How to Work a Sloped Bind-Off in Knitting

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Many knitters have trouble making a smooth shoulder seam. The problem usually isn’t the seam, but the bound off edges that are being sewn together.

Above: Both sides of this swatch are shaped with the Sloped Bind-off.

Our shoulders slope from the neck toward the arm, and sweaters fit better if they match that slope. We shape the shoulders on the front and back by binding off in steps. But the stair-step bind-off is nearly impossible to seam neatly. We can solve that problem by working a Sloped Bind-off instead. Let’s take a closer look.

What’s A Stepped Bind-Off?

The directions for shoulder shaping on the back of a sweater often read something like this:

• Bind off 5 stitches at beginning of next 4 rows.
• Bind off remaining sts.

This produces shaping like the photo below:

The back neck edge is 4 rows taller than the lowest point of the shoulder, and each of those steps is 2 rows tall.

Smoothing out the Steps

Here’s the result when you work those same instructions using the Sloped Bind-off method:

Note that I’ve worked these swatches in stockinette stitch for the sake of clarity, but you can use the Sloped Bind-off for just about any stitch pattern. Simply substitute your stitch pattern where these instructions say knit and purl. If you want to knit along and practice the technique (highly recommended!), cast on 40 stitches and work in your chosen stitch pattern until your piece is a couple of inches long.

How to Work a Sloped Bind-Off

1. Begin by binding off 5 stitches in the normal way at the beginning of the right-side row (Photo 1). Knit across to the end of the row.
2. Bind off 5 stitches in the normal way at the beginning of the wrong-side row (Photo 2).
3. Purl across to the end of the row but stop when one stitch remains on your left needle (Photo 3).
4. Turn the work so the right side is facing you. That unworked stitch is now on your right needle (Photo 4).

5. Slip the next stitch from the left needle to the right needle (Photo 5). By slipping this stitch instead of knitting it, you’re creating a little half-step here.
6. Use the point of your left needle to pass the first stitch on the right needle (that unworked stitch) over the second stitch (the slipped stitch) and off the end of the needle (Photo 6).
7. That’s one stitch bound off (Photo 7).
8. Knit the next stitch (Photo 8).

9. Pass the first stitch on the right needle (the slipped stitch) over the second stitch (the stitch you just knit) and off the end of the needle (Photo 9). That’s the second stitch bound off.
10. Bind off 3 more stitches in the usual way (Photo 10).
11. Knit to the end of the row, stopping when one stitch remains on the left needle (Photo 11).
12. Turn the work so the wrong side is facing you (Photo 12). That unworked stitch is now on the right needle.

13. Slip the next stitch from the left needle to the right needle (Photo 13).
14. Pass the first stitch on the right needle over the second stitch and off the end of the needle (Photo 14). That’s one stitch bound off.
15. Purl the next stitch (Photo 15).
16. Pass the first stitch on the right needle over the second stitch and off the end of the needle (Photo 16). That’s the second stitch bound off.

Now bind off 3 more stitches and purl across until one stitch remains on the left needle. Start your final bind-off row (the “Bind off remaining stitches” part) with the Sloped Bind-off technique. As you reach the end of this row, smooth out that final corner by binding off the last two stitches together.

The Sloped Bind-off can be used anywhere you’d bind off in steps; it’s a good choice for shaping shoulders, armholes and necklines. As you can see, it produces a smooth edge that can easily be seamed with mattress stitch. Give it a try it on your next sweater project!

Is there a technique you’d like to see step-by-step?

Let me know at knitting[@]goldenpeakmedia.com or crochet[@]goldenpeakmedia.com and put Ask The Expert in the subject line. You just might see the answer in an upcoming newsletter!

Sandi Rosner
Technical Content Editor, Yarn

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Put the Sloped Bind-off to use on these beautiful sweater projects: