When it is time to shape shoulders, the pattern will tell us to ” bind off 3 sts at beg next 6 rows”, “bind off 4 stitches at each shoulder edge 4 times”*, or it will give us row-for-row instructions telling us exactly what we should do in every row of the shaping.
If we follow the pattern instructions as they are written, we’ll end up with shoulder edges that look like two staircases leading to the central group of stitches from the opposite sides.
These edges do not just look unsightly, they are also quite hard to seam later on. The shoulder seams turn out to be uneven, and we might even get small holes in places where we had “steps” at the edges.
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We can easily avoid all these pitfalls when we use a simple method described in this tutorial.
Let’s pretend that a small swatch shown in the photo below is a top part of the back of a sweater, and our imaginary pattern tells us to bind off 2 stitches at each side of the fabric three times.
Even though sometimes the instructions tell us to bind off a certain number of stitches “at each shoulder edge” or “at each side of the project”, it is impossible to bind off stitches at the end of a row without leaving one live stitch. That’s why the shaping is always done by binding off stitches at the beginning of each row, and in most cases, we start in a right-side row.
In the first row of shaping, we bind off as many stitches as the pattern tells us to bind off. In our sample swatch, it means binding off two stitches at the beginning of the row.
Then we follow the main pattern of the project to the very end of the row. Because my swatch is worked in stockinette stitch, I knitted all stitches in this row.
To do the same shaping at the other side of the project, we turn the work and bind off the same number of stitches as we bound off in the previous row. In our sample swatch, it is two stitches.
We can bind off those stitches as knits, but we’ll get a much better result if we bind them off in pattern. Because this is a wrong-side row of stockinette stitch, I purled each stitch before I bound it off.
We know that we’ll be binding off stitches again at the beginning of the next row, so we work this row in the main pattern, but stop when we get to the last stitch.
To avoid forming “steps” at the edge of the right shoulder, we are not going to knit or purl the last stitch of this row. We simply turn the work.
Now comes the trick that makes all the difference.
Instead of knitting the first stitch on the left needle, we slip this stitch purlwise to the right needle. To do that, we insert the tip of the right needle into that stitch from right to left, and ease the left needle out leaving this stitch on the right needle.
Then we insert the tip of the left needle from left to right into the “unworked” stitch (it is now the second stitch from the tip of the right needle).
And pass this stitch over the just-slipped stitch and off the right needle, just as we do when we bind off one stitch.
We can tell right away that this simple trick instantly closes the gap that was threatening to turn into a “step” that would make our life harder when we seam the shoulders later on. We eliminated that threat, but we are not done yet. The pattern tells us to bind off two stitches, and so far, we bound off only one.
So we knit the next stitch and pass the second stitch from the tip of the right needle over the first one to obey the pattern instructions.
If your pattern tells you to bind off more than two stitches, repeat the last step as many times as needed.
Now, let’s see how this clever trick works to neaten the shoulder edge at the other side of the project. The good news is – the steps are exactly the same.
First, we work to the last stitch of the row.
With the “unworked” stitch still sitting on an (almost) empty needle, we turn the work.
Then we slip one stitch purlwise to the right needle, to provide company to the lonely unworked stitch.
Finally, we pass the unworked stitch over the just-slipped stitch to make a neat bridge between two rows.
And finish by binding off one more stitch, or as many stitches as you need to keep up with the pattern instructions.
Repeat these steps—working to the last stitch of the row, turning the work, slipping one stitch to the right needle, passing the unworked stitch over the just-slipped stitch and binding off more stitches until the total number of bound off stitches is the number provided in the pattern—until you finish the shaping.
When the shaping is finished, you will be left with the stitches of the neckline.
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If the neckline also has shaping, you will have to do the shoulder shaping at the same time as you shape the neckline. In this case, you will be shaping each half of the project separately, but the steps that form a smooth shoulder edge remain the same.
You can also apply this method to turn the neckline into a beautiful sleek curve instead of a line broken by unattractive steps.
*Examples are taken from the patterns published in “Vogue Knitting”, “Filati Handknitting”, “Debbie Bliss” and “Interweave Knits” magazines.
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This and 31 other in-depth tutorials are part of Knitting Collection #8.
