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File last modified on July 30, 1995

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The following is a synopsis of various methods of casting (or binding) off
in knitting.  Please send updates to Emily Way (spamily@io.org).

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From: jimbob@itchy.mi.net (Robert Matthews)

     Julie Martin has a problem casting off in rib. Don't we all? The real
problem for me is that casting off is relentlessly horizontal and ribbing
in vertical. But never fear; I have to exceptional solutions to your
problem.

     The first, and my very favourite, is simplicity itself; it's best for
necklines, but as you will see, it works for any ribbed welt. Just make the
ribbing twice the length you want it to be but don't cast it off; then fold
it in half to the inside and sew it in place. You want to sew *very*
loosely, using an overhand stitch as follows: With the work facing you in
such a way that the top loops of the live stitches are pointing upwards,
insert the sewing needle into the first live stitch from front to back and
then from bottom to top into the corresponding purl bump of the stitch in
the row just below where the ribbing was picked up. (This sounds hideously
complicated but a bit of fiddling will show you what to do.) Then bring the
needle down and into the next live stitch, and so on.

     Looooooose is the keyword here. Absolutely no tightness allowed. There
must be plenty of give. Since this isn't going to show, you don't have to
worry about its looking sloppy. It actually won't, if you work into every
single live stitch and match the live stitches carefully to their
corresponding stitches on the knit fabric itself. Ylou have to do this
because otherwise you might find yourself at the end of the sewing with
five or six live stitches left and nowhere to sew them, and this will skew
the ribbing; ideally it will be perfectly straight up and down from
beginning to end.

     The other technique, which is very nice, is called the sewn bind-off.
I'm unable to describe it to you because I haven't memorized it yet; I
always open my copy of the Vogue Knitting book when I want to do it, and
that pesky book has gone and disappeared again. But if you have the book,
it's in there, and if not, I'm sure someone else will write out the
instructions for you.

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Isobel describes how she binds off:

1.  First row of bind off: bind off given # of stitches.  Work to end of row.
2.  Second row of bind off: same as first.  Work to within two stitches 
of end.  Work 2 sts tog.  turn
3.  Work first two sts. tog.  Bind off 2 sts less than they tell you.  
Work to within two stitches of end.  Work 2 sts tog. turn
Etc.  until you have finished the shoulder shaping.

This method produces
a very nice, sloped shoulder.