Kitchener’s Stitch can also be worked on live stitches that are not on knitting needles. Essentially kitchener’s stitch is simply working a row of duplicate stitch, it has the same needle motions in the same order except it is worked on live stitches instead of overtop completed stitches. This technique is very helpful for fixing holes in knitting.
Rarely does a pattern call for working Kitchener’s stitch over live stitches, one exception is the Mystery Baby Blanket in Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitter’s Alamanac. The blanket is worked as a series of stockinette squares worked in the round, all stitches are left live and then they are all grafted together. I would highly recommend it as a pattern to practice Kitchener’s stitch.
Kitchener’s Stitch without knitting needles
Begin with two pieces of stockinette stitch, arranged rightside up and flat on a table with live stitches together in the centre. Thread tapestry needle with live yarn:
Step 1: bring tapestry needle up through 1st stitch on bottom piece
Step 2: bring tapestry needle down through 1st stitch on top piece and up through 2nd stitch on top piece
Step 3: bring tapestry needle down through 1st stitch on bottom piece and up through 2nd stitch on bottom piece
Step 4: bring tapestry needle down through same stitch on top that Step 2 came out of, bring up through next stitch to the left
Step 5: bring tapestry needle down through same stitch on bottom that Step 3 came out of, bring up through next stitch to the left
Continue in this manner always inserting tapestry needle down through the stitch that was worked up through, and always bringing the tapestry needle up through the stitch to the left. You can see how the yarn is worked through the stitches in Diagrams 1.4 - 1.5 below.
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