I stumbled across this as a method of closing sock toes when it became painfully and messily apparent that I was not going to be able to graft.  Why this remains beyond me, I can’t say - though I do keep trying it every now and again.  Hopefully I’ll be able to master it at some point, but in the meantime, I still have to close sock toes smoothly and unobtrusively :)  There are other instances too - like the cable band for the Coronet hat, where grafting - or a reasonable substitute - is called for.

In the picture above, a stockinette strip has been knitted from a provisional cast-on.  There it is in all its curly-sided glory :)  I am going to join the cast-on edge to the working edge by means of goofy grafting.  The first step is, of course, to release the provisional cast-on and place those stitches on a needle.

Now, leaving a long tail, cut the yarn and bring your ends up so that they are side by side making sure not to twist the strip of knitting.  Make sure the working end of the yarn is on the far left side of the stitches on the left hand needle.  Of course if you were making a moebius strip, you would want a half-twist in the strip of knitting and goofy grafting would be one of many ways to join the ends.

Proceed as follows:

1.  Slip the first stitch on the left hand needle to the right hand needle.
2.  Pass the second stitch on the right hand needle over the first stitch and off the needle.
3.  Slip the first and second stitches on the right hand needle to the left hand needle.
4.  Pass the second stitch on the left hand needle over the first and off.
5.  Slip the first and second stitches from the left-hand needle to the right hand needle.
6.  Pass the second stitch on the right hand needle over the first and off.

Repeat 3-6 until you have only one stitch left

This makes a neat, flat, flexible seam.  It isn’t invisible, but it isn’t intrusive either:

This works a little differently on sock toes because you can’t easily have the needles side by side.  It’s the same procedure, just executed a little differently.  For socks, the stitches are removed alternately from each of the two working needles onto a third needle.  Then the first two stitches are slipped to an empty needle and the second passed over the first.  Another stitch is slipped and what is now the second stitch is passed over that…and so on until all the stitches have been worked.  There is another explanation of this plus pictures in How to Make a Little Sock - scroll down, it’s almost at the end.

And that’s all there is to it.  Not strictly according to Hoyle, I know, but quick, easy and not without merit :)

Notes:

I am dying to see your pictures for the Dulaan 2007 Kick-off contest and we’re moving towards the due date of 12:00 PM, EST, October 27, 2006.  If you are unfamiliar with this contest, click the button on the sidebar for the full skinny :)

Chatters is on for tomorrow night - hope to see you all there!

Have a westful Wednesday…heheh :)