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Work a Simple Stretchy Bind Off on Your Next Project

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Learn how to bind off in a way that's stretchy and not too tight!
I have been knitting for a long time, but I still sometimes have problems with binding off too tightly. I think it’s because I’m in a rush to finish, so I don’t take the time to do it perfectly. But then my project doesn’t look as good as it could because that edge isn’t as nice as it could be.

One easy way to bind off more loosely is to use this bind off technique where you work the stitches together through the back loop.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3SrXmiUDjU&w=560&h=315]

This works to make the bind off less tight because you aren’t pulling one stitch over the other like you usually do in a standard bind off, which is the part of the bind off where your stitches can get tight.

This method is super easy to learn and just as fast, if not faster, than the standard bind off method. It looks great and has a good amount of stretch for shawls, the cuffs of socks, or anything else. I especially like using this method when I have a really long bind off, like the edge of a blanket, because it ensures the tension will be even throughout the bind off.

Do you use this technique? If not I hope you’ll give it a try!

Read more: Three-needle bind off | Knit cast on | Ridged Ribbon Eyelet dishcloth

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Comments

  2. Thanks for sharing that. I was recently looking for a good way to do this. I learned after binding off a sock I can barely get over my heel.

  3. It was a little hard to see what you were doing in the video, but it looks like you were knitting two together through the back loop. I first learned this technique when I did a shawl pattern years ago, and have used it ever since for things that need a stretchy edge. It is a very useful thing to know.

Have you read?

Knit a Fish Pouch, for Reasons

I can’t resist a pattern that’s both useful and a little silly, and that’s exactly how I feel about the Rybka pouch pattern from the delightfully named Rat and Sea Witch.

I know you’re going to ask, because I did, too. Rybka means little fish in Polish. (And because you’re also probably going to ask, Rat and Sea Witch comes from people’s attempts to say the designer’s name, Ratasiewicz, which if you say it fast kind of sounds like rat and sea witch.)

It’s easy to make a little fish bag in different sizes to suit your needs. The pattern has specific instructions for an Airpods Pro case and a pencil case, but you could change the length easily to hold more stuff, and change the size in general by working with a different weight of yarn.

The pattern calls for sock yarn and mohair held together to make a fingering weight gauge, but you could try it with heavier yarn and see what size bag you end up with.

Whatever size you make it, this looks like a fun project for holding trinkets or everyday items. The mouth of the fish is the mouth of the bag, and it closes with a drawstring that is also the strap. I wonder, too, if you could make one of these with a small clasp frame that could be the fish’s mouth and then you could just work I cord straps that would attach to the sides of the fish.

I could also see stripes, or fish of different colors to use up your yarn leftovers. How about a sunglasses case with a little loop to attach to your bag? Once you start thinking about all the ways you could use a fish-shaped bag in your life, I think you’ll see that you probably need more than one.

If you make one of these I would love to know how it went!

You can grab a copy of the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Rat and Sea Witch]