How to knit a picot bind-off - Step by step tutorial for beginners (+ 3 variations)

Everything you need to know about creating the perfect picot bind-off edge
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Chapters:
0:00 How to knit a picot bind-off
4:58 Easier technique
5:48 Picot bind-off with no holes
7:20 Why you should block a picot bind off
8:16 aligning the picot with other elements in your pattern
9:17 How much yarn for a picot-bind off

This picot bind-off is a fun way to add a little something extra to your edges. A lot of lace shawls use it but you can use it in many other creative ways as well. In this video, I’ll not only show you the basic picot cast off but also how to knit bigger and smaller picots, and how to improve the basic technique for neater results.

You can add the picot edge to basically every knitted project but be aware that this edge will splay out a bit. So, if you are knitting a very dense stitch like honeycomb cables, or a star stitch, you may want to bind off with smaller needles. And without further modifications, it’s probably not the best idea as a hem or a cuff for fitted garments.

Step 1: To begin, cast off 2 stitches.
Step 2: Then, slip the stitch back to your left needle.
Step 3: And cast on 2 stitches with a knitted cast on.
Step 4: And now, simply cast off 4 stitches.
And that’s already it. Continue repeating steps 2-4 until the end of the row.

Now, I want to show you a couple of tricks.

First of all, nothing speaks against knitting bigger or smaller picots.
To do that, simply cast on more stitches. As a rule of thumb, the number of stitches you cast off should be always twice the number you cast on to get a nice and even result. This is rule is, obviously not set in stone, and can modify it any way you like for a different look and a different gauge.
Now, here’s the thing. I usually change the knitted cast on a bit to make it easier to knit.

So, instead of slipping the stitches on the needle the normal way, I twist it around. See? This has one big advantage. Your needle is in the perfect position to cast on the next stitch, and if you are knitting a lot of picots you will notice that it goes so much faster and smoother. Plus, they really look the same.

Now, the picot bind-off creates a little eyelet here. You can try to keep it as small as possible by keeping a high tension as you knit across but this will only get you so far. To close it, you need to pick up the left leg of the stitch one row below and then knit it together through the back loop before you bind it off.

And here’s perhaps the more important tip for knitting the picot bind off. Your edge will look a bit wonky directly after you cast off. And that’s normal. So, for most projects, it’s quite fundamental that you block your finished knitting and stretch out those picots to get them in shape. And only then will you get those beautiful regular spikes.

And last but not least, I quickly want to address how much yarn you need for a picot bind-off. It’s actually quite the yarn eater. For a standard picot edge with 2 cast-on stitches and 2 stitches in between, you need around 15-16 times as much yarn as your work is wide. The looser your gauge and the bigger your picots, the more yarn you will need. So definitely consider that before you start!

Feel free to comment in case you have any questions on how to do the picot bind-off.

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