Kitchener Stitch is a method used in knitting to seamlessly graft two pieces of fabric together. Most commonly it is used to close the toe of a cuff-down sock, but it can be applied to any number of garments including cowls, shawls, or sweaters.
We show you how to do Kitchener Stitch and hope to debunk the myths that it's a hard or tricky skill to learn.
Pro tip: bookmark this page on your phone or tablet for a quick reference when knitting on-the-go.
HOW TO KITCHENER STITCH
Equally divide your live stitches onto two separate needles. Hold the two needles parallel to one another (with wrong sides of your work facing each other) in your left hand with the needle tips pointing to the right. The piece with the working yarn "tail" should be at the back. Attach a darning needle to the working yarn tail.
You will work stitches from the 'Front Needle' and 'Back Needle'.
Set up: Weave working yarn through the first stitch on Front Needle purlwise; leave the stitch on the needle. Then weave yarn through the first stitch on the back needle knitwise; leave the stitch on the needle.
Front Needle: Weave yarn through first stitch on Front Needle knitwise and remove stitch. Then, weave yarn through the next stitch (the new first stitch) on the Front Needle purlwise; leave the stitch on the needle.
Back Needle: Weave yarn through first stitch on the Back Needle purlwise and remove stitch from needle. Then, weave yarn through the next stitch (the new first stitch) on the Back Needle knitwise; leave the stitch on the needle.
Continue working instructions for Front and Back Needle until all stitches have been worked. Thread the working yarn through the last stitch, secure, and weave in end.