Step Off

Some questions have come up on one of my forums about how to get rid of that ugly little step you get when you bind off after knitting in the round.

There's a really simple solution that takes just a few seconds. It's hard to explain in words but in pictures it's pretty easy.

Here you are at the end of binding off, with 1 stitch left on the needle. Since knitting in the round is really making a spiral, you're left with 1 side a row higher than the other.

Instead of breaking the yarn and then pulling the tail of the yarn through the loop of the last stitch (an extra step that adds more yarn for no reason), simply lift the needle and pull the tail of the yarn out, so it's really only half a stitch.


Now you're left with this ugly step.

Thread the tail of your yarn onto a needle, and then pass the needle under the v that is formed from the *first* stitch in the bind off.

Close up picture after the yarn is pulled through.

Now put your needle back down into the center of the *last* stitch of the bind off. This is the same stitch you pulled the yarn out of above. Now you've made that into a whole stitch again, but it also goes under the first stitch.

So now it makes a pretty, continuous chain. You can't even tell where the round ends.

And, no more step. Voila!