Tubular Bind Off in the Round Redux

Sorry  I didn't post last week.  Sometimes life just gets in the way... More yarn keeps arriving for the Yarn Tasting.  I am seriously behind!  I am getting some great yarn for the door prizes.  I am showing restraint from adding to my stash!

STUDENT NEWS
Just a reminder...I don't enforce the one year time limit for completion.  As long as you ordered the course from me, just send me an email to let me know you want updated materials.  If you have the current materials (April 2014) just send in the lesson, no need to email me.

TIP OF THE WEEK
Some contacted me who was having difficulty with a tubular bind off in the round.  I just happen to be working on a sweater which is knit top down where I bound off the bottom and cuffs to match the tubular cast on for the turtle neck.

I really like the looks of a tubular bind off.  If I am doing a project which will be enhanced by a stretchy cast on/bind off, I always chose to do one.   I do them often enough that I don't have to look up how to do one anymore!

I find it much easier to do the bind off on K1P1 ribbing that K2P2 ribbing (yes, I know you can do it but I just prefer the look of the K1P1 ribbing) so I convert K2P2 ribbing to K1P1 ribbing.  I did a blog entry on this a long time ago.  Here is the link:  K2P2 to K1P1.  The next step of the bind off is to do at least two rows/rounds where you alternate slipping stitches with the yarn in the front or back depending on whether it is a knit or a purl.  When you are working in the round, you will work one round where you slip the purl stitches with the yarn in the front and on the next round it will be the knit stitches with the yarn in the back.  For the cuffs I did four rounds.

Before doing the next step, I adjust the stitches so that the first stitch on my needle is a purl stitch and if I am using DPNs, I make sure this is the case for all needles.  I then cut a long tail (longer than I need, invariably) and thread it with a tapestry needle. If you watch the video you will see that I frequently reverse the words for left and right (some form of dyslexia, perhaps) so I try to use the terms knitwise and purlwise which I don't confuse.  My steps follow:

1. Insert the tapestry needle PURLWISE into the first stitch on the left needle.  (It is a purl stitch...see above.)  Pull the yarn tight.
2. Insert the tapestry needle PURLWISE into the knit stitch to the right of the purl stitch, across the purl stitch and into the knit stitch to the left of the purl stitch.  Pull the yarn tight.
3. Insert the tapestry needle knitwise into the first stitch and pull the yarn tight.
4. Drop the purl stitch and knit stitch from the needle.  

Repeat these steps until all stitches are worked.

The key thing to remember is that every stitch will be worked twice.  When you get to the last knit stitch, remember you worked it when you started so all you have to do is drop it and weave in the yarn tail.  Here is a photograph of the finished cuff.  Looks pretty good...

Here are links to the videos.  The first one shows how to begin.  The second one shows how to end.

Part A and Part B

KNITTING SALON
Salon will be on Sunday from 1:30-3:20.

CURRENT PROJECTS
I finally finished the sweater for Elff.  Finishing took quite some time... the yarn is dark and there were lots of rows.  I had to get out my OTT light!  Elff says she like it and will wear it to shows.  If RedFish Dyeworks is at a show, check it out, particularly the inside.  My stranding is very good, if I say so myself.




I then knit my first yoked sweater.  I'd never done one before.  I redid the first section of increases about four times but I liked the final version.  Here is the front.

I wanted the cables to extend a bit further on the back so the back is different.

The cables extend even further on the sleeves.  You can't really see them in the photograph.  I am going to have to steam the center cables on them before the photo shoot.

Now I am working on a coat.  I'll have photos next week.