Casting on and Binding Off

7/28/2019 Casting on and Binding Off

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The Essentials of Casting-Onand Binding Off:

How to Cast-On and

Bind-Off Knitting
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the essentIAls oF CAstIng-on

And BIndIng-oFF: hoW toCAst-on And BInd-oFF KnIttIngA Knitting Daily eBook edited by

Kathleen Cubley

e d I t o r I A l s t A F FedItor, KnIttIng dAIlY Ka Cub y

C r e A t I v e s e r v I C e sProdUCtIon desIgner Ja ic tapia

PhotogrAPhY C i ha(u wi c i )

IllUstrAtIon gay F

Projects and information are for inspirationand personal use only. Interweave Knits and

Knitting Daily do not recommend, approve,or endorse any of the advertisers, products,services, or views advertised in this publication.Nor does Knits or Knitting Daily evaluatethe advertisers claims in any way. You should,therefore, use your own judgment in evalu atingthe advertisers, products, services, and viewsadvertised in Knits or Knitting Daily.

t e ia f Ca i -o a Bi i off: Ho to C t-O B -O K tt

Casting on and binding off aretwo skills that are essentialfor knitters to know. in ournew ebook, THe essenTials Of CasTing-On and Binding-Off: HOw TO CasT-On and Bind-Off KniTTing ,

we provide you with a bundle ofCast-ons and bind-offs!

Some of us rely on just two techniques, thelong-tail cast-on and the standard bind-off,

which are included here, but there are allkinds of cast-on and bind-off techniquesthat knitters should be familiar with.

Choosing the right cast-on can enhance thesuccess of a project. For example, you mightneed a stretchy bind-off for some toe-upsocks, or you might need to cast on stitchesin the middle of a row for a buttonhole;there are definitely instances when onetechnique is better to use than another.

I hope this helps you with two of the mostimportant parts of your knitting projects:beginning and ending.

Cheers,

Kath leen Cubley Editor, KnittingDaily.com

Cast-OnsBackward Loop Cast-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAge 3

Long-Tail Cast-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAge 4

Knitted Cast-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAge 5

Cable Cast-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAge 5

Old Norwegian Cast-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAge 6

Channel Island Cast-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAge 7

Provisional Cast-Ons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAge 8C roChet Chain (Provisional ) Cast -o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAge 8invisible (Provisional ) Cast -o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAge 8

Bind-OffsStandard Bind-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAge 9

Sewn Bind-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAge 10

Suspended Bind-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAge 10

3-Needle Bind-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAge 11

Tubular Bind-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAge 12

I-Cord Bind-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAge 13

Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAge 13
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The Essentials of Casting-On and Binding Off: How to Cast-On and Bind-Off Knitting

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Cast-Ons

C t-O Tip If you tend to cast on tightly,

use a larger needle than sug-gested or use two needles heldtogether to open the loopsand make the first row easierto knit. Remove the second

needle before knitting the firstrow. This technique will alsomake the edge more elastic.

To create a firmer edge, cast onstitches with the yarn doubled. You can also use smallerneedles, or cast on ten totwenty percent fewer stitchesfor a ribbing, then increase tothe required number after thelast row of ribbing.

Leave a tail of yarn 12 to 16inches (30.5 to 40.5 cm) longwhen casting on pieces to beseamed. Use the tail to sew theseam. To keep the tail out of the way while youre knitting,bundle it up into a butterfly.

When working the cable cast-on, insert the right needle be-tween the two stitches before you pull the working yarn fortension.

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B ckw Loop C t-OThis easy method places a single loop on the rightneedle. The resulting smooth edge has minimalbulk and looks the same on front and back, butlacks the strength of other methods. Take care to cast on loosely so that it will notbe difficult to enter the cast-on loops when you start knitting.

Place a slip knot on a needle held in your right hand *Loop working yarn andplace it on needle backward so that it doesnt unwind. Repeat from *.ILLusTraTIOn By GayLe FOrd

From top to bottom: Backward Loop Cast-On, Knitted Cast-On, Cable Cast-On
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Knitt C st-Ont i ca - n a i c f n . t u ing gn b .

B gin wi a ipkn an n kni ca - n i c if an ab i i c .

