How to Cast Off in Knitting

Series Summary

Knitting is an ancient craft that dates back to first millennium AD, and today, knitting is more popular than ever. There is no doubt that knitting is hip. Check any number of bookstores. There are several volumes of knitting patterns: everything from bikinis to purses. A new generation of expressive yarns make the creation of eye-catching clothes and accessories easier than ever. Knitting asserts independence from traditional clothing manufacturers and is the perfect outlet for personal style. In this free video series on knitting, an advanced knitter offers advice on learning how to knit. Find out how to choose the right yarn for the project, match the yarn to right needle size and cast on the right number of stitches. Get important tips on knitting a scarf, a baby blanket or a beanie, and find out how to gauge the tension of the stitches. For insider tips on the art of knitting, consult this helpful craft guide.

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Allison from ImagiKnit in San Fransisco and I'd like to show you how to bind off, which is also called casting off. Make sure that you have enough yarn to do so. It takes a little bit more yarn than a regular row of knitting. Come to the first stitch and you're just going to act as if you're going to knit another row. So we'll knit one stitch and then two stitches. Once you have two stitches on your right hand needle, use your left hand needle to pull the first stitch over the second stitch and off the end of the needle, leaving just one stitch on the right hand needle. Continue, we'll knit one more stitch from the left hand needle. So again we have two on the right hand needle. Pull the previous stitch over the most recent one and off the end of the needle. Make sure not to pull too tight. We'll knit one more, pull the first stitch over the second and off the end of the needle. Don't pull on the yarn in between stitches. So now we've come to the last two stitches. So we'll knit one more so that we have no stitches remaining on the left hand needle. Again, use the left hand needle to pull the previous stitch over the most recent one and off the end of the needle. This should leave you with just one stitch on your right hand needle. So then you want to have the tail of your yarn, you want to just pull that through the last remaining stitch, and tighten. There we have a nice bind off and your project is complete other than just weaving the ends in."