Workshop on "Basic Grafting: Kitchener Stitch" for Knotty Girls Retreat Materials: * Two identical stockinette swatches, still on the needles, about 12 st wide. Use yarn that makes stitches easy to see. * About 2 ft of similar yarn in a contrasting color. * A blunt tapestry needle or yarn needle, with eye large enough for your yarn. * About 1 ft of crochet thread to use as a lifeline (available at the workshop if needed). 1. Thread the tapestry needle (tn) with the crochet thread and run it through all of the live loops on one of the swatches, right next to the knitting needle. This lifeline will record where your needle was when you started, and will be a huge help if you need to tink the grafting. It will also help you to see what's what in the finished seam. Cut the thread leaving ~2" tails, and repeat with the other swatch. 2. Hold the two swatches back to back with the needles at the top. If you're using straights and they are pointing in opposite directions, then transfer one of the swatches purlwise to another needle so they will point the same way. 3. Thread the tn with your contrasting yarn, and pass it purlwise (i.e. toward you) through the first st on the front needle. Pull the yarn most of the way through, leaving a tail several inches long. 4. Pass the tn knitwise (i.e. away from you) through the first st on the back needle. Pull the yarn through until it's snug but not too tight, making sure it goes around the edge of the work *under* the needle tips, and not over the top. 5. Steps 3-4 were setup steps, only done once at the beginning. Now we'll start a sequence of four steps that will be repeated all the way across, gradually withdrawing the needles as we go. Note that every loop will eventually receive two passes of yarn, but with other steps (on the other needle) in between. As in step 4, make sure the working yarn always goes *under* the needle tips, never over the top. It may seem lumpy and awkward at first, but it will straighten itself out as you progress, and you can adjust it later if necessary. 6. Bring the tn around to the front, and insert it knitwise (away from you) into the first st on the front needle. This st already had one pass through it from before, so you are now done with it. Drop the st off the front needle and pull the yarn through. 7. Still on the front needle, pass the tn purlwise (toward you) through the next st. Keep the st on the needle since it only has one pass, and pull the yarn through. 8. Bring the tn around to the back, and insert it purlwise (toward you) into the first st on the back needle. This is the second pass for this st, so drop it off the back needle and pull the yarn through. 9. Still on the back needle, pass the tn knitwise (away from you) through the next st. Keep the st on the needle since it only has one pass, and pull the yarn through. 10. Repeat steps 6-9 all the way across. At the very end you'll have to skip step 7 because there are no more sts on the front needle. No worries -- just go directly to step 8 and you'll be done! [Over -->] 11. If the grafted sts don't look smooth and even with the rest of the fabric, you can adjust them. Starting at the beginning of the graft, use the tn to pull up each grafted loop to an even tension, first on one side and then the other, working your way across to collect and remove the excess yarn. 12. One way to remember the main part of the recipe (steps 6-9) is with a little chant or mantra: "knitwise - drop that st - purlwise" (on front needle) "purlwise - drop that st - knitwise" (on back needle) which soon becomes "knit - drop - purl; purl - drop - knit". 13. Another way to think of it is that in steps 6-7 you are essentially taking a sewing stitch on the front edge of the graft by going down into the fabric and then up out again, leaving a new purl bump on the WS. Similarly, in steps 8-9 you are taking a stitch on the back edge, again from the RS/outside and leaving a purl bump on the WS/inside. Kind of like mattress stitch, except using the live loops instead of side edges. 14. The setup steps are not that special; they're each just the second part of what you'd normally do on the front and back needles, respectively (i.e. steps 7 and 9). You're skipping the first parts because you don't have any one-pass loops yet to finish and drop. If you would like to see photos of this process, Lisa Gutierrez has an excellent tutorial at . Presented by Cathy Riemer Nov. 21, 2015