lab technique

THE inS + oUTS oF

grafting a top loop by Joni Coniglio

Grafting (or Kitchener stitch, as it is ribbing and seed stitch to cables, lace, and also called) is a seaming technique that colorwork. has more uses than many knitters realize. Because grafting is a seaming tech- bottom loop b While most tutorials describe it as a nique that mimics the structure of the technique for closing up the toes of socks, knitted fabric—the way the stitches grafting can be used on any seam where interlock—it can be somewhat trickier to live stitches could be joined and you don’t master than other seaming methods. Not want the bulky seam that results from a only does it involve working with live three-needle bind-off. For example, you stitches, but the grafted row must also be can use grafting to join two halves of a adapted to the particular stitch pattern scarf where each half has been worked of the pieces that are being joined, which from the cast-on to the center; to join requires a certain amount of knowledge the two short ends of a knitted rectangle and skill. This is especially true as the to form a cowl; or to reattach a part of stitch patterns become more complex. c 4 top loops a garment (such as the lower portion of In order to fully understand how graft- 1234 a sleeve or sweater body) that has been ing works, it’s essential to understand how removed and altered in some way. knitted fabric works. The more you know XX XX And grafting doesn’t need to be about stitch structure and how grafting limited to stockinette stitch. It can be relates to it, the better you will be able to XX XX X used on almost any stitch pattern, from graft any type of seam you encounter. ½ 123½ ½ + 3 + ½ bottom loops d Grafting Grafting Top-to-top laid out flat on needles Top-to-topTop-to-top Top-to-bottomTop-to-bottom Top-to-topTop-to-top Top-to-bottom Top-to-bottom XX XX

BNBN BNBN 4321

BNBN BNBN 4321 FNFN FNFN XX XX

FNFN FNFN DirectionDirection ofof knitting knitting e

52 || knit.wear The Structure of Knitted Fabric Top-to-top (St st) During the knitting process, new loops of yarn are drawn through existing loops a. Because of the serpentine structure of knitted stitches, there are actually two rows of loops on every knitted row, one running along the top of the row (the loops that sit on the needle), and another BN graft running along the bottom of the row FN graft (the loops formed by the running threads between stitches)b. Each new row of loops is drawn KPP KPKPK KPP KPKPK through the top loops of the previous row. loop on Front K Knitwise c loop on Back In illustration , one row in the center Needle (FN) f Direction g has been highlighted. If you follow the P Purlwise Needle (BN) of knitting path the yarn takes through the loops above and below it, beginning at the right- hand side, you can see that the yarn passes through the first half of the top loop of

the stitch in the row below, then through

K KP KP KP the second half of a bottom loop in the P row above, through the first half of the next bottom loop to the left, then finally through the same top loop in the row below as before. This sequence of four passes is repeated for every stitch. We’ll come back to these four steps later when KPP KPKPK we talk about top-to-bottom grafting. When you graft you use a tapestry needle and a strand of yarn to follow the same path that one row takes through the loops above and below it, while simulta- h neously joining the row of loops “below” the grafted row (the live loops on the Top-to-bottom front needle) to the row of loops “above” it (the live loops on the back needle). BN BN XXXXX

Knitting Direction ½½321 When you graft the toes of socks, you 4321 are joining the first half of the round to grafted row X XXX the second half of the same round, which FN means that you are joining the tops of FN stitches on the front needle to the tops of stitches on the back needle. This type BN of grafting is called top-to-top grafting (see opposite). The same type of grafting FN can be used for shoulder seams, where P PK PK PK K BN the last row of the front is grafted to the PK PK PK PK FN 1 loop 1 loop last row of the back. The other type of on FN on BN ½ loop on BN grafting is called top-to-bottom graft- i ing: When you graft live stitches to a j provisional cast-on, you are joining the

premiere issue || 53 lab Knitwise + Purlwise Dealing with These terms don’t actually have anything to do with grafting. They refer Half Loops instead to the type of stitch that results when you are knitting (or purling), Finding the half loop

