 The knitted sock patterns of the day used a seam up the toe that could rub uncomfortably against the toes.Kitchener encouraged British and American women to knit for the war effort, and contributed a sock pattern featuring a different technique for a seamless join of the toe, still known as the Kitchener stitch.In the midst of his other political and military concerns, Kitchener had devoted personal attention to the deteriorating situation on the Eastern Front.