Uses: Used to graft together stitches to make an invisible seam that looks like a continuous row of stockingette stitch. Good for sock toes, and the underarms of sweaters knit in the round and, in this case, the top of a garter stitch Wonderful Wallaby hood. (Note:: These instructions work best for straight stitch. Good looking grafting on garter stitch is a bit trickier. There are good instructions here for proper grafting on garter stitch and here for grafting all sorts of things together.) You can also take a look at my Techniques with Theresa at Knitty.com for more instructions.

Supplies needed: blunt tapestry needle and a good light source. Patience.

Before you start: Hold the two needles side by side in the left hand with the same number of stitches on each needle with the stockingette sides facing outwards. Scoot the stitches towards the ends of the needles, which are pointing to the right.

Draw the yarn through the first stitch on the front needle as if to purl and leave it on the needle.

Then through the first stitch on the back needle as if to knit and leave it on the needle. These first two steps are preparatory and only done once.

This is what you should have after the preparatory steps. Then...

Now the next four steps are the ones you will repeat until you've used up all the stitches... I usually chant to myself "knit, purl...purl, knit" while grafting and you'll see why.

Pull the yarn through the stitches loosely but not too loosely. I think it's easier to tighten up the grafting afterwards than to try to loosen it. What you're doing in these next steps is manually creating little knit stitches by weaving the yarn through the stitch "below" then "above". Honest.

1. Pull the yarn through the first stitch on the front needle as if to knit, while slipping it off the end of the needle.

2. Pull the yarn through the next stitch on the front needle as if to purl, but leaving it on the needle.

3. Pull the yarn through the first stitch on the back needle as if to purl, while slipping it off the end of the needle.

4. Pull the yarn through the second stitch on the back needle as if to knit, but leaving it on the needle.

Here you can see the results of those four steps repeated over and over. The stitches are too loose here, so the next thing to do is...

tighten them up by using the end of the tapestry needle to tug each loose loop to get a nice looking bunch of knit stitches.

Which should make a seam that's invisible! (Can you find where it is here?)

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