Technique Tuesday–Binding Off

 

You’ve worked so hard at casting on, knitting, and purling in your knitting project, and now it’s time to bind off (or cast off) to get the stitches off the needle!

The most common form of binding off is called the chain bind-off and is worked by knitting two stitches then pulling the first stitch over the second stitch.  When you are down to just one stitch, you break the yarn and pull it through the loop, weave in ends, and you’re done!

This is a very serviceable bind off and it’s what I use most of the time.  Here are some great pictures and video.  You can also bind off in purl stitch or in a combination of knit and purl if that’s what the pattern calls for.  But, there are some improvements:

1. How to avoid the “nub” at the end of the bound off row.  I love how elegant this is.

2. Tricks for beginning and ending a bind off in the middle of a row.

3. How to make your circular bind off nice and neat.

There are other ways to bind off.  For a more flexible bind off, I knit two stitches, slip them back to the left needle, and then knit them together through the back loop.  It can make an edge look a little “ruffly”, so I only use it when I want the extra flexibility.

You can also use “Jenny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off”.  I haven’t used this before, but will be starting a project where I will use it very soon, so I’ll let you know how it goes.  In the meantime, people are raving about it!

And, as always, you can stop in at The Knitting Nest in Weyauwega to ask questions!