The Knitting Fiend

Back to “How To Knit”!

Every time I graft a toe, I try a new way. Why? I guess I just like to! Anyway, I read that knitting a few extra rows with scrap yarn can make grafting (aka kitchener stitch) easier to work. So, when finally finishing my Zig sock, I broke the sock yarn leaving a long tail and then and knit two extra rows.

Then, I threaded a tapestry needle with the long tail of sock yarn and started grafting. The tail of yarn was coming out of the final stitch on the right and back (a stitch you can’t see because.) I inserted the needle tip into the first stitch on the right/front of the toe, inserting the purl side to the knit side. This is shown below left. Then I drew the yarn, trying to make the strand about the tightness of the knitting.

Then, I leaned over to look at the back and once again inserted the tip from the purl side to the knit side; see above right. I pulled the strand through, once again trying to make the stitch being formed the same tightness as the knitting below.

Next, I brought the tapestry needle to the front of the work. I inserted the tip into the first stitch on the right then came out the second stitch from the right; see below left. Notice I insert from the knit side. Then, I folded over, and did pretty much the same thing on the back stitch. (Of course, it’s all upside down and backwards, but you go in from the knit side; then draw the strand through.)

After that, I just kept repeating. Except for one thing. I found it sort of difficult to deal with the two rows of scrap yarn. So, every now and then, I carefully unraveled the yarn that was holding the stitches I already grafted. (Yes, this sometimes involved snipping with scissors because I had occasionally split the white yarn when grafting. No biggie though.)

Notice that when I removed the scrap yarn I could see the grafted stitches were loose as shown above? Well, that was easy to deal with. I inserted the tip of the tapestry needle in a loose stitch and pulled to draw up extra yarn from the left to the right. I would then insert the needle into the next stitch to the left and gradually draw the extra yarn toward the left.

Eventually, I had a row of stitches that were just the right tightness. I finished. Now I’ll block this puppy and wear it. (Yes, I have a pair!)

Guess what? I’m going to knit another pair of socks. This time, at the special request of a reader, I will make a “complicated” sockulator. Complicated how? Well, I’ll let the user specify their calf width, ankle width and foot width. That’s useful for people with heavy calves and narrow ankles and feet or vice versa.

I’ll be knitting them using the Taiga Country, and I think they’ll be cute!