Often, the instructions we follow tell us to bind off stitches in pattern. Designers choose this approach to give our project a clean even edge that looks the same on both sides of the work.
It is a great way to improve the bind off edge with just a little bit of extra effort.
There are two main ways to bind off in pattern. Let’s take a look at them one by one.
If you prefer to learn from a video:
WAY #1
When we use this method, we don’t think about the pattern at all. Instead, we focus on the stitches in the last row and work them as they present themselves.
If the first stitch on the left needle has a “V” at the bottom, that means that it is a knit stitch, and we are going to knit it as we bind off stitches.
If there is a “bump” at the bottom of the stitch, this stitch is a purl, and we purl it in the bind off row or round.
It is a very simple way to form a neat reversible bind off edge. But there is a downside – because we wok the stitches the same way as they were worked in the previous row or round, the texture right underneath the bind off edge“freezes”.
It is not noticeable when we bind off any kind of ribbing, but is becomes visible when the stitch pattern of our project is more textured, like seed stitch, for example.
In this case, we will get much better results if we use the second way of binding off stitches in pattern.
WAY #2
This way is all about binding off in pattern. When we work the bind off row, we follow the instructions for the next row of the pattern repeat.
For example, in my swatch worked in seed stitch, I will purl the knit stitches and knit the purl stitches instead of “knitting the knits” and “purling the purls” as I did with the way #1.
As you see, this approach keeps the texture consistent up to the bind off edge. No more “frozen” rows – a big improvement compared to the edge formed by the previous way.
The common question is – what do we do when the stitch pattern includes yarn overs and decreases.
The answer is simple – don’t do any of those. Knit one stitch instead of “knit 2 together”, “slip, slip knit (SSK)” and similar decreases, knit the yarn overs made in the previous row, purl one stitch instead of all variations of “purl 2 together”, and don’t make new yarn overs.
This will slightly change the texture of a stitch pattern, but it will keep the overall look of the fabric consistent.
Both these ways are great for binding off stitches of projects worked back and forth and the ones worked in the round. To give a perfect finish to the edge of your seamless projects, use the method explained in this tutorial
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This and 41 other in-depth tutorials are part of Knitting Collection #6.