How To: Bind Off Ribbing

Now that you have learned how to knit ribbing, you will have to know how to bind off ribbing. If you have knitted something that needs to have a stretch to it, such as socks or a neck, this is a very important technique to know.

Here are the instructions for binding off ribbing:

1.  Knit the first 2 knit stitches.

• Insert left needle into the front of the stitch you knitted first, and pull it over the second stitch and completely off the needle. Put your index on the 2nd stitch to hold it in place and keep it from falling off the needle. One stitch is now bound off. 
• Knit one more stitch, insert left needle into first stitch on right needle, and pull it over the new stitch and completely off the needle. Two knit stitches are bound off.

2.  Purl the next 2 purl stitches.

• Insert left needle into front of the 1st stitch on the R needle.  Using the L needle, pull the 1st stitch up and over the 2nd stitch. One purl stitch has been bound off.
• Pull right needle forward and let stitch drop off. Purl another stitch and repeat what you did on the last purl stitch.

3.  Continue on binding off the knit stitches knit-wise and binding off the purl stitches purl-wise.

Tips

• When you pull the yarn through the last stitch, leave a long tail to use later for sewing if you are working on something with a seam, otherwise cut it short and weave it in if it's a scarf or blanket.