P ac ipkn n f n if a n ab ii c . *Wi ig n , kni in fi i c ( ipkn )n f n (Figu 1) an p ac n w i c n f n(Figu 2). r p a f m *, a way kni ing in a i c ma .

Figure 2Figure 1

ILLuSTraTIONS By GayLe FOrd

C bl C st-Ont i m , imi a kni m , f m a c a ip ik g a i ng an a i m a ic an an a bin - ff. I a i c f n . (t ui m a b ginning f a p j c , b gin wi a ip

kn f w by a ing kni ca - n i c ).In ig n b w n fi w i c n f n

(Figu 1). W ap ya n a if kni . d aw ya n ug c m-p i c (Figu 2) an ip i n w i c f n a

wn (Figu 3).

Knitted Cast-On method

Cable Cast-On method

Figure 2Figure 1

Figure 3


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Ch nn l Isl n C st-OnStep 1. h ing an f ya n g , mak a

ipkn ab u ix inc f m n an p ac i n ig n ( i n c un a a i c ). di i an , u ing a ing an a w king

ya n an w maining an a ai .Step 2. P ac ing an a un in x fing .

W ap w an ai c un c ckwi a un umb a w w ap a i ib b w y u umb-

nai . Mak a ya n n n wi ingan (Figu 1).

Step 3. B ginning a ba f umb, i

n up ug b p n umb, nb ing i ing an , g ing in xfing g ab i , n g back wn ug w

p n umb (Figu 2). d p umb pan ig n a ya n . r p a s p 2 an 3 f

i numb f i c ; ac p a c aw i c .

di ibu i c y u c n n anm ipkn f m n (bu n un

i ) b f j ining f w king in un , kni ing b a i c an pu ing ya n . Un

ipkn ju b f w a ing in ai .

Figure 2Figure 1

K a T h L e e N C u B L e y


Channel Island Cast-On method


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P o ision l C st-OnsP i i na ca - n (w k wi wa ya n) f m a cuba a can b m xp i i c b w kin pp i i c i n. U n f f wing mw n y u un u f w a kin f g a m n u n

a p j c y u can c m back a an w k ging af b y i c mp . P i i na ca - n a w w i f a

pi c , uc a a ca f, b w k f m c n u , a i c n b n fac in am i c i n.

Figure 2Figure 1

Invisible (Provisional) Cast-On: P ac a ipkn nn in y u ig an . h wa ya n n x ipkn an a un f umb; w king ya n f in x fing . *B ing n f wa un wa ya n, w king ya n, g ab a p f w king ya n (Figu 1),n b ing n f n , b ya n , an g ab ac n p (Figu 2). r p a f m *. W n y u a y w k in pp i i c i n, pick u wa ya n xp i i c .

Crochet Chain (Provisional) Cast-On: Wi wa ya nan c c k, mak a c ain f ab u f u i c - m an y u n ca n. Wi n , w king

ya n, an b ginning w i c f m n f c ain, pickup an kni n i c ug back p f ac c -c c ain (Figu 1) f i numb f i c . W k

pi c a i , an w n y u a y w k in pp i i c i n, pu u c c c ain xpi i c (Figu 2).

Invisible (Provisional) Cast-On method

Crochet Chain (Provisional) Cast-On method


Figure 2Figure 1


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Bind-Offs

Bi -Off Tip To prevent an overly tight bind-off,

use a needle one (or more) sizes largerthan the one used for the body of theproject.

If you have three times the width of your project, plus 10 percent of thattotal, you have enough yarn left in your ball to bind off.

When all of the stitches on the needlehave been bound off, the last stitchcan be quite loose. To tighten andneaten this stitch, work it with thestitch in the row below it as shownin the illustrations below: insertthe right needle from the back intothe stitch below the last stitch, liftthis stitch and place it onto the leftneedle, then knit the stitch below andthe last stitch together. Bind off thelast stitch on the right needle, cut the yarn, and pull the cut end throughthe last stitch to secure it.

st Bi -Off This is the most common, and for many knitters, the only method forbinding off. Use this method for edges that will be sewn into seams orfinished in some way (such as stitches being picked up and knitted).

