How to kitchener stitch

When working a sweater from the bottom-up, after the sweater is completed one of the last finishing steps is to graft together the underarm stitches for each sleeve. You could just whip stitch them together, but a less bulky and more seamless-looking method would be to use the kitchener stitch. I use this technique in my Mazzy sweater. Below are some instructions on how to do this:

• Step 1: Using a small sized DPN (US 3 or smaller), pick up each of the bound off stitches on each side, plus 1 additional stitch on either side (so your bound-off stitches + 2)

• Step 2: Thread tapestry needle through first stitch on bottom needle as if to purl. Pull yarn through, leaving stitch on needle

• Step 3: Thread needle through first stitch on back needle as if to knit, pull yarn through and leave stitch on needle

• Step 4: Thread needle through front as if to knit, pull yarn through and slip stitch off
• Step 5: Thread needle through front as if to purl, leave stitch on needle
• Step 6: Thread needle through back as if to purl, pull yarn through and slip stitch off
• Step 7: Thread needle through back as it to knit, leave stitch on needle

Repeat Steps 4-7 until 1 stitch remains. Thread needle through last stitch and secure.