technique using knitting needles. It might be more accurate to say instead, “insert at the end where the cast-on the tapestry needle into the loop on the needle as if you were going to tail is located can be somewhat knit (or purl) a stitch with a knitting needle,” but that would make grafting tricky. I use two different meth- instructions, which tend to get very wordy anyway, even longer. Some ods for putting this half loop on people don’t like the use of these terms when it comes to grafting, but I the needle, depending on the think that anything that makes it possible to describe the grafting pro- selvedge stitches of the pattern cess as succinctly as possible is a good thing, and I don’t mind them. So, I’m grafting. See pages 42 and when the instructions tell you to insert the tapestry needle into a loop 64 for photos and illustrations). “knitwise,” it means from front to back, and “purlwise” means to insert the tapestry needle into a loop from back to front. As the stitches face you as they sit on the needle, the right side of the work will be facing you on the front needle and the wrong side of the work will be facing you on the back needle. Thus, on the front needle, “knitwise” means from right purlwise/knitwise path of the grafting side to wrong side, and “purlwise” means from wrong side to right side. yarn on the back needle reads from left to On the back needle, “knitwise” means from wrong side to right side, and right, instead of right to left h. “purlwise” means from right side to wrong side. The purple portion shows where the front and back grafted rows overlap when they are combined into one row i. The chart shows that the purlwise/knitwise tops of the live stitches on the front needle equal number of stitches, but the stitches path for each knit stitch follows the same to the bottom loops of the cast-on row on the back needle must shift a half stitch progression on each needle as before (it is the bottom loops that are placed on to the left to be in the correct position for (from right to left on the front needle and the needle when you undo the waste yarn grafting. Because the tops of the stitches from left to right on the back needle). from a provisional cast-on). meet, the piece on the back needle will be However, since the grafted row is worked upside down. in only one direction (from right to left, if The Number of Loops Top-to-top grafting can actually be you’re grafting right-handed) the steps on on the Needle thought of as two separate grafts, one the back needle will end up being worked Illustration d shows a row with four for the front needle and one for the back backward. If you follow the arrow in the stitches. needle, combined into one grafted row. chart from step to step, you may recog- Notice that while there are four top For example, illustration f shows how nize the steps of traditional Kitchener loops, there are only three whole bottom knit stitches are grafted on the front stitch (see Glossary). loops. Because bottom loops fall between needle: the top loops, there will always be one For each grafted knit stitch, the yarn Top-to-Bottom Grafting fewer loop on the bottom row than on goes purlwise, then knitwise through In top-to-bottom grafting, the struc- the top row. However, the one-stitch a loop on the needle. The chart shows ture of the knitted fabric is followed more shortfall on the bottom row is made up this in two dimensions, with a rectangle closely than in top-to-top grafting (no by a half loop at each end. So, while the representing each loop on the needle. upside down and backward grafting!). distribution of bottom loops is differ- The letters K and P represent the path In fact, the grafted row will look exactly ent from that of the top loops, the total the yarn takes through each loop, and an like the highlighted row in illustration c number of loops is actually the same, orange arrow represents the graft. from our discussion of knitting structure. since two of the bottom loops are half The stitches on the back needle are When the loops are placed on the front loops. For example, in the case of the row grafted in exactly the same way, with the and back needles, they need to be set up in the illustration: 4 top loops = ½ + 3 + grafting yarn going through each loop in the same way as the loops above and ½ bottom loops (see Dealing with Half purlwise, then knitwise g . In the chart, below the highlighted row in the illustra- Loops, above). the rectangle representing the loop on the tion, with a half loop at each end of the needle is dotted (to differentiate it from back needle stitches j. Top-to-Top Grafting the front needle symbol) and the arrows The grafting yarn will follow the Illustration e shows how the loops on representing the grafting yarn are blue. same path as the highlighted row in the back needle are oriented in relation to Because the stitches on the back needle illustration c through loops above and the loops on the front needle during top- are oriented upside down in relation below, with four passes for each stitch: to-top grafting. Both needles will have an to the stitches on the front needle, the through the first half of the top loop of

54 || knit.wear the stitch in the row below, then through 1: Purlwise through the stitch on the 4: Knitwise through the stitch on the the second half of a bottom loop in the front needle (draw the yarn through front needle (remove the stitch onto row above, through the first half of the and leave the stitch on the needle). the tapestry needle, but don’t draw the next bottom loop to the left, then finally 2: Purlwise through the stitch on the yarn through until the next step). through the same top loop in the row back needle (remove the stitch onto below as before k. For every loop below the tapestry needle, but don’t draw the These four steps are repeated for every the grafted stitch, there are two half yarn through until the next step). stitch from the beginning to the end. loops in the row above. The charts show 3: Knitwise through the next stitch on the four passes the grafting yarn would the back needle (draw the yarn through Grafting in Pattern take for every stitch in stockinette-stitch and leave the stitch on the needle). As we saw, in top-to-top grafting, one grafting: of the pieces being joined (the piece on the back needle) is upside down in relation to Top-to-bottom (St st) k the other piece (on the front needle). Illustration l shows what happens when k1, p1 rib is grafted top-to-top. To graft a purl stitch, the yarn passes BN knitwise/purlwise through a stitch (the opposite of a knit stitch’s pattern). In the

