3 ways to cast off and finish your project
Published on 28 March 2020 By Sarah Jones 2 min read
Yay! You’ve nearly finished your first knitting project and now you're ready to cast off. Casting off in knitting is the finishing technique of removing the live stitches from your needle to create a secure edge at the end of your knitted piece of fabric. Follow our simple guide to learn how to cast off (or bind off in the US) with three different cast off methods to choose from!
Once you’ve mastered the basic knitting skills of casting on, knitting and purling, you’re ready to cast off! There are several wonderful ways to complete your knitted fabric, and choosing the right cast off method can make a huge difference.
Here are three of our favourite cast off methods to try:
1. Simple knit cast off
This is a great technique for beginners as it creates a nice firm edge. It's also wonderful if you need to cast off mid-project, to create a sudden change in shape to your project such as a collar or sleeve. This cast off creates another row of stocking stitch.
Pro Tip
For a basic purl cast off, simply purl when it says knit in our step-by-step instructions.
1
Knit two stitches. The first step is to knit the first two stitches in your row as you would normally do when knitting a row.
2
Insert left needle into first stitch. Take your left-hand needle and insert into the first stitch (the lower of the two stitches).
3
Create your first cast off stitch. Using your needle, hook the lower stitch over the upper stitch and pull off the left-hand needle. You will now have one stitch on your right needle. You've now completed your first cast off stitch!
4
Keep going! Knit the next stitch as normal, so you have two stitches on your right-hand needle.
5
Insert your left needle into the lower stitch again. So the point of the left needle is facing the right needle.
6
Repeat step 3. Loop over the top stitch and pull off the left-hand needle, so you have one stitch on your right needle. Repeat this to the end of the row to complete your cast off!
7
To finish, simply cut the yarn leaving a tail of yarn for you to weave in to your finished project.
2. How to do a picot cast off
If you are after a pretty textured edge to your knitwear why not try the picot cast off method!
This is great for intermediate and advanced knitters who want to show off their skills. The picot cast off adds a textured embellishment to your mittens, cardigans, jumpers, baby blankets.
3. How to create a tighter cast off
Also called the one-over-two bind off. This firm cast off is great for securing cables, pleats or any other tight pattern.
A variation of the first simple cast off we showed you except instead you knit a third stitch before you cast off (instead of just using two stitches). You then pass the first stitch over the next two stitches.
