Tuesday Tip: Extra Stretchy Bind Off
Last fall I ran a knitalong with Creative Knitting for my Fan the Flames Cowl. Since you know, I’m gonna pack it full of tips and tricks that aren’t on the page, I thought I’d share some of my favorites here.
The words “bind off loosely” can cause much frustration to knitters. A stitch is wider than it is tall, so OF COURSE, when it lies down on it’s side for a bind off, it can’t possibly reach the next stitch. It needs a little help
With a lace edge that moves, this is even more important. We covered in a previous Tuesday Tip on the elastic cast on, now it’s time to end our project well.
Extra Stretchy Bind Off
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If you have a “is there a better way to do that”, or “how do you do that” question, leave me a comment, and I’ll add it to the Tuesday Tip list!
OhMyGoodness! Where have I been? I just found you!! And you speak “knit” incredibly well with all kinds of new ways and means. Thank you!!! Paulette J (aka pj stitches!)
Aw, thanks! I’ve been right here, teaching. You can find my classes online & DVD with Craftsy, Annie’s and Interweave:https://pattylyons.com/classes/online-classes/, and my live teaching schedule for 2015 (I will add my 2016 dates in a couple of months), here: https://pattylyons.com/classes/upcoming-classes/
There are two things that confuse me about this bind off:
1) it looks like it really distorts the stitch that you leave on the left needle as you manoeuvre to get to bind of the stitch on the right hand needle. I’ve taken your Craftsy Improve your knitting class, and I know that generally we should avoid distortion. Why doesn’t it matter in this case?
2) How does it work? As in, why does leaving the stitch behind on the left needle end up leading to a looser bind off.
Also, I was wondering what it was called.
Stitches are wider than they are tall, so when they lie down on their side (for a bind off), they need a little help to reach the next stitch. The stitch on the needle is being bound off, so the stretch is part of what makes it elastic. Hanging onto the stitch helps you naturally (and evenly) add more height to the next stitch you are knitting. It’s similar effect to binding off with a larger needle. I never saw this one in a book (I just played around and noticed it made a nice stretchy bind off), so I don’t know if it has a name.
Thanks Patty. 🙂