Bind Off in Pattern

Occasionally, you might come across a knitting pattern that contains the instructions to “bind off in pattern.” In this video, Mary Beth Temple explains what this instruction means and how to work it.

For many knitting projects, a knitwise bind off or a purlwise bind off can be used to finish the knitting. As Mary Beth points out, if you’ve worked a stitch pattern like moss stitch, seed stitch, or ribbing, binding off in a conventional manner won’t give you a polished edge. By binding off in pattern, the patterning of the final row of the project is maintained in the bind off so that the pattern flows right into the edge of the piece.

In this video, Mary Beth uses a swatch with a checkerboard pattern along the top that is worked in a five knit, five purl stitch pattern. As she is working the bind off, she works the stitch as it’s presented. She knits and purls while simultaneously binding off, making sure to bring the yarn between the needles as she is changing stitches.