Stretchy bind off knitting in the round?

stretchy bind offs are a great way to have a seamless garment and to avoid a tight fit at the armholes. If you’re still a bit unsure about how to do a stretchy bind off in the round, here’s a helpful video tutorial from Crafty Green Chick.

How to make a stretchy bind off knitting in the round?

It can be tricky to stretch a circularly knit sweater to fit your body without creating too many puckers. To make a stretchy bind off that will fit perfectly, you’ll need to use a method that allows the fabric to stretch a bit more than a regular bind off would. We’ll show you how to do this in a few ways.

How to make a stretchy bind off with an elastic cast on?

This method is shown in the photo above and it works for any circular knitting project—even seamless sweater knitting! When you’re done knitting the first two rows, measure how many stitches you have and add 11. Then, place the stitches on two separate circular needles. If you have an extra second circular, use it. If not, you’ll need to work two sections independently. Slip the first 11 stitches onto the first circular, then place the second 11 stitches onto the second circular.

How to stretchy bind off knitting in the round?

When you knit in the round, you’ll need to find a way to stretch your newly-knitted piece back to its original dimensions. You can stretch the last few rows of your circular knitting all at once, or stretch one row at a time, while leaving the rest of the knitting untouched. However, for a stretchy and even look, you’ll want to stretch the entire piece at once.

How to make a stretchy bind off with a provisional

A provisional is essentially a short, snaked length of yarn that’s attached to the end of your knitting stitches before you start working in the round. You can use a provisional to create a seamless join when you switch from the front to the back, or to add length to your circular knitting, and sometimes you can stretch it out to make a specific length. You can also use a provisional when you want to add a length to your circular knitting that you can stretch out when washing.