3-Needle Bind-Off

3 Needle Bind-Off joins two sets of live stitches without seaming. This is really useful for joining sweater shoulders, as it leaves a rm, clean seam. Make sure you have exactly the same number of live stitches on both needles before you begin. You can use the working yarn from either set of live stitches. Your third needle should be the same size as your working needles. I like to use a double pointed needle, as it’s short and doesn’t get in the way. 

Set-up

Hold the two pieces of fabric together with right sides facing each other and needle tips pointing to your right. 

Bind Off

1. Insert third needle knit- wise into stitch on front needle and into stitch on back needle. 

2. Wrap yarn and draw through both stitches. Push both stitches off the needles. 1 stitch on third needle. 

3. Repeat steps 1-2, ending with 2 stitches on third needle. 

4. Insert back needle into second stitch on third needle and draw it over rst stitch, just as in binding off. 1 stitch on third needle. 

Repeat steps 1-4 until only 1 stitch remains on third needle. Cut yarn and draw through this last loop. 

A neat, firm seam shows on the wrong side. 

And a clean, crisp join shows on the right side. 

The three-needle bind-off can be worked with wrong sides touching so that it shows on the right side of a garment. This is an interesting design feature that’s often used for the shoulders of Cowichan sweaters.