Cast On, Bind Off (54 page)

Authors: Leslie Ann Bestor

Bind off in the traditional manner, pulling the first stitch over the second stitch on the right-hand needle.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 across the row until 1 stitch remains. Cut the yarn and pull it through the last stitch.

Stretchy
Bind Offs

Sometimes you want your bound-off edge
to have some flexibility. Sometimes you want it to be quite elastic, as in the cuff of a sock or the edge of a lace piece that will be stretched to reveal the lace pattern. These are the bind offs for those situations. The techniques vary in how they achieve this and the degree of stretch that they add; be sure to consult the characteristics lists for those details. These are not the only bind offs that create an elastic edge â many of the sewn and decorative bind offs are also stretchy, so flip to the inside back cover to find other stretchy bind offs.

Yarnover
page 164

Suspended
page 166

Lace
page 168

Elastic
page 170

Icelandic
page 172

Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy
page 174

Getting It Right

For ribbed edges, like the top of a sock, you can bind off in pattern. Work each individual stitch as it presents itself â knit or purl. When working two together, work it either knit or purl, based on the second stitch of the pair.

Yarnover Bind Off

The Yarnover Bind Off
adds an extra loop between stitches in the bind-off row. This makes for a very stretchy edge, which can be a good thing if that's what you're after. For instance, it would be great for binding off the edge of a lace shawl where you're really stretching it out to open up the lace. The downside is that it flares the edge, which can be pretty unattractive if you're not blocking it.