Grafting in Pattern

Happy New Year!

Grafting, or Kitchener Stitch, is a useful stitch to know to make your knitting projects even more professional looking. I discovered when making the Reversible Cables Circle Scarf (Stitch Archives September 2011) that regular grafting doesn’t work for a ribbed pattern. We need to adjust our grafting to properly join knit stitches with knit, and purl stitches with purl. To demonstrate this, I am joining two pieces of knit 2, purl 2 ribbing.
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We will use the general steps of grafting outlined in the May 2011 Stitch Archives. To begin, line up the two rows of stitches. The working yarn should be coming from the righthand stitch on the back needle.

On this piece we are starting by joining two knit stitches:
Insert your darning needle purlwise trough the first stitch of the front needle. Pull yarn through, leaving that stitch on the knitting needle.
Insert darning needle knitwise through first stitch on back needle. Pull yarn through, leaving stitch on knitting needle.
Insert darning needle knitwise through first stitch on front needle slipping stitch off needle; insert darning needle purlwise through next stitch on front needle. Pull yarn through, leaving stitch on the needle.
Insert darning needle purlwise through first stitch on back needle. Slip stitch off needle and insert darning needle knitwise through next stitch on back needle. Pull yarn through, leaving this stitch on needle.
Here is where we sway from the original pattern:
Insert darning needle knitwise through first stitch on front needle slipping stitch off needle; insert darning needle knitwise through next stitch on front needle. Pull yarn through, leaving stitch on needle.
Insert darning needle purlwise through first stitch on back needle. Slip stitch off needle and insert darning needle purlwise through next stitch an back needle. Pull yarn through, leaving this stitch on needle.
Insert darning needle purlwise through first stitch on front needle. Slip stitch off needle and insert darning needle knitwise through next stitch on front needle. Pull yarn through, leaving stitch on needle.
Insert darning needle knitwise through first stitch on back needle slipping stitch off needle; insert darning needle knitwise through next stitch on back needle. Pull yarn through, leaving stitch on needle.
Insert darning needle purlwise through first stitch on front needle. Slip stitch off needle and insert darning needle purlwise through next stitch on front needle. Pull yarn through, leaving this stitch on needle.
Insert darning needle knitwise through first stitch on front needle slipping stitch off needle; insert darning needle knitwise through next stitch on front needle. Pull yarn through, leaving stitch on needle.

Now we are back to two knit stitches followed by two purls. Repeat rows 3 to 10 until the end. When you reach the end you can adjust the tension with your hands and darning needle to match that of the rest of your knitting. Weave in ends.
For further information on grafting in pattern go to page 74 of the Holiday 2010 edition of Interweave Knits.
-Angela Churchil