this being my first real adventure in toe-up socks, i was a loss as to what bind off to use. sensational knitted socks didn’t have a recommended bind-off (did it?)…and i’ve read enough blogs to know that i needed something stretchy. a quick google search didn’t turn up much, although i did rediscover laurie b’s toes and heels webpage (it’s a fantastic collection of links for different toe and heel techniques…thanks!).
since you end at the cuff when you knit toe-up, the bind-off must be loose and elastic. it would be a tragedy to have (unintentionally) slouchy socks after all the time you put into it. i found a k1p1 invisible bind-off that i thought might work for me described in the twisted sister’s sock workbook. the wording was a little confusing, but i plowed on…and thought to put what i learned up on the ol’ blog to share with you. 
it may seem like a lot of work, but i think this bind-off is espcially pretty and very elastic. i hope you enjoy it as much as i do!
k1p1 invisible bind-off tutorial
- after you have finished the desired length of your k1p1 cuff, break off a length of yarn about three times the circumference of your sock. thread through a tapestry needle to begin.
- note: the photos are associated with the text below it.
- please leave me feedback – this is my first tutorial!
- in the first stitch (a knit stitch) thread the needle from back to front. pull yarn through and snug gently.
- in the next stitch (a purl stitch) thread the needle from front to back. pull yarn through and snug.
- the yarn should look something like this.
- go back to the first knit stitch and thread the needle from front to back. pull yarn through. snug.
- slip this stitch off the needle.
- *in the next stitch (a knit stitch), thread the needle from back to front.
- go back to the purl stitch (now the first stitch on the needle) and thread needle from back to front. slip this stitch off the needle.
- the second stitch on the needle should be a purl stitch. you will need to thread your yarn through this stitch from front to back . BUT, you need to do this from BEHIND the first knit stitch.
- to do this, approaching from the back, put your needle between the first and second stitch. now thread the needle from the front to the back of the purl (second) stitch.
- it may seem a little awkward, but it will get easier.
- now, in the first (knit) stitch, thread the needle from front to back. pull the yarn through. snug. slip stitch off needle.
- go to *.
- continue until the last purl stitch.
- thread the needle from back to front on the inital knit stitch.
- thread the needle from back to front on the last purl stitch.
- now thread the needle once more on the inital stitch. pull yarn through. snug.
- last step!! pull needle through to other side. weave in ends.
- viola! a stretchy k1p1 invisible cast-off!
great tutorial!!! I’m always looking for new BO’s for toe ups – I usually do the EZ sewn cast off, which looks very similar to this one…
Holy cow woman! That was great!
What a great idea — I’ve been putting off an attempt at toe-ups partly because I didn’t know what to do about the bind off — now I have no excuse!
This is very cool — thanks! I’m very tempted to do 1×1 ribbing now.
Thanks for the tutorial, the photos are great. The Tubular cast-off is my favorite for toe-up socks.
Before cutting the yarn and threading the darning needle, I set up the tubular cast-off by knitting 2 full rounds of tubular knitting.
Round 1, part A: *k1, sl1 wyif* all the way around, p last st
Round 1, part B: *sl1 wyib, p1* all the way around
Round 2, part A: *k1, sl1 wyif* all the way around, p last st
Round 2, part B: *sl1 wyib, p1* all the way around
Also, the wording accompanied by your photos is fine, but you might want to consider using “knitwise” and “purlwise” for “front to back” and “back to front”. Just a small suggestion. Thanks again!
cool tutorial, thanks for such nice pics.
i love the yarn also. will try it out asap
Very clear wording, and very clear pictures! I’m working on my first pair of toe-up socks right now, and was wondering how to end the cuff. Thanks for the great tutorial!
Beautiful! Thanks! It’s tagged as a favorite!
Thanks for allowing me to post this on Yarnival!
great tute! I like this bind off a LOT if it’s 1×1 — I tried it with a 2×2 (adjusting for the rib of course) and didn’t like it nearly as much.
I talked a little about toe-up sock bind offs here:
http://www.fiberfetishist.com/?p=17
and linked to a couple of other blog posts about the topic! These days I usually use the Russian bind-off out of laziness, but I think my next toe-up socks I’ll use this one.
