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Now How Do I Finish? homework

Plain, light colored yarn is a good choice for this exercise. (Sample is Cascade 220.) Working on slightly larger needles so your stitches are not at all tight will make it easier to practice Kitchener grafting. If you tend to be a tight knitter, go up a needle size or two so that your work has good drape and is not snug.

You will be forming a swatch that is a split tube. We’ll seam the split bottom of the tube in class. The middle of the tube will be used to practice Kitchener grafting. The top end of the tube will be used to practice three-needle bind off.

Leaving a good long tail (about 1m/yd) for later seaming, cast on 42 stitches. (Sample was crocheted cast-on, but you can do what you like.)
Work at least 12 rows garter stitch – i.e. knit every row.
Work at least 12 rows stockinette – i.e. knit RS rows and purl WS rows.
Beginning with k3 and ending with p3, work at least 12 rows of 2×2 ribbing, — i.e. k3, (p2, k2) 9 times, end with p3.
(We’ll be seaming these three sections in class.)

Now work 2-5 cm (1-2 inches) of stockinette stitch in the round so you have a seamless tube: On the first round, decrease away the beginning and end stitches (k2tog at the beginning of the round and ssk the last two stitches at the end of the round) so you have 40 stitches in your round rather than 42. Knit a few cm, about 6-12 rounds – knitter’s choice.
Drop main yarn but do not break it off.
Knit one round in a contrasting color. Do not weave in the ends of the contrasting color, just leave about 10 cm/4 inches dangling at both ends. (In the photo, ends are hidden inside the tube.)
(We’ll be unpicking the contrast color and re-inserting it in class to practice grafting.)
Pick up the main yarn and continue knitting around for another 6-12 rounds – knitter’s choice.
Do not bind off. Do not cut yarn. Leave work on needles.
(We’ll be doing a three-needle bind off across the top of the work in class.) 

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