Slip 1 stitch, *knit 1 stitch, insert left needle tip into first stitch on rightneedle (Figure 1), pass this stitch over the second stitch (Figure 2), andoff the needle1 stitch remains on right needle and 1 stitch has beenbound off (Figure 3). Repeat from *

Standard Bind-Off method

Figure 1 Figure 2

Figure 3

ILLusTraTIOns By GayLe FOrd

ILLusTraTIOns By VICkI square

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Fixing the dreaded loose loop


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S wn Bin -Off t i m , p pu a iz by e izab Zimm mann, f m an ya ic g a a a py app a anc , muc ik a pu w. W k i

bin - ff wi a ap y n .Cu ya n im wi f kni ing b b un ff ana n a ap y n . W king f m ig f , *in ap y

n pu wi (f m ig f ) ug fi w i c (Figu 1)an pu ya n ug , n b ing n kni wi (f m f ig )

ug fi i c (Figu 2), pu ya n ug , an ip i i cff kni ing n . r p a f m *.

Figure 1 Figure 2

Sewn Bind-Off method

S sp n Bin -Off t i m i imi a an a bin - ff bu p uc a m

a ic g . U i m w n y u wan n u again a ig

bin - ff g .s ip 1 i c , kni 1 i c , *in f n ip in fi i c n ig

n an if fi c n (Figu 1), a ing fii c n f n , kni n x i c (Figu 2), n ip bi c ff f n 2 i c main n ig n an 1 i ca b n b un ff (Figu 3). r p a f m * un i n i c main nf n , n pa fi n ig n c n .

Suspended Bind-Off method

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3


ILLuSTraTIONS By GayLe FOrd C h r I S h a r T L O v e

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3-N l Bin -Off t i bin - ff c niqu am w pi c g a y a b un ff.I g a f a ac ing f n back a u am b cau imak a ng am.

P ac i c b j in n w pa a n . h mwi ig i f kni ing facing g . In a i n in fii c n ac f w n an kni m g a ni c . *Kni n x i c n ac n am way. Pa fi i c c n i c . r p a f m * un i n i c main n i n . Cu

ya n an pu ai ug a i c .

3-Needle Bind-Off, Wrong Side

3-Needle Bind-Off, Right Side

ILLuSTraTION By vICKI Square

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T b Bi -O Worked on ribbing, this bind-off is very stretchy andleaves no visible edge. The bind-off seems to roll the rib-bing under the finished piece.Step 1. Insert tapestry needle purlwise into first knit loop

on the knitting needle (Figure 1). Draw through, thenwrap around side of fabric (not over needle) to theback.

Step 2. From the back, insert tapestry needle knitwiseinto the first purl loop (second loop on knittingneedle) and draw it through.

Step 3. Insert tapestry needle into first knit loop knit-

wise, slip loop off knitting needle and onto tapestryneedle. Insert tapestry needle purlwise into secondknit stitch (the second loop now remaining on theknitting needle; Figure 3). Draw yarn through.

Step 4. Insert tapestry needle into first purl loop purlwise,slip loop off knitting needle onto tapestry needle.Wrap tapestry needle to the back of the work, theninsert knitwise into the second purl loop (the secondloop now remaining on knitting needle; Figure 4).Draw the yarn through. Repeat Steps 3 and 4.

Figure 1 Figure 2

Figure 3 Figure 4

IllusTraTIOns By gayle fOrd

Tubular Bind-Off method

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I-Co Bin -Off t i c niqu , a kn wn a App i I-C , f m anI-c ban a ng bin - ff g . I a ac i a ngn ck in an p ck p . I a mak a b au ifuzipp im.

P ac b Bo n f n , an u ing cabm , Co 2 m ( f m I-c ). B g wi 2I-c , *k1, kni n x c g wi fi b Bon f n ug i back p (Figu 1 an 2),p ac 2 n f n (Figu 3); p f m *

un i 2 m. B ak ya n an pu ai ug m .

C h r I S h a r T L O v e

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3


I-Cord Bind-Off method

So c sTe Knitters Companion , Deluxe Edition, by Vicki Spring, Interweave, 2010Interweave Knits magazine, various issues

Documents

Casting on and Binding Off