Bind Off Without Yarn (Worked Flat and in the Round)

The bind off that we are going to discuss in this tutorial has two huge benefits. It is perfect for knitters who struggle with the right tension of the bind off edge, and it’s a life-saver in cases when we don’t have enough yarn left to bind off all stitches. If you’ve ever run out of yarn in the middle of the bind off, you know how frustrating it could be 🙁

So, here’s one solution to both issues – a bind off that is done without using the working yarn. 

I’ll explain how to do this type of bind off both when we work flat and when we work in the round. As usual, there is a video tutorial that shows all the steps described below. Click here to watch the video.

WHEN WORKING FLAT

1. When you finish the last row of the project, don’t turn your work. Slip the stitches one by one back to the left needle. Slip them purlwise (insert the left needle into each stitch from left to right) and stop when you have two stitches left on the right needle.

Now we are ready to start binding off stitches.

2. Insert the tip of the left needle into the second stitch on the right needle, and pass that stitch over the other stitch and off the needle, same as we do when we use the regular way to bind off stitches.

3. Slip one stitch from the left needle to the right needle.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 until there is just one stitch left. Cut the yarn. Pass the yarn tail through the last stitch and pull tight to secure. 

WHEN WORKING IN THE ROUND

Binding off stitches in the round is even easier than binding off stitches worked flat. There is no need to slip all stitches from one needle to the other, so we can start binding off right away.

1. Slip two stitches from the left needle to the right needle.

2. Pass the second stitch on the right needle over the first one and off the needle (same as we do with the regular bind off).

3. Slip one more stitch to the right needle.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 to bind off all stitches. When you have one stitch left, cut the yarn, pass the tail through the last stitch and pull tight to secure.

As a result, we’ve got an even bind off edge that is not too tight and not too loose. And, we haven’t used even a bit of the working yarn to create it.

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