Oh the Kitchener Stitch!! Who else has let this technique scare you from trying it? I know I did for the longest time. Then I tried it and realized it wasn’t so bad. I decided to create this Kitchener Stitch Photo Tutorial to help anyone else that might need it.
*This post may include affiliate links that I can earn a small commission from if you shop through them at no additional cost to you. Think of it as another way to help support my small business. ☺️ Please see my full disclosure for more information.*
History of the Kitchener Stitch
First, a little history lesson on the Kitchener Stitch. I know that is exactly what you wanted when you opened this post. LOL This lesson is being brought to you from the pages of
“The Knitter’s Companion” Deluxe Edition book by Vickie Square. (See image below).
“Lord Kitchener of Khartoum, a British military hero of Boer War and WWI, aligned himself with a Red Cross plan to *dragoon U.S. womanhood into knitting “comforts” for troops in the trenches. He contributed his own sock design, featuring a squarish grafted toe, which became known as the Kitchener stitch!”
*Meaning of dragoon: coerce (someone) into doing something…. I had to look it up, LOL.*
This little book is a handy tool that I use frequently, even if it’s something I’ve done before. I always like to reference it to make sure I am doing things the correct way. I pulled it out as I was making this tutorial to double check that the way I have been doing Kitchener stitch is in fact the same way other people do it. You know how we stitchers sometimes pick up little quirks in our techniques. I like to make sure before I do a whole tutorial that I haven’t picked up one of those quirks in what I’m trying to help others learn.
The quick reference Infograph on my Pinterest page for my Kitchener Stitch Photo tutorial will be available for download as a PDF file at the end of this post.
Kitchener Stitch Photo Tutorial
This tutorial will go over the steps to use the Kitchener Stitch for the purpose of grafting the toe of your knit socks in stockinette stitch.
Setting Up Your Stitches
*You will have just finished stitching
your socks so your stitches should be
set up on 2 needles with the wrong sides facing together.
*Cut your working yarn to have a tail
approximately 3X the length of the seam.
*Thread the tail of the yarn onto a yarn/tapestry needle.
*Hold the 2 needles together in your left hand with the needle points facing right.
Preparing to Start
*Slide the stitches close to the needle tips.
*You will use your right hand to work with the yarn/tapestry needle.
Step 1
With the yarn needle, draw the
yarn through the first stitch on the front needle as if to purl and leave that stitch on the needle.
Step 2
Draw the yarn through the first stitch on the back needle as if to knit and leave it on the needle.
Step 3
Draw the yarn through the first stitch on
the front needle as if to knit (from front
to back). Slip this stitch off the needle.
You can see here that the first stitch has been slipped off the needle.
Step 4
Draw the yarn through the second
stitch on the front needle as if to
purl (from back to front), but leave
this stitch on the needle.
Step 5
Draw the yarn through the first stitch
on the back needle as if to purl.
Slip this stitch off the needle.
Step 6
Draw the yarn through the second stitch
on the back needle as if to knit,
but leave this stitch on the needle.
Repeat Steps 3-5 until complete.
**Try to match the tension in your knitted work.*
Still needing help?
If this photo tutorial doesn’t help you as much as you would have liked, stay tuned… I may attempt my first video tutorial coming to you soon. If that doesn’t pan out too well, or if the video doesn’t help you either, there are a few other great resources to try.
Check out the links below for Annie’s and Crafty websites. I take online classes often to improve and advance my skills. You can always learn something new!
I taught myself to knit and crochet through kits that I found at my local craft store, so there is always that option as well. I’ll share links to kits similar to what I used that you can also find on Amazon if you can’t find at your local craft store or can’t get to one soon.
PDF File for the Infograph
As promised I am including a download link for the PDF file that was on my Pinterest page for the Kitchener Stitch Infograph I had created as a quick reference guide. Feel free to print it out and use it to guide you through this technique. Don’t hesitate to comment here or email me at stayathomestitchings@live.com if you have any questions or need any help.
Happy Stitching
🧶💖
~Mindy~
Fill in the information below in order to download your Kitchener Stitch Infograph PDF File:
