Knitting

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Thinking Outside The… Hat!

by

First a story, then a giveaway (with advice asked of course). Yeah, you have to sit through a story first!

Here’s the deal. One of my daughters found a sweater she wanted me to knit for her in one of the recent Interweave magazines. She wants it a “bluey-charcoaley” (yes, her terms) color. I didn’t have enough of any blue, or charcoal in my stash but you know what I do have enough of? Off white 100% alpaca in a sport weight. Perfect. Not only do I not have to buy yarn for this project but I get to learn about dyeing yarn also. So.

Any advice on dyeing alpaca??? Leave me a comment, and then…

hat-heads-090804-134454As a giveaway, I’ve come across a copy of Hat Heads, by Trond Anfinnsen, aka KnitKid. The subtitle of this book is 1 Man + 2 Knitting Needles = 50 Fun Hat Designs.

And these are fun. Colors, Solids and Patterns. Designs, motifs and words. Yes, words! Knitted into the hats. Too cool.  And, to top it off, you get tips for designing your own one-of-a-kind hat in case you don’t like any that are featured. But come on, there are 50 hats to choose from! Even green ones!

This book combines one knitter, one photographer, and 800 hours of knitting! `Trond also shares another sort of warmth, with stories of the family, friends, and neighbors who inspired these 50 favorite hats.

Need some quick gifts? Hats are quick, easy, fun and well, easy and fun! Give it a try, but don’t forget to help me out with my “Dyeing of the Alpaca” project!

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Comments

  1. I hope that leaving a comment gives me an entry to the book giveaway. I am hat hopeless. I knit either too large or too small and definately uninspired.
    Many thanks.

  3. I’ve never tried to dye alpaca. I’ll be checking back to see what others have to say though. (My lys has some great alpaca in stock that I’d love to make a gift out of, but it’s the wrong color.)

    Good luck with your project.

  4. I can only share what I’ve learned from my knitting group… If the yarn was DYED white, You might need to pre treat it to remove residual dye – there is dye remover on the market. We had a gal who tried to dye what she thought was virgin fiber and it came out irregular – not in a good way.

  5. Sadly, I’ve not learned about dying fibers, but love the knit hat book with its many tempting hats that should cover just about everyone’s head that we know.

  7. All my experience dyeing yarn has been with food coloring, and the only time I dyed alpaca I found that the color did not saturate very well, resulting in pastels. Wool dyed in the same colorbath came out much darker.

  8. what about, combining the white with a black, making a tweed that reads as charcoal? Since it is a small project if you need to combine the yarns and they create too big of a gauge, you could split the ply and reply the black and white together. Just an idea…

  9. i have yet to try dyeing alpaca. I know from presonal experience that it doesn’t felt as well! (smile) good luck though! I have a feeling it may take the color in a more mellow way, like bamboo.

  11. Have never tried dying my own yarn – but good luck! My daughter is also very fussy about colors. It has to be pink!

  12. MICROWAVE DYEING I have 25 alpacas who graciously donate 150+ lbs of fiber each year to my yarnaholic addiction. I use Procion dyes and vinegar. In a mustard/ketchup squeeze bottle put about 1-2 tsp vinegar, add 1/2 tsp – 2tsp (depending on how deep you want the color)into the vinegar and swish around to get the dye to mix into the liquid. Fill the bottle with water. You can mordant your yarn with either alum or I make my hubby save me his urea (urine) and I use that for a mordant. I soak my fiber in the kitchen sink with the mordant for about 1/2 hr. Just lightly squeeze out all the mordant liquid you can and place your yarn in a microwave safe container (I use pyrex dishes from the thrift store) I use a rectangular one but round will work too. Start painting your colors in stripes on your yarn. I would suggest about 2″ of color and unless you want to have them bleed together to make a 3rd color keep them 1/2 inch apart as the dye will travel. Place in the microwave and cook on high for 2mins, let set for 2 mins and repeat this two more times. I forgot to mention, cover the yarn dish with plastic wrap. Remove from microwave and allow to get to room temp. Take one skein at a time and rinse, and rinse, and rinse until you water is clear. Hang to dry.

  14. dont know if ya need to know anything to enter this cause i have never dyed wool or anything but i would love the book. it looks good

  15. Please enter me for the great book giveaway, I haven’t tried to dye any yarn yet – would love to try some day. Thanks!

  17. I’ve never dyed yarn either, but I have made some really ugly tie dyed t-shirts about a thousand years ago when we were all hippies. Since I assume you are not looking for ugly yarn, I have no advice to offer.

  19. Dyeing Alpaca? A wool right? Dye as in any kind of wool I would guess. Thanks for my entry into this giveaway!

Have you read?

How To Do Kitchener Stitch: A Beginner-Friendly Guide To Grafting Knitting Seamlessly

Kitchener stitch is one of those knitting techniques that feels a little bit mysterious until you finally sit down and do it. It is often used to close the toes of socks, but it is also a wonderfully neat way to join two sets of live stitches together without making a bulky seam.

If you have ever finished a beautiful sock and then paused at the toe because the pattern says “graft remaining stitches,” this is the tutorial you want to keep handy.

Kitchener stitch, also called grafting, creates a row of stitches between two pieces of knitting so the join looks almost invisible. Instead of binding off and sewing two edges together, you use a tapestry needle and yarn to form a new row of knitting between the live stitches.

It is one of the most useful finishing techniques for knitters, especially if you enjoy knitting socks, mittens, cowls, loop scarves, or garments where a smooth join matters.

You might also like this older CraftGossip post on grafting with Kitchener stitch, and if you want to go deeper into finishing techniques, this post on mastering grafting in knitting is another helpful read.

What Is Kitchener Stitch?

Kitchener stitch is a method of grafting two sets of live stitches together. The stitches stay on two needles, usually held parallel to each other, and you use a threaded tapestry needle to work through the stitches in a specific order.

When done well, the finished join looks like one continuous piece of knitting.

This is why Kitchener stitch is so popular for:

  • sock toes
  • mitten tips
  • shoulder joins
  • cowls
  • loop scarves
  • seamless tube projects
  • underarm stitches on some sweaters
  • small knitted bags and pouches

It is most commonly used on stockinette stitch, but grafting can also be adapted for other stitch patterns once you understand the basic idea.

Why Use Kitchener Stitch Instead Of Sewing A Seam?

The biggest benefit of Kitchener stitch is that it creates a smooth, almost invisible join. That matters most in places where you do not want a bulky seam, such as the toe of a sock.

A sewn seam across a sock toe can feel uncomfortable inside a shoe. Kitchener stitch avoids that by creating a flat, flexible finish.

It also gives knitted items a more polished look. If you are making gifts, charity knits, socks, or heirloom-style projects, learning this one technique can make your finished pieces look much neater.

For knitters who enjoy socks, you may also like this roundup of knitting patterns using sock yarn, especially if you have leftover yarn after finishing a pair.

Supplies You Need

To work Kitchener stitch, you will need:

  • two knitting needles holding live stitches
  • a tapestry needle or darning needle
  • yarn tail or matching yarn
  • scissors
  • good lighting
  • a little patience the first time

If you are working sock toes, most patterns will tell you how many stitches to leave on each needle before grafting.

As a general guide, leave a yarn tail at least three times the width of the stitches you are grafting. If you are unsure, leave a little extra. It is much easier to weave in a longer tail than to run out halfway across.

A blunt-tip tapestry needle is easier to control than a sharp sewing needle because it slides between yarn strands without splitting them as much. You can find tapestry needles, sock knitting tools, stitch markers, and finishing supplies through places such as Amazon, Mary Maxim, or your favorite local yarn store.

Before You Start: Set Up Your Stitches

For standard Kitchener stitch on stockinette:

Hold the two needles parallel, with the wrong sides of the knitting facing each other.

The right side of the knitting should be facing out.

The needle closest to you is the front needle.

The needle farther away from you is the back needle.

Thread your yarn tail onto a tapestry needle.

Try to keep the stitches sitting neatly on the needles and avoid twisting them before you begin.

The Kitchener Stitch Mantra

Many knitters remember Kitchener stitch with this little rhythm:

Front needle: knit off, purl on.
Back needle: purl off, knit on.

That means:

On the front needle, go into the first stitch knitwise and take it off. Then go into the next stitch purlwise and leave it on.

On the back needle, go into the first stitch purlwise and take it off. Then go into the next stitch knitwise and leave it on.

Once you get into the rhythm, it becomes much less intimidating.

Kitchener Stitch Step-By-Step

Setup Step 1

Insert the tapestry needle into the first stitch on the front needle as if to purl.

Pull the yarn through.

Leave the stitch on the knitting needle.

Setup Step 2

Insert the tapestry needle into the first stitch on the back needle as if to knit.

Pull the yarn through.

Leave the stitch on the knitting needle.

Now you are ready to begin the repeating sequence.

Step 1: Front Needle, Knitwise, Off

Insert the tapestry needle into the first stitch on the front needle as if to knit.

Pull the yarn through.

Slip that stitch off the knitting needle.

Step 2: Front Needle, Purlwise, On

Insert the tapestry needle into the next stitch on the front needle as if to purl.

