Binding Off
When you have finished knitting a piece, you will have a row of loops on your needle. You must bind off (fasten down) these loops, or your work will unravel.
Knit the first two stitches of the row. Now using the point of the left needle, lift the first stitch up and over the second stitch and off the end of the right needle. You have just bound off one stitch. There should be one stitch remaining on your right needle. Now work the next stitch in the row. Left the second stitch over the third and off the needle. Continue in this manner across the row. It is very important to work your bind off row loosely. It needs to be elastic, just like your knitting. If you have difficulty a larger needle may be used for the bind off row. |
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At the end of the row, you will have one stitch remaining on your needle. Cut the yarn (at least 3" long) and pull the tail of yarn through the last stitch. This is called "finishing off" the yarn and will prevent the work from unraveling. The same procedure would be followed for binding off in purl stitch, except the stitches are purled instead of knitted. Always bind off in pattern, knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches. |
Joining A New Yarn
Most projects require more than one skein of yarn. It is best to add new yarn at the beginning of a row so the joining is not visible in the middle of a piece of work.
1. To join yarn at the beginning of a row, simply drop the old yarn and pick up the new yarn and continue knitting using the new yarn. 2. After you have worked a few rows, twist the ends around each other and weave them into the edges in opposite directions on the wrong side. See diagram: How-to Crochet - Fastening Off |
To slip a stitch means you move it from the left needle to the right needle without working it. Unless the directions say otherwise, slip the stitch as to purl but with yarn to the back, which means insert the right needle into the left needle's stitch as if you were going to purl and move the stitch over from the left needle to the right needle without purling. You can also slip a stitch as if to knit. |
Knit to Knit: 1. On a knit row, with yarn at back of work, bring the yarn forward between the tow needles, then back over the right needle to the back of the work. Knit your next stitch, and you will see you have added another loop to your needle. |
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Purl to Purl: 2. On a purl row, with yarn at front of work, bring yarn over the right needle to the back of the work, then bring it back forward again between the two needles. Purl the next stitch and you will see you have added an extra loop to the right needle. |
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