Kitchener Stitch in Pattern

Seems like everyone in knitblogland is working on an amazing lace project, and I've seen some gorgeous shawls that make me want to buy a mile of handpainted yarn too, but this'll have to do. Yanked from a UFO pile, my ribbed lace raglan finally has sleeves.

To follow the seamless theme, I wanted a grafted, or kitchenered underarm, but wait! Is it possible to graft ribbing? I did find instructions for 1x1 and 2x2 rib, but what about 5x2 rib? Help! So while examining the instructions, I had a eureka moment.

This is not a kitchener lesson (go here for that), but basically the stockingnette kitchener is:

Setup: Front P, Back K
Sequence *Front K (drop), then P; Back P (drop) then K*
Last 2: Front K (drop); Back P (drop)

We've all heard the saying that there is only one stitch in knitting. Stick your needle in the front, it's a knit, stick your needle in the back, it's a purl. Same holds true for kitchener, so provided your stitch pattern is the same on both needles, all you do when you reach a purl, is stick your needle into it the opposite way of a knit. It really is that simple. Say you are grafting 1 x 1 ribbing, starting with K ending with P, then you'd go:

Setup: Front P, Back K
Sequence: *Front K (drop), then K; Back P (drop) then P;
Front P (drop), then P; Back K (drop), then K*
Last 2: Front P (drop); Back K (drop)



Then only problem is that, like picking up from an open cast on and knitting the opposite direction, it offsets by half a stitch. This doesn't really show in stockingnette, but it's somewhat apparent in knit-purl combos. However, I still think it looks nice, and makes a stretchy underarm seam.


I also discovered today that I do like NASCAR after all, as long as I have something to knit while watching. This makes my fiance extremely happy. Cheers for Tony Stewart! Home Depot is one of my favorite stores.

Oh, and Happy Canada Day neighbors!