PK PK PK PK charts, purl stitch grafts are shaded to BN differentiate them from knit stitches. The grafted PK PK PK PK FN stitches on the front needle begin with row a knit stitch and end with a purl stitch,

FN while the stitches on the back needle begin PK BN with a purl stitch and end with a knit stitch. The stitches on the back needle are PK FN oriented upside down in relation to the stitches on the front needle and shift a half stitch to the left, producing a noticeable Top-to-top (k1,p1rib) l jog in the pattern across the grafted row.

Even the smallest change to the stitch KPPKKP

PK BN BN pattern will increase the complexity of the grafted row. The four-step repeat of traditional Kitchener stitch has become an eight-step repeat. KP PK KP PK FN grafted In comparison, top-to-bottom grafting row in pattern is relatively simple m. All that’s FN really necessary to graft any pattern is to PPK KK PP K BN know how to do four things: FN KP PK KP PK 1: Graft a knit stitch on the front needle: Purlwise, knitwise through the same stitch. Top-to-bottom (k1,p1rib) m 2: Graft a purl stitch on the front needle: Knitwise, purlwise through the same stitch.

BN 3: Graft a knit stitch on the back needle: Purlwise through the second half of one KP PK KP PK BN stitch, knitwise through the first half of the next stitch. grafted row KP PK KP PK FN 4: Graft a purl stitch on the back needle: Knitwise through the second FN half of one stitch, purlwise through the first half of the next stitch.

premiere issue || 55 lab n A chart symbol can be assigned to Top-to-bottom (various patterns) each of the four steps above (see How to Garter Stitch (version 1) Garter Stitch (version 2) Read Grafting Charts, below). After that, grafting in pattern is just a Grafted Row Grafted Row technique matter of mixing and matching the knit

KP KP KP BN PK PK PK BN and purl stitch grafts to suit whichever pattern stitch you are grafting. PK PK PK FN KP KP KP FN Because the grafted row is just like any First WS row on BN First Last RS WS row on BN First Last RS row on FN row on FN other row (with no half-stitch jog), you can even make use of the stitch charts Seed Stitch 1×1 Rib from the patterns themselves for plotting out the grafting n. A grafting row can be Grafted Row Grafted Row superimposed onto any two rows of the PK KP PK KP PK BN KP PK P K PK BN pattern chart (notice that I said two rows

KP PK KP PK KP WS row on BN First KP PK KP PK FN

First WS row on BN First FN of the pattern chart. This is an impor-

Last RS Last RS tant point. A loop on the needle isn’t row on FN row on FN a stitch until yarn is drawn through it, Zigzag Pattern either with a knitting needle or tapestry needle. This applies to the loops on the front needle, as well as those on the back needle. When you graft, you weave the yarn through both sets of loops, creating a pattern on both rows). First WS row on BN

PK PK KP PK KP PK PK PK KP PK KP PK PK BN Watch for further explorations of graft- Grafted Row PK KP PK PK PK KP PK KP PK PK PK KP PK FN ing in Interweave Knits over the next year. Last RS row on FN Joni Coniglio is project editor of Interweave Knits and Knitscene. She likes to knit small projects so she can experiment with new methods of grafting.

How to Read Grafting Charts (top-to-bottom grafting)

A single loop on 23 PK A grafted knit FN the Front Needle (FN) BN stitch on the FN

14 FN PK A grafted knit The path the grafting yarn takes through stitch on the BN BN Two half loops on the Back Needle (BN) the stitches on the needles 1: Insert tapestry needle into stitch on FN, draw yarn through, leave stitch on FN. KP A grafted purl 2: Insert tapestry needle into second half stitch on the FN of stitch on BN, remove stitch from BN but do not draw yarn through until next step. The relationship of the BN 3: Insert tapestry needle into first half of next loops to each other A grafted purl when the two needles stitch on BN, draw yarn through, leave KP stitch on the BN are held together stitch on BN. FN 4: Insert tapestry needle into stitch on FN, remove stitch from FN but do not draw yarn through until next step. Rep Steps 1–4 K Insert tapestry needle knitwise (from front to back) into stitch on needle. Insert tapestry needle purlwise (from P back to front) into stitch on needle.

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