Cast On, Bind Off (70 page)

Bring the tapestry needle from the front to the back through the loop of yarn, making sure the loop is not twisted.

Snug gently by pulling the tapestry needle horizontally to the right.

Repeat steps 1–8 until all stitches are bound off, binding off last two stitches together. If working in the round, end with steps 1 and 2. Then take the tapestry needle through the very first loop you made, just after the setup, from front to back. Snug gently, then weave in the tail.

Reading List

Bordhi, Cat.
A Treasury of Magical Knitting.
Passing Paws Press, 2004.

Editors of
Vogue Knitting
Magazine.
Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book.
Sixth & Spring, 2002.

Hiatt, June Hemmons.
The Principles of Knitting,
rev. ed. Touchstone, 2012.

Johnson, Wendy D.
Socks from the Toe Up: Essential Techniques and Patterns from Wendy Knits.
Potter Craft, 2009.

Square, Vicki.
The Knitter's Companion,
rev. ed. Interweave Press, 2006.

Stanley, Montse.
Reader's Digest Knitter's Handbook.
Reader's Digest, 1993.

Stoller, Debbie.
Stitch 'n Bitch Superstar Knitting.
Workman Publishing, 2010.

Turner, Sharon.
Teach Yourself Visually: Knitting,
2nd ed. Wiley Publishing, 2010.

Online Resources

Jeny's Stretchy Slipknot Cast-On
YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n8E3I6Cg2k
Jeny Staiman demonstrates the Slip
Knot Cast On

Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off
Personal Footprints by Cat Bordhi,
YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=abBhe-JYmgI
Cat Bordhi demonstrates Jeny's
Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off

Judy's Magic Cast On
YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pmxRDZ-cwo
www.beyondtoes.com
Demonstrates Judy Becker's cast on

Knitting Daily
Interweave Press, LLC
www.knittingdaily.com
Posts and instructional videos

KnittingHelp.com
www.knittinghelp.com
Videos of cast-on and bind-off
techniques

Knitty
Magazine
www.knitty.com
Articles about cast-on and bind-off
techniques

The Moebius Cast-On
Intro to Moebius Knitting, YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVnTda7F2V4
Cat Bordhi demonstrates the Möbius
Cast On

Very Stretchy Cast-On for Double and Single Ribbing
YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf8cY_djTRI
Tillybuddy demonstrates her stretchy
cast on

THE JOURNEY TO THIS BOOK
has involved help from many sources along the way. Finding a way to acknowledge all of them is daunting, to say the least. My own knitting began with my mother, and I owe her a great deal for introducing me to fiber and creativity. Her patience in teaching allowed me to develop my skills and confidence. Learning to work with my hands is a gift she gave me that blesses me every day. When I announced that I wanted to support myself with my knitting, she promptly went out and bought me a library of books to help me develop my skills. Her enthusiastic support of my creativity encouraged my development as a craftsperson. My work as a fiber artist is a testament to the foundation she gave me, and I am filled with gratitude and love for her.

In my exploration of knitting over the years I have been influenced and educated by the contributions of June Hiatt, Montse Stanley, Barbara Walker, and Elizabeth Zimmermann, among others. Their work helped me to understand the structure of knitting so that I can create what I see in my mind's eye. Thanks as well to those creative individuals who have found new ways to cast on and bind off and have allowed me to share them in this book: Judy Becker, Jane Pimlott, and Cat Bordhi. Special thanks to Jeny Staiman, who not only contributed two bind offs, but helped me greatly in explaining how bind offs work. I appreciate her openness and enthusiastic support: It was a huge help to have another technique geek to talk through ideas with.

I have the great good fortune to work in a yarn store, surrounded not only by beautiful fibers, but also by inspiring and creative people — staff and customers alike. Many thanks to my colleagues and friends at WEBS for their encouragement and support of my work on this book. Thank you to Kathy and Steve Elkins for believing in me and giving me new challenges to work with; to my friend and mentor Pixie Benoist, who planted the seed when she asked me to teach a class on cast ons and bind offs; to Gail Callahan, whose
sage advice as an author helped me navigate the writing process; to Dori Betjemann, for being the very first person I went to for help sorting out the differences between techniques and providing a wealth of knitting expertise; to my students who helped me refine these instructions; and to those I work with every day — thanks for the kind words, advice, and inspiration.

Thanks to the many knitters who helped me by “test driving” my instructions: Janice Watkins, Moe Belliveau, Gail Callahan, Greta Shaver, Dolly Hurd, and Suzette Alsop-Jones. Their feedback helped me to clarify and shape this book.

Thanks to the crew at Storey: to Gwen Steege for taking a chance on me and guiding me through the process; to my editor, Pam Thompson, for helping me turn a stack of instructions into a well-crafted book. Her insightful suggestions and knitting expertise helped create a book that was much more than I initially imagined it could be (not to mention her above-and-beyond swatch-knitting help!). Thanks, too, to Kathy Brock, whose sharp eye helped keep the book clear and consistent; to photographer John Polak and model Heather Minott, whose patience and precision captured in pictures what I tried to explain in words; and to Mary Velgos, for turning what seemed to me like a dry textbook into a beautiful and engaging book.

Thanks to friends and family: to my friend Crane Cesario for listening to me question myself and reminding me that I don't have to know everything to be a good teacher; and to my friend Nina Dayton for showing me (more than once!) the Double-Twist Loop Cast On. My family is my foundation, and I am forever grateful for their love and support. Thanks especially to my dad, Charles Bestor, and sister, Jenner Bestor, for keeping the home fires burning brightly throughout the writing of this book, for countless hours of child care and many good suppers, for support and encouragement above and beyond. And thanks to my darling daughter, Cady, for giving me the space to write and for your overflowing creativity and the ways you encourage me to believe in myself. I love you!

a

adding a border,
108
,
110
,
113
,
116

adding stitches at end of row,
20
,
22
,
31
,
34
,
36
,
59

afghans

binding off,
148
,
180
,
185

casting on,
39

Alternating Cable Cast On,
49
–51,
162

Alternating Long-Tail Cast On,
46
–48

armholes, binding off,
66
,
95
,
158

b

baby garments, binding off,
178

picots,
185
–87,
188
–89

Backward Loop Cast On,
19
,
20
–21

matching bind off,
202

bags, casting on

bottom-up,
76
,
79
,
82
–84,
87
,
90