« My Knitting Life List | Main | Eye Candy Friday: Fall Garden »
Tubular Bind-Off
Quite a while ago I promised you guys a pictorial of the tubular bind off. It took 8 months, but here it is.
I learned this technique via Montse Stanley's Knitter's Handbook
. I thoroughly recommend the book. It covers a lot of topics and the illustrations are good. There are 30 pages on cast ons and bind offs alone.
1x1 rib These instructions are for K1 P1 rib. You can tubular bind-off in other ribs, but the directions at each step will vary.
Benefits
Bind offs can often be tight, or look like they don't quite match the rest of the knitting. A tubular bind off is very stretchy and looks professional.
Get Started
Cut your yarn and leave a tail about 4 times as long as the area you're binding off. remember to stretch your ribbing to full width before measuring what 4 times its length is. i betcha can guess why i'm giving you this pointer..
Thread a yarn needle with the tail, sit down in a well-let area and get started.
Step 1
Insert your sewing needle knitwise into the 1st st (this will be a knit st).
Pull the yarn average-tight and drop the stitch.
Step 2
Insert your sewing needle purlwise into the second stitch on your left needle (a knit st).
Pull yarn loosely. The thread that's left here will be spanning a stitch so you want to leave it some give. This was the step I found took the most practice to get right.
Step 3
Insert your sewing needle purlwise into the first st on your left needle (a purl stitch).
Pull it average-tight and drop the stitch.
Step 4
This step sounds fiddly but it really isn't so bad.
Take your yarn and needle and put it to the back of the work. Be sure not to create an unintentional YO. Insert the sewing needle between the 1st and 2nd st on the left needle.
(a) Pull the yarn through.
(b) And then, insert the needle knitwise into that 2nd st.
Once you get used to it you'll be able to do parts (a) and (b) at the same time.
Do not drop a stitch You've now bound off 2 sts.
Now, go back and follow Steps 1 through 4 until you've bound off all your sts.
That's it folks. It's takes a bit more time than a regular bind off, but the results are really worth it.
Posted by Jody on November 9, 2006 07:49 AM in Tips & Techniques | Permalink
Comments
Perfect timing! I was just going to google this and here it is. Thanks!
Posted by: Erica | November 9, 2006 10:12 AM
thanks for this! i think that it looks a lot like the sewn bind-off, no? i was never able to get the hang of either :) so i'm hoping that your tutorial will improve my skills.
Posted by: gleek | November 9, 2006 10:57 AM
I'll have to try that method sometime. I do what I think has the same results but id executed diferently. I sil the knits onto one needle in front and the Purls onto a second needle in back and then kitchner them together. I think the result is the same, I'll have to experiment, thanks for the tutorial!
Posted by: Jayme | November 9, 2006 11:47 AM
Oooo! More techniques! Very, very nicely written.
Posted by: Heather | November 9, 2006 03:36 PM
Excellent tutorial! Thanks!!
Posted by: Julia | November 9, 2006 07:03 PM
Your timing is phenomenal. :) I'm getting ready to finish a sweater with tubular cast on hems and wanted to do a matching bind off on the neckline. Thanks for the tutorial!
Posted by: Karma | November 9, 2006 08:27 PM
It looks great! I'm using this on my next collar.
Posted by: colleen | November 9, 2006 08:57 PM
Thanks, this is very useful! Also, thanks for the recommendation on the book. Someone had shown me a bunch of bindoffs (like, their swatch they showed me, not how to do it), and I kept meaning to figure out a good source, but didn't, so thanks for the tip!
Posted by: Kristi | November 9, 2006 09:00 PM
The pics look great! thanks Hunny :)
Posted by: Debi | November 10, 2006 02:51 AM
Thank you! I did my first toe-up sock and needed this, just at this time! Very helpful pictures and clear instructions. I *really* appreciate it!
Posted by: Janet H | November 11, 2006 11:50 PM
Post a comment