Sock Knitting: Learn A Better Way to Graft the Toe

LindaV

April 16, 2017

I’ve been using this tutorial for a while now and I just love the technique. It makes so much sense, and produces a great result. Thank you for taking the time to share it!

Gayle Schultz

October 05, 2016

I don’t understand “Repeat with the second stitch, as if you were doing a ssk.” Do you draw the yarn into the 2 stitches from behind, as in a ssk? The decreases are at different places on each end. What if you have a 2 X 2 rib to kitchener, can you decrease each purl stitch, so the knits appears continuous?

Mari Luke

October 05, 2016

Gayle,
When it says “repeat with the second stitch, as if you were doing a ssk” is referring to how you insert the needle into the second stitch. You insert the needle into the second stitch from the front, as if to knit, so you are slipping two stitches knit-wise off the needle, as if you were working an ssk. The decreases shown in this example are both at the edges of the toe, so that the first two and last two stitches of either end and either side are decreased into one.

As for the second part of your comment grafting in pattern is slightly different. That’s a great idea for a future blog post!

Gayle Schultz

October 05, 2016

I have my sock in front of me, still not able to do this. After the 2 set ups, it’s not making sense how it starts out on the back needle as if to knit, then saying to ‘Repeat with the second stitch, as if you were doing a ssk’, then it says you have purl into the next (3rd) stitch, (BUT are you on the front stitches now??) and then ‘You have now grafted two stitches off the front side’, but it didn’t say to do anything to the front, as I’m still in back doing the ‘as if it was ssk’. Please help!

Mari Luke

October 05, 2016

Gayle,
I’m sorry to hear you’re having a hard time! You work the as if to knit on the front needle. The yarn will be coming from the back needle. If you’ve never grafted before it might be helpful to first look for a tutorial on the basics of grafting, since this post assumes that you are already familiar with the grafting technique.
Good luck!

Gayle Schultz

October 05, 2016

I was following your directions, and it never said to switch to the front needle. And yes, I’ve grafted before. If you are going to mesh 2 different things, then you should do the proper steps, including, ‘on the front needle, etc. etc’, instead of assuming I know what you are thinking. The ssk still doesn’t seem possible, and perhaps shouldn’t be mentioned, as it’s not an action you can take when sewing, because you aren’t using the knitting needle to graft with the sewing needle

Mari Luke

October 05, 2016

Gayle,

Another way to think about it is that you are grafting as normal, but on the first stitch of either side you’re working two stitches instead of one, to avoid the pointing at the sides of the toe. It’s the most complicated with the first stitch on the right hand side because in order for the stitches to lean left you need to slip the two stitches knit-wise individually. Alternatively if you weren’t concerned with the direction of the decrease you could simply insert the tapestry needle into the first two stitches as if to knit, and that would also decrease a stitch while grafting. I’ve also added a sentence to Step 3 that will hopefully clarify the directions for you.

Sandra

October 05, 2016

Thank you for this video. I had seen this before but could not remember where. For anyone that is having trouble understanding it, you may need to read through it a few times but it becomes clear with the reading and thinking through the steps.

Anita

October 05, 2016

Great instructions, shall try it on my next socks. Thank you.

Susan Wilson

October 05, 2016

a true ‘lightbulb’ moment. Thankyou sooooo much.

One Afterthought done (almost) | hafknits2

October 05, 2016

[…] bumpette at each end of Kitchener.  Otherwise great!  hmmm just found this which might help with “donkey […]

Anna

October 05, 2016

I love this technique. Thank you for sharing.