Binding Off in Threes
Tuesday July 15, 2008
Knitting stitches from two needles together to make the three-needle bind off work. (c) Sarah E. White.It can be used on projects like socks, hats and the tops of knit doll heads, and I'm sure there are many other uses I'm not thinking of right now (let me know in the comments).
It's dead easy to accomplish and saves the step of having to sew a seam. It gives a nice finished look to a project, much like a regular bind off would, with the added advantage that you don't have to get out a sewing needle.
Comments
I like to use a 3 needle bind off for the shoulder on sweaters. If the pattern calls for binding off a certain number of stitches on each row over several rows, I do short rows instead & then use the 3 needle bind off to connect the front(s) to the back. I find it looks much neater than any of my seams & actually lends some stability to the “seam.” If you want it to look like a seam, bind off on the wrong side (with right sides together) but some people like the chain the bind off forms & use it as a decorative touch by binding off with the wrong sides held together.
No sewing, Great. I love this way of getting out of sewing seams.
Three Needle Bind-off I’m working on a hooded sweater the pattern instructs you to joina 2nd ball and work both sides at once, bind off 4 sts 4 times from each center back hood edge when 18 sts remain each side then use the 3-needle bind off method to join the two pieces together to close the hood, the go back and sew the bound off shaped edge together to close the remainder of the hood. Has anyone ever succesfully attempted to use 2 circular needles and the 3-needle bind-off method to join the entire hood seam??? It is quite complicated and I was having a difficult time getting my yarns to stay tight. Maybe I’ll try it on a sample and let you know how it works out.