Joining scarf at the back

I’m struggling with joining two pieces of a knitted scarf together at the back. I knit each piece from the bottom up with an owl pattern at the ends and ribbing the rest of the way. I thought this was common. I found a simple tutorial for grafting in pattern but it isn’t working. I found another tutorial that says this can’t be done! I got the garter stitch edge but once it goes to the ribbing, it’s off. Please help me find a solution!

I know the end is getting fuzzy. I don’t think my son will notice, but I might frog a couple rows to help.

Thank you!.

Grafting rib is a problem with the offset. I don’t know how to do it so it looks uninterrupted. I think I’d add a few ridges of garter stitch to each piece and graft the garter stitch together. I’d make the garter stitch add on wide enough to look intentional, as if planned from the start. If there’s a way to join the rib and look good someone else should be able to help you work it out.

2 Likes

This is a video for 2x2 rib but see if it makes sense for the transitions from knits to purls.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLLq73WZI1Q

Also for 2 x 2 is but has pics and description if you like a motionless image, also links to the grafting of reverse stockinette which may help.

@Creations, did you forget to add a link?

1 Like

Oh dear! Thanks for the heads up! I copied the link and didn’t paste it. I have fixed it now. Thank you!

1 Like

Thanks @GrumpyGramma @salmonmac and @Creations. I’ve read lots and lots of blogs on the topic. I can’t work on it today due to rotator cuff pain flare up, so thus the reading! I may have found help from Patty Lyons. I’m going to try skipping the setup on the front needle. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll resort to adding a section like GrumpyGramma suggested. My son will likely never even wear it, LOL! He loves owls and I just wanted to make him a hat and scarf. I had no idea grafting would be such a problem! It’s the change from garter to rib where I have a misalignment.

Patty Lyons on Grafting

3 Likes

Sounds like a good plan. You can’t go wrong with Patty Lyons.

Unfortunately, when you graft knitting “head to head”, it will be offset by half a stitch. There is no way around this; it is the architecture of the stitches.

(You can graft perfectly “head to tail” because all the stitches are pointing in the same direction.)

In stocking stitch, the head-to-head offset is not noticeable except at the selvedges, where it can be fudged with creative weaving in of the ends of your grafting yarn. In pattern, you will see a jog.

An alternative is the three-needle bind off. No jog, but there is a seam.

2 Likes

Thanks, everyone! I experimented and learned a lot with this project! I ended up adding a garter edge to each end to total the width of the beginning border. Garter is a lot easier to Kitchener than anything else! It’s almost mindless!

4 Likes

I forgot to say it before but I love your owls! I’m glad you came to a satisfactory finish on your scarf and hope it gets lots of use.

Thanks! My son didn’t recognize them as owls. I didn’t really think embroidering on eyes was very adult-ish. I have to work at remembering he’s 34 and not 16. I wanted to send a picture of the matching beanie but I must not have taken one. I looked for the hat last night but he must have already packed it. He left this morning for his new job as a Patient Care Coordinator in psych research at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. This is temporary while he gets his med school requirements finished. It’s been a long journey to adulting!

image1.jpeg

Beth

3 Likes