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Kitchener Stitch for Embroidery and Seaming – Video Tutorial for Knitting Beginners

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Do you want to seam a knitted piece with an invisible stitch? And have you always wondered what seaming technique you can use to replicate knit stitches? Today, we want to solve this mystery with you. That's why we'll show you step-by-step how the Kitchener stitch works and what you can use this technique for.

Kitchener Stitch for Seaming

What is the Kitchener Stitch used for?

Decorating knitted pieces:

If you want to embroider small motifs, you can do so wonderfully with a Kitchener stitch. With the help of a contrasting yarn and a blunt needle, individual stitches are "recreated".

Closing smaller holes:

Has your washing machine damaged your favorite sweater? Have you snagged on a sharp object and got a small tear in your knitted jacket? No need to worry – with the help of the Kitchener stitch, you can mend small holes in your clothes. If you use the same yarn in the same color as your knitted project, the repair will hardly be noticeable.

Invisibly connecting different parts:

Are you in the process of knitting a headband or making a sweater and wondering how to connect the ends of different parts and how to create invisible seams?
The Kitchener stitch is also ideal for this. Individual pieces are not bound off – instead, open edges are placed opposite each other and connected with the Kitchener stitch. If you use the same yarn as your project, the Kitchener stitch is invisible. This is because the joining stitches blend in almost invisibly as another row of knit stitches.

How to do the Kitchener stitch for seaming two knitted pieces?

What do I need for a Kitchener stitch?

To invisibly connect two knitted pieces without a seam, you need yarn, a blunt tapestry needle, and scissors.

Which yarn is best for an invisible Kitchener stitch?

We recommend a yarn with the same weight as the yarn of your knitted piece you want to embroider on. The yarn color should also be the same.

Which projects can I embroider?

The best basis for seaming two knitted pieces with the Kitchener stitch is a project knitted in stockinette stitch.

Step-by-step instructions for a Kitchener stitch

Once you have placed both knitted pieces with the needles together, so that the top knitted piece is with the needle pointing down and the bottom knitted piece is with the knitting needle pointing up, the seaming thread is initially inserted from right to left into the first stitch of the bottom needle. Make sure that 10 - 15 cm are left for seaming. Then your needle moves to the outer stitch of the top needle. Here, it is inserted from left to right.

Then it's time to start:

Bottom knitted piece:

Insert from left to right into the outermost stitch and then let this stitch slide off the needle. You can either pull the thread all the way through now or immediately after, insert from right to left into the outermost stitch to build up the Kitchener stitch.

Top knitted piece:

Now insert from right to left into the outermost stitch and then let it slide off the needle. Now insert from left to right into the next stitch – to build up the Kitchener stitch.

Then the round starts again from the beginning – continuing with the bottom knitted piece.

Basically, you can remember:

The bottom stitches are slipped off the needle from left to right and bound off. From right to left, the needle is inserted to build up the Kitchener stitch.
The process for the top stitches is exactly the opposite: From right to left, the needle is inserted to then slip the stitches off the needle. From left to right, the Kitchener stitch is built up.

Note: The needle is passed through each stitch twice.

Once you have joined the entire row with the Kitchener stitch, the two end threads are carefully woven in – and the invisible connection of the stitches is complete. On the front, you will now see stockinette stitches, and on the back, reverse stockinette stitches will be visible.

Kitchener Stitch for Embroidery

How to do the Kitchener stitch for embroidery?

What do I need for embroidery?

If you want to embroider a pattern according to instructions, you need the corresponding embroidery chart. Furthermore, you need suitable yarn and a tapestry needle.

Which yarn is best for embroidering?

To achieve the best possible result, we recommend a yarn with the same weight as the yarn of your knitted piece you want to embroider on. This allows you to best trace the individual stitches. If the yarn for embroidery is too thin, the underlying yarn will show through – if the embroidery yarn is too thick, the embroidery will be too bulky.
For your embroidery to be clearly visible, it is best to choose a color that contrasts well with the background.

Which projects can I embroider?

The best basis for embroidering is a project knitted in stockinette stitch.

How to embroider a piece knitted in stockinette stitch?

To trace a stitch, insert the needle from bottom to top into the center of a knit stitch. A knit stitch consists of two legs that taper downwards – it looks like a heart with a hole in the middle. The needle is inserted exactly into this hole. Now the needle and thread are on the front of the knitted piece.

Then guide the needle along the leg upwards to the stitch above the stitch to be embroidered. Insert the needle into the upper stitch from right to left and pull the thread through until the needle and thread are back on the front.

Finally, the thread is inserted back into the hole from top to bottom, through which the thread was initially passed. Et voilà: You have now "recreated" a stitch with your contrasting color. Repeat these steps as instructed by your embroidery chart.

That was the whole trick. One stitch, many possibilities. With this, you are now prepared for many different situations. To the tapestry needles, ready, set, go – the embroidery adventure can begin.

Knit your first scarf – in the Gründl Knitting School

You can download the free instructions here and simultaneously order the matching yarn in the colors of your choice.