Little details can transform a simple item into something very special. A tubular bind-off can take a humble 1×1 rib edging and turn it into a finished and sophisticated feature. It sounds tricky and complicated, but is straightforward once you break down the steps. One quick word of warning — you do need to be comfortable grafting! The method I use for 1×1 rib (how I knit the cuff on the majority of my socks) is most similar to what Ysolda shows in her tutorial post.
I’m providing a quick photo sketch of the process in this post and a list of links to several clear tutorials at the end. It’s the time of year when decent photo light is fleeting and I missed it today.
When your ribbing is one round before the desired length, with a second needle*, knit the knit stitches onto the original needle and slip the purls with yarn in front onto the second needle.
* I try to make this second needle slightly different — either it’s a size smaller or the cable is a different colour (as in these pics) or maybe it’s tip isn’t as sharp — it helps keep me using the correct needle.
Work a second round purling the stitches on the second needle and ignoring the stitches on the first needle.
Then graft around! I like to cut the yarn about 3.5 times longer than the bound off dimensions.
As I knit my socks two-at-a-time on one needle, I keep a small coil-less safety pin on hand to hold the two stitches of the first sock while I finish off the second.
These haven’t been blocked yet, but I think they look quite nice!
I don’t often do this bind-off as it requires time and some extra planning. You can do it without a second needle, but using one makes it easier for me. My other favourite bind-off for toe-up socks is Jeny’s Super Stretchy Bind-off.
Tutorial links:
Tubular bind-off
Grafting
- Grafting (formerly known as the Kitchener Stitch) by Tin Can Knits
- Nelkin Designs – The Zen of Kitchener Stitch! – I keep the little cheat sheet (at the end of the clear photo tutorial) nearby when I graft. Every. Time.
- Woolly Wormhead’s Cast off tutorials – includes kitchener stitch
Other links that came up in my research
- Knitting Techniques by Mary Ellen Meisters (PDF version)
- Lion Brand – Bind-Offs: Great Endings to Your Knitting Project – Different Bind-Offs
This post was first published in 2015 has been updated slightly for 2024.
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