{"title":"How to Do Kitchener Stitch","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/knitting/how-to-do-kitchener-stitch","category":{"slug":"knitting","name":"Knitting"},"creator":{"name":"VeryPink Knits","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRT4LwemxYrZxj-HeCkK9Q","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dYP_GeHLG0"},"tldr":"Kitchener stitch grafts live stitches into an invisible join. Eight photo steps, the knit off purl on rhythm, and how to keep the row from puckering.","totalDurationSeconds":434,"difficulty":"medium","tools":["double pointed knitting needles","blunt tapestry needle","small scissors","knitting needle point protectors"],"materials":["worsted weight wool yarn","scrap yarn for practice"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Hold both knitting needles parallel with the stitches at the tips","text":"Split your live stitches evenly onto two needles and hold them parallel, front needle nearest you, wrong sides of the fabric together. Slide everything up close to the tips so the stitches are ready to work and nothing has to travel. Count both needles now. Equal numbers on each side is what keeps the finished row straight."},{"number":2,"title":"Thread the tail on a tapestry needle and go purlwise into the front stitch","text":"Thread the long tail onto a blunt tapestry needle. Go into the first stitch on the front needle as if to purl, pull the yarn through, and leave that stitch sitting on the needle. This one is a setup stitch, so nothing comes off yet. The tail should run underneath both needles rather than over the top of them."},{"number":3,"title":"Go knitwise through the first stitch on the back knitting needle","text":"Take the tapestry needle through the first stitch on the back needle as if to knit, draw the yarn through, and again leave the stitch on. That is both setup stitches done. They exist to anchor the yarn at the edge of the graft so the first real stitch has something to pull against."},{"number":4,"title":"Slip the front stitch off knitwise, then go purlwise into the next stitch","text":"Front needle, two moves. Go into the first stitch as if to knit, pull the yarn through and slide that stitch off the needle. Then go into the next stitch along as if to purl, pull through, and leave it on. Knit off, purl on. The stitch you dropped is now part of the join."},{"number":5,"title":"Slip the back stitch off purlwise, then go knitwise into the next stitch","text":"Back needle, same two moves in reverse order. Into the first stitch as if to purl, yarn through, stitch off the needle. Into the next stitch as if to knit, yarn through, stitch stays on. Purl off, knit on. Those four moves are the entire technique, and you repeat them across the row."},{"number":6,"title":"Draw the yarn tail through below the needles and tug the grafted row","text":"Keep the tail travelling under both needles, never over the top. After each full cycle, give the yarn a tug and watch the new loops shrink down to the size of the knit stitches on either side. Tension the row as you go rather than at the end, when the loops have already set at the wrong size."},{"number":7,"title":"Work the last two stitches off both knitting needles","text":"Two stitches left, one on each needle, and they get half a cycle between them. Knit off the front stitch, purl off the back stitch, and both needles are empty. There is no stitch to go back into, so nothing stays on. Draw the tail up and away, then tension that last pair the same as the rest."},{"number":8,"title":"Pull the yarn tail to close the grafted sock toe","text":"Set the knitting needles aside and pull steadily on the tail. Provided your yarn is strong enough to take it, that last pull closes any slack left in the row. Spread the toe flat and look along the join. You should see a row of stitches running between the two halves, not a ridge. Thread the tail inside and weave it in."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-09-22T15:06:33.685Z","published":"2026-09-22T14:36:22.271Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}