Do you have a favorite way to cast on or bind off? Do you ever wish that you had a few more options in your wheelhouse? No project starts or ends without a cast on and a bind off. It’s good to have a few options ready to use!
Cast On Options That Are Easy to Remember
This gives a nice rounded edge to sweater collars, tops of shawls, bottoms of hats, and edges of scarves. It’s a beautiful, finished look.
Do you have edges that need to stay in place and not roll? This might just the perfect option for you.
Easy-peasy. Patterns frequently call for a Backwards Loop when you are sliding stitches off to a stitch holder and carrying on knitting around. (Like when you divide stitches for a sleeve in a sweater, or for a thumb in a glove or mitten.) *Note – I cannot seem to type the word LOOP without making it LOOPY. I type it wrong every single time.
This is my go-to cast on. I like the edge it makes, and I like the stretchiness in it. Also referred to as The Old Norwegian Cast On.
Bind Off Options That Are Fun to Use
Have you ever knit something and then bound off, only to find that your bound off edge pulls inward a bit? Most projects benefit from a giving, stretchy bind off, which will prevent the inward pull of tight stitches.
This one gives a nice rounded ridge edging to your project, which would look nice on mittens, sweater collars, sweater hems, and shawl edges. When using it on shawl edges, it gives a nice little extra weight to the piece.
Not only is this stretchy, but it gives a beautiful look to your bound off edge. Great for socks, shawls, scarves, gloves and sweaters. This is my new favorite bind off!
This one adds a beautiful border with pointed tips at the edges. It takes a bit of time (and a bit of yarn!), but it is totally worth the effort. Great for hats, sweaters, shawls, mittens and socks where you want a decorative edge.
Of course the way to get good at remembering all of these is to just use them, so give one a try with your next project!
Sheri
P.S. We added in gorgeous Malabrigo Rios and beautiful yarn in all bases from The Uncommon Thread this week, if you need yarn to practice on with your new cast ons and bind offs!
Some words are just hard to type when you’re so used to typing them other ways.
I have never seen the Icelandic Bind Off. Thanks!
Good film of technique but I would like to see the finished edge.
What cast on is the best match for Icelandic bind off? Both of my cast on and bind off edges must match, and the standard stockinette cast on/bind off is too inflexible.
Hi Theresa – it looks like a crochet cast on is a good match to an icelandic bind off. Check out #3 here, which shows them both: https://pattylyons.com/2017/02/choose-cast-bind-off/