Don’t overthink it: Narrow attached edging bind off

Don’t overthink this month’s 2-stitch decorative bind off edging

Sometimes it is the easy things that can trip us up in our knitting. It seems that is the case for a couple of our “experienced” knitters this month in overthinking. I am not naming any names, because of course there is no shame. It’s just an example of realizing that even when we are experienced, there is always more to learn. That is what keeps me ever-interested in this thing called knitting, lol. I am still learning, too.

Anonymous wrote: “Thank you Jackie…I will try it and let you know….I consider myself an advanced knitter but just didn’t get that…thank you so much”

As we gain more experience, it’s easy to whiz along and overlook simple cues in the instructions. Believe me, it has happened to me, too. So I am telling on myself, too. 🙂

Attach-as-you-knit method for lace edging as a bind off

I want to comment on the Decorative Bind Off Edging section of this month’s Smoke Ring with Lace Edging KAL pattern. I hope this will help you not trip up,. Whether  experienced or not, you’ll be able to recognize the cues in patterns you knit now and the future. 

The Decorative Bind Off Edging is a very narrow 2-stitch, subtle eyelet edging that is worked in rows perpendicularly to the body of the smoke ring tube. It uses the Attach-as-you-knit method for lace edging as a bind off technique that we covered  a while ago in the Bits of Lace Series for the Dolly Shawl, and then have also used it since then for a couple of KAL projects.

The cues that there is a change from working circularly for the smoke ring tube to working perpendicularly in rows are –

• the wording of rounds vs. rows
• turning at the end of a row from RS to WS and from WS to RS

On any row of the Decorative Bind Off Edging, you will be working NO MORE THAN 2 STITCHES.

Foundation row is yo, k1. That is 2 stitches. Then you turn your work from RS to WS.

Now work Row 1 (WS). p2tog uses up 2 stitches and results in 1 stitch. Now turn your work from WS to RS.

Now work Row 2 (RS). yo, SSK. That creates 2 stitches (and simultaneously has bound off 1 stitch of the tube). Then turn your work from RS to WS.

The “turn” refers to turning the work from RS to WS or WS to RS. The bind off is like a very narrow attached edging that is knitted flat on just 2 stitches once you’ve done your Foundation row.

Continue repeating rows 1 and 2 … etc.

A note on a difference between the bind off edging for the Smoke Ring vs. what was described for the Dolly Shawl: Since the Decorative Bind Off Edging is very narrow (i.e. only 2 stitches) and is binding off a circular tube, there is no need to cast on extra stitches at the beginning like we did for the dolly shawl.

Tip: You can use the Decorative Bind Off Edging anytime you want a very loose bind off with a lacy effect.

Hope this helps. Do you have questions? Let me know.