3 ways to bind off and finish your project
Published on March 28, 2020 By Elizabeth Bagwell 2 min read
Yay! You’ve nearly finished your first knitting project and ready to bind off. Binding 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 bind off (cast off in the UK) with three different bind off methods to choose from!
Once you’ve mastered the basic knitting skills of casting on, knitting and purling, you’re ready to bind off! There are several wonderful ways to complete your knitted fabric, and choosing the right bind off method can make a huge difference.
Here are three of our favorite bind off methods to try:
1. Simple knit bind off
This is a great technique for beginners as it creates a nice firm edge. It's also wonderful if you need to bind off mid-project, to create a sudden change in shape to your project such as a collar or sleeve. This bind off creates another row of stocking stitch. For a basic purl bind 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 bind 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 hand needle. You've now completed your first bind off stitch!
4
To continue binding off. 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 hand 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 bind off!
2. How to do a picot bind off
If you are after a pretty textured edge to your knitwear why not try the picot bind off method!
This is great for intermediate and advanced knitters who want to show off their skills. The picot bind off adds a textured embellishment to your mittens, cardigans, sweaters, baby blankets.
3. How to create a tighter bind off
Also called the one-over-two bind off. This firm bind off is great for securing cables, pleats or any other tight pattern.
A variation of the first simple bind off we showed you except instead you knit a third stitch before you bind off (instead of just using two stitches). You then pass the first stitch over the next two stitches.
