyone knows of an grafting method equivalent to the Kitchener stitch that results in an invisible join for a garter stitch. I’ve poured over knitting instructions in a number of books & attempted web searches with no luck.

It was suggested that I just use the Kitchener stitch for a circular scarf that I recently completed, but that was not completely satisfactory. I was able to “fudge” the graft with the Kitchener stitch enough to work for this particular project. I joined a right side and wrong side section instead of two right side pieces. That way I only had one extra line of “Vs” between the “bumpy” lines on one side and one extra line of bumps on the reverse (sort of half of a stockinette on one side and half of a reverse stockinette wedged into the overall garter stitch pattern).

The finished scarf looks fine and the graft blends in so that it is almost unnoticeable because I was using a novelty yarn with enough mohair content to disguise it. However, if I wanted to work with a simpler yarn fiber, I don’t think it would have worked as well. I would love to be able to work a truly invisible graft for an overall garter stitch. Can anyone help?

#2

Umm, I thought that the kitchener stitch just applied to the method of sewing… I’m pretty sure if you follow the ‘pattern’ of the stitch, you could create a garter look.

eg: rather than KP PK, it might be KP KP type thing?

#3

I tried a number of different variations before giving in and just using the Kitchener “as is.” It sounded simple enough, but it didn’t work out that way for me.

It may be that I gave in too soon since I was attempting this for the first time and I’m still relatively new to knitting (< 2 years). I figured that if there was such an equivalent method for garter stitches, that someone would have invented it already and I could follow along with the instructions.

#4

[color=red]I think it is an impossiblity. [/color] :wall:

#5

Well ya know, I was just reading in The Ultimate Vogue knitting book (can’t remember exactly what it’s called at the moment) and plain as day there it shows how to graft garter stitch. Someone a few posts back was right…instead of doing a knit purl - purl knit sequence, you do a knit purl - knit purl sequence. I have not tried it but it says that it IS a possibility!! :happydance:

#6

I recently grafted a garter stitch band on a hat, and tried the way it was shown on the video, but it did not work. The pattern had instructions for grafting garter stitch and it worked. Here’s how the pattern states to graft:

step 1: Thread 12"tail through yarn needle–
Put the yarn needle in the first st on the front needle knitways and pull the yarn through. Do not drop the st off the knitting needle. Next, put the yarn needle into the first st on the back knitting needle purlways. Pull all the way through. Do not drop this st off the knitting needle.

step 2: Put the yarn needle into the first st on the front knitting needle purlways and pull the yarn all the way through. Drop this st off the knitting needle.

step 3:
Put the yarn needle knitways into the next st on the front knitting needle and pull through. Do not drop this st off the knitting needle.

step 4:
Put the yarn needle knitways into the first st on the back knitting needle and pull through. Drop this st off the knitting needle.

step 5 :
Put the yarn needle into the next st on the back knitting needle purlways and pull through. Do not drop this st off the knitting needle.
Repeat steps 2-5 until you have worked all of the stitchs on both needles.

This is from Knit Pick “11th Hour Hat”. This was my first attempt for the Kitchner stitch, and, yes, it was a challenge since I thought there was only one way to graft.

Hope this helps,

Knitaholic :shock: