So, the pieces for the elementary scarf are done, and I’m happy with the result from using a 2×2 rib. Now comes the tricky part – putting it together. When you get to this stage, you realize that the difficulty in this scarf is not in the knitting, it’s in the techniques required in order to put it together. There are other projects where this is the case – a simple sweater, socks, and others.
The first thing you have to do is braid it and pin or stitch the braids in place. I made the mistake of braiding it and then grafting it, thinking I’d be able to rearrange the braids once the loops were joined. Not so. Stitch it into place first, as this will keep your braids in place and your scarf flat. Take your time with this step. It does take some time and it is a little tedious, but it’s important, and those hours you spent knitting the strips will be wasted if you don’t.
Now comes the final step, grafting the ends together. As I said before, there are a few ways to do this – a Kitchener stitch (slightly modified as you have knit and purl stitches), or a three needle cast off as you have two sets of equal number live stitches for each strip. Personally I like the look of the Kitchener but the ease of the 3 needle cast off. I was thinking there had to be a way of making the Kitchener stitch easier to do – especially since you’ve got both knit and purl stitches to work with here. There is. It struck me when I was doing the first strip.
I started all the strips with waste yarn that will be cut away once the scarf is done. When I was doing the graft the first time, I used these stitches as a guide to figure out where my darning needle would go. I managed to graft the first strip with only 1 mistake ( a purl stitch where a knit stitch should have been). You wouldn’t notice it, but I knew it was there. Then I thought, why don’t I finish the strips with a row or two of waste yarn as well. That way I would have a guide for my darning needle on BOTH ends of each strip – making the graft child’s play! So I did! And it worked!
Don’t worry if you’re not quite sure what I’m talking about here. I have some pictures of an example to explain it. To avoid frustration, I recommend that you try this as a test before tackling it on your scarf.
Step 1. Cast on with a contrast waste yarn and work a few rows in the pattern with this yarn. This will be cut off later, so don’t use your cashmere! Work the strip to the desired length, and leaving a piece of yarn at least 5x the width of the work, break it. Knit a few rows with the contrast yarn again (1 or 2 is enough but you may want a few more the first time you try this), and place this on a stitch holder. In the examples I just left mine on the needle I was working with. The cable from a circular needle would work great here as the needle was a bit cumbersome.
Step 2. Line up the two ends of the strip that you are going to graft together. Thread the excess yarn from step 1 through a darning needle. In the examples I use a green yarn for contrast so that you can more easily see what is happening.
Step 3. Using the contrast yarn as a guide (blue), guide the darning needle along the path of this yarn as if you were doing a duplicate stitch. Remember you’re going to be using the same basic rules of the Kitchener stitch. You’ll work on each stitch twice, but not at the same time. You’ll notice the pattern after you do a few stitches. You’ll move from top to bottom one half stitch (or leg) at a time. Check your work every few stitches to make sure you’re lined up correctly.
Step 4. After you’ve completed the graft, turn your work to the reverse side. The contrast yarn from the end of the strip will unravel easily. Pull it gently to do so. The contrast yarn that you cast on and knit a few rows with will have to be cut carefully along the base. Carefully make snips every 3 stitches or so and pull away the contrast yarn. Darn in the loose ends.
Step 5. Turn your work over and admire!
The green yarn was used to show the work, but in reality it would have been white. As you can see, the stitches match up perfectly and there would be no visible seam. Using this technique you can graft together any two pieces of knitting, provided that the stitch pattern matched. If they don’t match, you can still use this as long as you planned ahead and made sure you finished each part on the right row. Pay careful attention at the edges as you don’t want to mess up there. It’s a little trickier because of the twisting action of end stitches.This would be a great way to make a headband without a seam! Or your next loop scarf!
So this is the technique I am using to graft the ends together for the Elementary scarf. After I stitch the braids in place that is. I’ll get that done, do a model shoot and have the pattern for you this weekend!
Hugzzz 😎