Binding Off

#1

I attempted binding off last night, and it was really tight. In the video it mentioned to use a bigger size needle if you tend to do it tight, but the biggest one’s I have now are 8’s, which is what I was using. The binding off part was so much more tight then the rest of the thing…LOL.

I’m sure that with more practice I will get this binding off thing, but I do have a stupid question to ask. When I had one stitch left on my left needle, i knitted over to the right needle, and then took the first loop over the second and bind that off. But, what to I do with the yarn on the needle after that? Make some kind of knot to keep it from unraveling? I don’t know what I did, but the whole thing came undone.

Also, I’d like to try and actually make something in this practice time of knitting and casting on and binding off, which is all I can do so far. I have size 6 and size 8 needles and homespun yarn. I’d like to try and make some sort of cozy scarf but I read somewhere that there is something I should know about doing the edges of the scarf…that you can’t just knit the last stitch on the needle or something…I hope all this makes sense…LOL.

Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it.

Oh, and I’ve been smoke free for 1 day and 11 hours :smiley:

Susan

#2

{{{{{Susan}}}}} Good for you going smoke free!! It was the hardest thing I ever did, but so worth it. Keep those fingers busy with you knitting :smiley:

I made a scarf using Homespun and big needles – all garter stitch (knit every row) – that turned out beautiful. I added fringe that looks very cool because the homespun frays a lot and it gave it a cool fuzzy look.

I believe the technique you were referring to was to slip the first stitch of every row. However, I didn’t do anything but knit every stitch, and it came out fine. Using big, fat needles gives it a nice look (a size 13 or higher) and I finished it in a few hours. I noticed that Walmart had really cheap big needles (plastic). For a basic scarf, it probably isn’t critical to have really nice needles.

Good Luck!

Holly

#3

Hi Susan,

Yes, you’re talking about slipping the first stitch. That’s what I do, although a lot of people don’t do it, it’s really a personal preference.

It’s amazing how tight the BO can be. The other day I was working on a project where I needed a looser BO so that I could later pick up stitches in it, and so that it wouldn’t be too firm. I’d been knitting with size 3 needles. I ended up binding off with size 8 needles! And you’d never know by looking at it!!! (I’m sure I could have used size 9 needles. Who knows, maybe even bigger!)

When I first learned to knit, no one showed me how to hold the yarn, and for years I held the yarn by squeezing it between my index and middle finger, “cigarette style.” If you get a hankering to hold a cigarette, you can hold your yarn this way instead! LOL :lol: (It’s murder on the hands, actually, I wouldn’t recommend it unless your desperate! te he.)

Amy

#4

Thanks for the replies :smiley:

I will try to pick up a bigger size needles this weekend to help with BO. I’m using a a size 8 for the knitting now…so I’ll probably pick up a 10 or higher.

One more question though about BO when it comes to the last stitch. Ok, last stitch is on the left needle, I knit the stitch…then slip the first stitch over the other…(just like in the video). Now, what do I do with the stitch that’s still on my right needle? Should I just pull the needle out, or will that cause it to unravel? Do I make a knot?

Thanks for the info…and sorry to ask dumb question…LOL.

Amy, I am really loving the site. I read the “about me” page yesterday and it’s really cool!

Susan

#5

HI Jive! I just quit smoking too! yay for us! Anyway, once you bind off the last stitch, slip it off of your right needle carefully, then take the tail of your working yarn and thread it through the loop you made (you might need to cut the yarn shorter) and pull. That will hold the stitch. Then weave in the extra tail youhave left hanging, and voila! you’re done!