And hmm, that yarn is gorgeous!
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[...] your v-day?…and i’ve been yarnival’d!! February 16th, 2007 edited to add: my tutorial has been linked to yarnival, hosted this month by the purloined letter. [...]
Here from Yarnival also. Thanks for the tutorial, great photos!
Thanks for the tutorial. I found it when googling stretchy BOs for this hat I’m knitting.
Your instructions worked well, I successfully bound off. My only suggestion – your tapestry needles looks so much like your knitting needle that I was very confused. I wasn’t sure if I was knitting and weaving at the same time or what. I did eventually figure it out, but it would have been easier if the tapestry needle was a different color.
Thanks.
Thank you so much! I have a book that basically shows this but doesn’t make a lick of sense. Your instructions were so much easier to follow! And the yarn was a good choice to make the stitches clear.
[...] geekess wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt [...]
Thanks for a great tutorial, you helped me finish my first toe-up socks
Very clear pictures and instructions, thanks so much for detailing it here.
[...] Invisible sewn bind off, I have a couple books and magazines with this technique, but there’s a great tutorial here. [...]
This is an awesome tutorial, especially the pictures because of the multi-dyed yarn! The only minor problem I found out as I printed this and translated it into Finnish for my 70-year-old grandmom (she’s the Old Fashioned Knitter, I had to introduce her to the wonders of toe-up socks and tubular binding) was that the last few pictures introducing the final steps has the original colors reversed. It might be helpful to someone figuring out this technique to point out that in the last pics the binding yarn is red and not blue like in the first pics.
This probably is not a major issue if you are looking at the series as a whole, but if you are just following the flow of the b-o yarn you might get confused.
Cheers from Finland o/
Every time I make socks the patterns tell you to use elastic bind-off but it has never turned out right until I followed your bind-off instructions. Thanks, it made it so much easier and the pictures were really clear. Could you write a tutorial with pictures on elastic 2×2 ribbed bind-off?
For the benefit of the knitting community, you need to quit your day job and devote your life to creating knitting tutorials! Thank you so much.
Invisible bind off tutorial was very helpful! Thanks.
Thanks so much for this tutorial–I am making a the fingers on a pair of fingerless gloves for my hubby’s best friend, and I am very pleased with this new technique you’ve just taught me:) Thanks bunches for taking the time to post it here–I don’t think I would have been able to figure it out without this tutorial!!
I’ve found this sewn bind off in several books and other web tutorials but your descriptions and pictures were the most clear and easy to follow. I learned this technique a while back during my machine knitting days but could not find my notes. Thank you for making this information available.
[...] finally understanding them after trying several times, and wound up with a clean edge. Here is a link for a p1, k1 bind off, which will give you a general idea of the [...]
does this bind-off also work for k2p1 rib?
i don’t think so, as there is a different bo for 2×2 rib. if you find one let me know!! good luck!
Thanks for the great instructions. I’m using it for fingerless gloves I am making. As I’m a very visual person, the pictures helped tremendously.
[...] socks to an ok length and then scoured the internet for a sewn 2×2 rib cast off. I found this tutorial with piccies and I’m fairly happy with how it turned [...]
This is the best tutorial for this binding I have found on the net. I watched a few videos, but this is so clear and easy to understand each of the steps. I had to undo my last attempt, because the instructions weren’t clear, but now I have it down pat. Thankyou.
Hi, great job. It would be easier to follow if you numbered the instructions because I find as I scroll back and forth I get lost.
Great tutorial. A big help.
Thanks.
This is a very well-done tutorial. I just wish we had seen it before struggling with the written instructions we got from who-knows-where. Gloria used it in a sweater knit in the round from the bottom up (for our granddaughter) and it yielded a very stretchable neck opening. I use it in my toe-up socks, even when I end with a 3×3 rib (I cheat by adding on a 1×1 rib in the last row). Thanks for a great job.
Thanks!! This is a fantastic tutorial!!
FAB-U-LOUS tute!