Help with hemlock bind off row

#1

I can’t believe I’m finally binding off, but I think I’m doing something wrong.

K 1, * k 2 tog, O, k 2 tog, turn, p 1, work 5 sts in next st – to work 5 sts in 1 (k 1, p 1) twice in the same st, then k in the same st once more. P 1, sl 1, turn, bind off 7 sts (1 st remains on righthand needle). Repeat from * around.

It’s working, sort of, but I don’t feel like it looks right and definitely not like the pictures.

At the first turning point, there is no wrap indicated, so when doing the p1, the working yarn is on the left needle, which I’ve seen before, so not too bad, but what’s more odd to me is the last part, the p1, s1, there are only 2 sts left on the LHN when you get to that spot, so you purl one, and slip the last st back over to the RHN, but then you turn and are supposed to BO and there’s no sts on the RHN and the working yarn is one st in.

I’m probably missing something obvious, it just feels all wrong, doesn’t [I]look [/I]BAD, per se, but feels very wrong.

Thanks in advance!

#2

Okay - This is the way I see it:

k1

k2tog, yo, k2tog you have 4 stitches on the right needle

turn

purl, make 5 in the yarnover , p1. [the original k1 remains unworked][three stitches have become seven]

turn.

(k1, pass stitch over - binding the new stitch off) x7 this uses 8 stitches, leaving you with one stitch on the right needle.

repeat from the asterick.

#3

I tried the knitted BO when I finshed mine but it wasn’t looking like the pictures, so I just went ahead and learned to crochet and did that bind off. It went about a million times faster and looks nice and clean.

#4

I haven’t got there yet, but I think I’ll just do Garter st for the last few rounds, then BO.

#5

thank you, MMario, for breaking it down. I wasn’t too far off, but the end did make a difference.

Since I was backing it out to restart the bind off anyway, I decided to try the crochet bind off (which I actually haven’t done before in knitting, although am proficient in crochet,) and I REALLY love it and it does look like the pictures. I’m so going with that! (and so much faster and fun! I love learning new things!)

Thanks all! Dreading the blocking, but omg, SO EXCITED to be mid bind off! :smiley:

#6

well, I have a new (and more disturbing) problem now. I am pretty sure I am not going to have enough yarn left to complete the bind off row. :waah: I’m going to continue to see how short I am to decide how much I need to rip out and hope for the best.

I’m wondering now, though, say I’m only marginally short, do I REALLY have to back out 5 rows undoing the previous feather and fan repeat, or couldn’t I just undo the last K row or would that be terrible?

#7

Ugh running out of yarn is never any fun!!! I don’t see why you couldn’t just rip out the last knitted row, shouldn’t look too wonky I don’t think (maybe I’m wrong though lol).

The blocking is kinda fun and cool! I actually pinned my measuring tape to the inside of the flower and measured each point out from there to make sure it was even… took up the whole queen sized bed and a TON of t-pins!

#8

yeah, I happened to chat with my LYS owner just a minute ago and she agrees with you and I think that’s totally ok. The only thing is that last “peak” made by the bind off round will be one round shorter, but really, just don’t think that matters other than aesthetically. Now I just have to decide if I want to continue trying to see if I have enough or stop now and pull it all out… I’ve bound off about 140 sts so far… /suspense

What yarn and color is that in yours, it is GORGEOUS!!! Going to see if it’s on your Ravelry so I can drool over it in greater detail.

ETA: I found it, really just beautiful!!! I had never even considered using a multicolored yarn for this project, but that colorway is just amazing and it came out fantastic!

ETA2: Curse you for introducing me to a new yarn to be addicted to! :wink: I just looked at their colorways, talk about drool, and my not-terribly-local LYS actually carries it. Can’t wait to check it out in person!

#9

Yes you could undo a couple rows then Bind off where ever you are.

#10

I REALLY loved working with that yarn too! It was actually gifted to me by my LYS owner, and at first I wasn’t too sure that a hemlock in multicolor yarn would even look ok, but I had 1200 yards of it! :o)

All this talk of hemlocks got me to cast on another one a couple hours ago lol. I’m using knitpicks bare which I dyed a purple variegated color (for my mom) and I’m almost done with the written instructions! It’s amazing how fast they go the second time lol.

#11

I am totally planning a multicolor version now after seeing yours, it really is gorgeous! And yes, totally fast until you get to the 400+ stitch rounds. I was sitting and listening to some audiobooks with this monstrosity in my lap in the middle of April at 90 degrees outside thinking “really? I’m really doing this???” even timing how long the rounds were taking me and such and groaning all the while. LOL. All in all, though, a REALLY fun project and even with those big rows at the end, still relatively quick (the fact that I finished it (or almost) is testament, I never finish anything.) In about 10 minutes, I’m breaking from work to see if I can squeeze the yarn out to finish the BO row and/or ripping, will hopefully finish later tonight/morning either way and can’t wait! :slight_smile:

#12

I can’t wait to see pictures of it all finished!!! I am now remembering how ‘boring’ the final rows got, but I have until August to get this one done… and I did the first one in three weeks O.o!

Last summer is when I started knitting and I totally sat at our pool with my neighbor and we both knitted our first scarves while tanning lol, so I totally feel you on that!

#13

I realize this is a horrific picture (digi is broken :() but here is the amount of yarn I have left and I have about 350 stitches yet to go, so I’m stopping and will pull out the row and start over. I’m deepy crankified by this now, so not sure when I will actually do this, hopefully in the next couple days.

I’m also debating on dropping the amount of chains to 5 or 6 instead of 7, but undecided on that… It looks almost excessively loopy right now, but envisioning it blocked, I think it might be best to leave at 7…

ETA: I realize now after binding off a bit that this is going to be one of those magically-transformed-by-blocking projects because frankly, it’s kinda ugly right now LOL.

#14

It seems I have heard of some “magic” crocheted bind off that uses no yarn whatsoever. Maybe it wouldn’t work with lace–not be stretchy enough. :shrug: Might be worth checking out before you rip though.

#15

The crochet type bind off you mention is using a hook to BO the last row on the needles. But even with regular knitting, not lace, it’s very tight. If I use this one, I knit the last row with a needle about 3-4 times larger than I knit the item with and that turns out about right.

#16

Thanks Sue, I thought that might be the case.

#17

I’m actually using a hook 0.5 mm smaller and it’s not tight at all. It was knit on a 10-1/2 needle, I think chain 7s with a hook any bigger wouldn’t be right at all. It’s kind of like a k3tog, chain 7, k3tog bind off, not the standard crochet bind off, which I know can get pretty snug.

#18

Not the kind of crochet BO where you use a hook instead of a needle to do a regular BO. One where you finish a row on the needle and know you don’t have enough for a standard BO so you start at the beginning of the row and pull the 2nd st through the first and make a chain. It looks just like the standard bind off… only tighter.

Ahh, found some pictures… - http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2006/07/04/i_cant_stand_to_watch.html

#19

Interesting! I tend to CO and BO too tight (usually) but it’s good to know that method is out there if I’m ever in a pinch!

#20

AH! Fantastic!!! Thank you!