Uploaded July 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Learn how to join live stitches with grafting! This technique sews two sets of live stitches together to join two pieces of knitting without a visible seam.
In this tutorial, we show you how to graft stockinette stitch, garter stitch, and ribbing or other textured stitches in a few simple steps.
1:43 Grafting in Stockinette Stitch
Pieces to be joined are live on needles, with wrong sides together and needle tips pointing to the right. Use a length of yarn approximately four times the length of the finished seam. Thread the yarn onto a blunt tapestry needle and follow the instructions below, working from right to left (note that you will work into each stitch two times):
1:53 Setup
Step 1: Insert tapestry needle into first stitch on front needle as if to purl; pull yarn through, leave stitch on needle. (purl on)
Step 2: Insert tapestry needle into first stitch on back needle as if to knit; pull yarn through, leave stitch on needle. (knit on)
2:28 Steps
Step 3: Insert tapestry needle into first stitch on front needle as if to knit, slip this stitch off the needle. Insert tapestry needle into next stitch on front needle as if to purl & pull yarn through, leave stitch on needle. (knit off, purl on)
Step 4: Insert tapestry needle into first stitch on back needle as if to purl, slip this stitch off. Insert tapestry needle into next stitch on back needle as if to knit & pull yarn through, leave stitch on needle. (purl off, knit on)
Repeat until a single stitch remains on each needle. Adjust the tension of the yarn every few stitches so that it matches the tension of the knitting.
5:11 To finish, knit off the final stitch on front needle, then purl off the final stitch on the back needle. Pull the yarn through and fasten off gently.
6:21 Grafting in Garter Stitch
6:55 Setup
Set up pieces and yarn tail as for stockinette stitch grafting, then follow the steps below:
Step 1: Insert tapestry needle into first stitch on front needle as if to purl; pull yarn through, leave stitch on. (purl on)
Step 2: Insert tapestry needle into first stitch on back needle as if to purl; pull yarn through, leave stitch on. (purl on)
7:41 Steps
Step 3: Insert tapestry needle into first stitch on front needle as if to knit, slip this stitch off the needle. Insert tapestry needle into next stitch on front needle as if to purl, leave stitch on. (knit off, purl on)
Step 4: Insert tapestry needle into first stitch on back needle as if to knit, slip this stitch off. Insert tapestry needle into next stitch on back needle as if to purl, leave stitch on. (knit off, purl on)
(NOTE: At 8:28 we accidentally purled off & knitted on instead of knitting off & purling on!)
Repeat until a single stitch remains on each needle. Adjust the tension of the yarn every few stitches so that it matches the tension of the knitting.
8:54 To finish, knit off the final stitch on front needle, then knit off the final stitch on the back needle. Pull the yarn through and fasten off gently.
9:50 Grafting Ribbed or Textured Fabrics
10:07 Setup
Set up pieces and yarn tail as for stockinette stitch grafting, then follow the steps below:
10:55 Steps
If the next two stitches on your needle are the SAME, you’ll want the direction in which you bring your needle through each of the stitches to be DIFFERENT:
If the next two stitches on your front needle are both knits, you’ll bring your needle through these as a “knit off, purl on”.
If the next two stitches on your back needle are both purls, you’ll bring your needle through these as a “purl off, knit on.”
11:57 If the next two stitches on your needle are DIFFERENT, you'll bring your needle through in the SAME direction:
If the first is a knit and the second is a purl, you’ll bring your needle through both of them knitwise. (knit off, knit on)
If the first is a purl and the second is a knit, you’ll bring your needle through both of them purlwise. (purl off, purl on)
Always go into the first stitch in the SAME direction as it appears, then exit the second stitch in the OPPOSITE direction as it appears. Continue across until you have grafted all of the stitches.
This allows you to graft all kinds of ribbing and textured stitches neatly and easily! Note that the two edges coming together will be staggered by a half-stitch because of the nature of their construction, but this still creates an attractive “close enough” join in pattern.
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If you found this tutorial helpful, we’d love your support!
At Brooklyn Tweed we are passionate about wool, knitting and design. We craft our patterns with a commitment to timeless quality, publishing size-inclusive, stylish designs for all shapes, identities, and skill levels.
Our educational resources and skill-building tutorials give crafters the confidence to make their projects their own.
Learn more at: @BrooklynTweed_Official
Visit us at: brooklyntweed.com
Learn how to join live stitches with grafting! This technique sews two sets of live stitches together to join two pieces of knitting without a visible seam.
In this tutorial, we show you how to graft stockinette stitch, garter stitch, and ribbing or other textured stitches in a few simple steps.
1:43 Grafting in Stockinette Stitch
Pieces to be joined are live on needles, with wrong sides together and needle tips pointing to the right. Use a length of yarn approximately four times the length of the finished seam. Thread the yarn onto a blunt tapestry needle and follow the instructions below, working from right to left (note that you will work into each stitch two times):
1:53 Setup
Step 1: Insert tapestry needle into first stitch on front needle as if to purl; pull yarn through, leave stitch on needle. (purl on)
Step 2: Insert tapestry needle into first stitch on back needle as if to knit; pull yarn through, leave stitch on needle. (knit on)
2:28 Steps
Step 3: Insert tapestry needle into first stitch on front needle as if to knit, slip this stitch off the needle. Insert tapestry needle into next stitch on front needle as if to purl & pull yarn through, leave stitch on needle. (knit off, purl on)
Step 4: Insert tapestry needle into first stitch on back needle as if to purl, slip this stitch off. Insert tapestry needle into next stitch on back needle as if to knit & pull yarn through, leave stitch on needle. (purl off, knit on)
Repeat until a single stitch remains on each needle. Adjust the tension of the yarn every few stitches so that it matches the tension of the knitting.
5:11 To finish, knit off the final stitch on front needle, then purl off the final stitch on the back needle. Pull the yarn through and fasten off gently.
6:21 Grafting in Garter Stitch
6:55 Setup
Set up pieces and yarn tail as for stockinette stitch grafting, then follow the steps below:
Step 1: Insert tapestry needle into first stitch on front needle as if to purl; pull yarn through, leave stitch on. (purl on)
Step 2: Insert tapestry needle into first stitch on back needle as if to purl; pull yarn through, leave stitch on. (purl on)
7:41 Steps
Step 3: Insert tapestry needle into first stitch on front needle as if to knit, slip this stitch off the needle. Insert tapestry needle into next stitch on front needle as if to purl, leave stitch on. (knit off, purl on)
Step 4: Insert tapestry needle into first stitch on back needle as if to knit, slip this stitch off. Insert tapestry needle into next stitch on back needle as if to purl, leave stitch on. (knit off, purl on)
(NOTE: At 8:28 we accidentally purled off & knitted on instead of knitting off & purling on!)
Repeat until a single stitch remains on each needle. Adjust the tension of the yarn every few stitches so that it matches the tension of the knitting.
8:54 To finish, knit off the final stitch on front needle, then knit off the final stitch on the back needle. Pull the yarn through and fasten off gently.
9:50 Grafting Ribbed or Textured Fabrics
10:07 Setup
Set up pieces and yarn tail as for stockinette stitch grafting, then follow the steps below:
10:55 Steps
If the next two stitches on your needle are the SAME, you’ll want the direction in which you bring your needle through each of the stitches to be DIFFERENT:
If the next two stitches on your front needle are both knits, you’ll bring your needle through these as a “knit off, purl on”.
If the next two stitches on your back needle are both purls, you’ll bring your needle through these as a “purl off, knit on.”
11:57 If the next two stitches on your needle are DIFFERENT, you'll bring your needle through in the SAME direction:
If the first is a knit and the second is a purl, you’ll bring your needle through both of them knitwise. (knit off, knit on)
If the first is a purl and the second is a knit, you’ll bring your needle through both of them purlwise. (purl off, purl on)
Always go into the first stitch in the SAME direction as it appears, then exit the second stitch in the OPPOSITE direction as it appears. Continue across until you have grafted all of the stitches.
This allows you to graft all kinds of ribbing and textured stitches neatly and easily! Note that the two edges coming together will be staggered by a half-stitch because of the nature of their construction, but this still creates an attractive “close enough” join in pattern.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you found this tutorial helpful, we’d love your support!
At Brooklyn Tweed we are passionate about wool, knitting and design. We craft our patterns with a commitment to timeless quality, publishing size-inclusive, stylish designs for all shapes, identities, and skill levels.
Our educational resources and skill-building tutorials give crafters the confidence to make their projects their own.
Learn more at: @BrooklynTweed_Official
Visit us at: brooklyntweed.com