Pull the yarn through.

Leave that stitch on the knitting needle.

Step 3: Back Needle, Purlwise, Off

Insert the tapestry needle into the first stitch on the back needle as if to purl.

Pull the yarn through.

Slip that stitch off the knitting needle.

Step 4: Back Needle, Knitwise, On

Insert the tapestry needle into the next stitch on the back needle as if to knit.

Pull the yarn through.

Leave that stitch on the knitting needle.

Repeat these four steps until all stitches have been grafted.

A Simple Way To Remember It

Say this out loud as you work:

Knit off, purl on.
Purl off, knit on.

It feels silly the first few times, but it works. Many knitters mutter this little phrase while closing sock toes, and honestly, anything that helps you avoid losing your place is worth doing.

How Tight Should Kitchener Stitch Be?

One of the most common mistakes with Kitchener stitch is pulling the yarn too tightly.

You are not sewing a seam closed. You are creating a new row of knitting.

After every few stitches, gently adjust the tension so the grafted row matches the surrounding stitches. If you pull too tightly, the join may pucker. If you leave it too loose, the grafted row may look stretched out.

A good trick is to look at the stitches beside the graft and try to match their size.

Do not panic if it looks a little uneven while it is still on the needles. Kitchener stitch often looks better once everything is off the needles and the tension has been gently adjusted.

How To Finish The Last Stitches

When you get to the final stitches, continue the sequence as closely as possible.

If there is only one stitch left on a needle, work the “off” part of the sequence for that stitch.

Pull the yarn through gently and then weave the tail into the inside or wrong side of the project.

For socks, weave the end into the inside of the toe so it will not be visible.

Troubleshooting Kitchener Stitch

My graft looks too tight

You probably pulled the yarn too firmly as you worked. Use the tip of your tapestry needle to gently loosen each grafted stitch, working from one side to the other.

My graft looks loose

Gently snug up the grafted stitches one at a time. Do not yank the working yarn all at once, as this can make one area tight and another loose.

I lost my place

Pause and look at the stitches. If the last stitch was removed from the front needle, you are probably ready to work the “purl on” part on the front needle or move to the back needle. If you are a beginner, it helps to say the mantra out loud every single time.

I split the yarn

A blunt tapestry needle helps prevent splitting. If a stitch looks split and messy, carefully undo that part before continuing.

The join looks like a seam, not a row of knitting

This usually means the tension is too tight or the needle was inserted in the wrong direction on some stitches. Practice on a swatch before using Kitchener stitch on a special project.

Practice Before Grafting A Real Project

If Kitchener stitch makes you nervous, knit two small stockinette swatches and place the live stitches on two needles. Use a contrasting yarn to practice grafting across the stitches.

Practicing with a different color makes it easier to see what the grafted row is doing. Once you understand the movement, try again with matching yarn.

This is especially useful before grafting handmade socks, because sock toes are small and can feel fiddly the first few times.

When Else Can You Use Kitchener Stitch?

Kitchener stitch is most famous for sock toes, but it is helpful in many other knitting projects.

Use it for joining the ends of a cowl or loop scarf, especially when you start with a provisional cast on. This CraftGossip post on making loop scarves from stash yarn mentions using a provisional cast on so the ends can be grafted together neatly.

You can also use Kitchener stitch for small bags, seamless headbands, mitten tips, and some garment joins.

If you are brushing up on knitting basics, this post on favorite ways to cast on is a good companion read, especially if you are learning how different beginnings and endings affect the finish of a project.

Kitchener Stitch For Sock Knitters

If you knit socks from the cuff down, Kitchener stitch is one of the most useful finishing techniques you can learn.

Most cuff-down sock patterns end with a small number of stitches divided between two needles. Kitchener stitch closes those stitches without creating a ridge across the toe.

For a comfortable sock toe:

Keep the stitches evenly divided.

Do not pull the graft too tightly.

Check that the toe lies flat before weaving in the end.

Use matching yarn whenever possible.

Once the sock is finished, blocking can also help smooth the stitches and even out the graft.

If you enjoy knitting small accessories, you might also like these easy headband knitting patterns, which are great projects for practicing finishing techniques on something smaller than a sweater.

Kitchener stitch has a reputation for being tricky, but it is really just a short sequence repeated across two needles. Once you remember the rhythm — knit off, purl on, purl off, knit on — it becomes much easier.

The real secret is to slow down, keep your tension relaxed, and remember that you are creating a row of knitting, not stitching a seam shut.

It may not feel natural the first time, but after a few sock toes or practice swatches, Kitchener stitch becomes one of those finishing skills you will be glad to have in your knitting toolkit.