How to do a Bind Off
Binding off is the final step to finishing a knitting project, and the only thing that keeps the stitches from unraveling once you take them off your needles. You always bind off at the end of a project, but you might also bind off in the middle of the project to shape arm and neck holes or anywhere else you need to create an edge in the middle of the fabric. The most versatile bind-off technique is the "in pattern" bind off, which allows you to continue ribbing or any other pattern along the finished edge.
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Instructions
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Work the first two stitches in pattern. In other words, follow the pattern as usual, but only for the first two stitches. You might knit both stitches, purl both stitches, or knit and purl.
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Slip the point of your left-hand needle underneath the second stitch down from the point of your right-hand needle. If you're binding off from the start of a row, this is the lowest stitch on the needle. If you're binding off in the middle of a row, disregard the other stitches below this one -- you'll only work with the first two stitches on the needle.
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Lift the stitch you just captured up and off the left-hand needle, without disturbing the stitch above it. The cast off, or bound off, stitch will slip down over the stitch still on the needle.
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Work the next stitch in the pattern, then pause and slip the stitch just below it up and off of your left-hand needle.
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Continue working through the pattern one stitch at a time, pausing after each stitch to slip the previous stitch up and off of the left-hand needle. Eventually, you'll be left with just one stitch on the needle.
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Snip the yarn, leaving a 6- to 8-inch tail. Thread the loose end through a yarn needle and pull it through the final stitch on your knitting needle. Draw the stitch taut to "close" the edge of your work, then weave the yarn tail into your work, changing directions several times. Snip the remaining yarn as close as possible to the edge of the fabric.
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Tips & Warnings
"Binding off" is sometimes known as "casting off."
References
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