I finally stumbled into a realm of knitting that suits me. There are so many countless cast-on yet unfinished projects in a basket in my craft room that I have shied away from attempting anything more than a quick hat. But simple stockinette hats in the round get really boring, really fast so I rarely knit anything at all.

After watching my Mother-in-Law knit socks on a regular basis I decided to give it a go, planning an infant sock project to use up a ball of light weight alpaca/wool blend. It went so well that I bought a cheap ball of sock yarn from the local craft store and downloaded a toddler sock pattern by Needles and Wool and cast on. Everything in the pattern was similar enough to the first socks I’d knit that I was really flying through the pattern and getting excited watching the yarn self-pattern into bold stripes.

Then I made it to the last direction: “Kitchener the toe closed.” That about did me in. I have never even heard of that term, and my knitting book had a terrible explanation that left me with a large stiff knot on the toes.

I cast on the second sock and sent a questioning email to the ladies from Stitch N Bitch, and was sent to TECHknitting to find a better technique for the kitchener stitch, AKA a grafted toe. Success was mine in one attempt, so I pass this tutorial on to you at the beginning of knitting season. Make yourself some warm woolie socks, and if you follow this technique, even a beginner like me can make a seamless, comfy toe in no time (OK in about 15 to 30 minutes per sock).