Stretchy bind-off
Add a yarn over before each stitch, then pull it over along with the previous stitch. That extra loop is the stretch.
Updated August 13, 2026·6 min read
A stretchy bind-off adds slack to the top edge so it can open and recover. The best-known one is Jeny's surprisingly stretchy bind-off: before each stitch you make a yarn over, and when you pass stitches over, the yarn over goes too. The extra yarn stays in the edge.
Use it anywhere the edge has to go over a body part — top-down sock cuffs, neckbands, mitten tops, hat brims worked upward.
Jeny's, step by step
- 1Before a knit stitch, bring the yarn over the needle from back to front (a backward yarn over). Then knit the stitch.
- 2Lift the yarn over up and over the knit stitch you just made, and off the needle.
- 3Knit the next stitch, then pass the previous stitch over it as in a standard bind-off.
- 4Before a purl stitch, bring the yarn over the needle front to back, then purl the stitch and lift the yarn over off over it.
- 5Continue, working each stitch in pattern with its yarn over in front of it, until one stitch remains. Cut and pull the tail through.
Two simpler options
- Standard bind-off on a much larger needle. Two or three sizes up in your right hand. Roughly two-thirds of the stretch of Jeny's, and you already know how to do it.
- Yarn-over bind-off. Knit one, yarn over, knit one, then pass both the first stitch and the yarn over over the last stitch. Fewer moving parts than Jeny's and close in stretch.
For a first pair of socks, the larger-needle version is enough. Move to Jeny's when an edge still feels tight at the ankle.
Picking one
| Edge | Method | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Top-down sock cuff | Jeny's | Has to clear the heel and stay put after |
| Neckband | Jeny's or tubular | Goes over a head, and shows |
| Hat brim knit upward | Larger needle | Stretch needs are modest |
| Sleeve cuff | Larger needle | Same |
| Shawl edge | Larger needle or picot | Blocking does most of the opening |
| Shoulder seam | Three-needle | Wants no stretch at all |
If it goes wrong
- The edge is loose and ruffled.
- Too much stretch for the fabric. Jeny's on top of a larger needle is double-dosing — go back to your working needle size, or switch to the plain larger-needle method.
- The yarn overs show as visible holes.
- They shouldn't be visible at all once passed over correctly. A row of holes means you bound off the yarn overs as stitches instead of lifting them over.
- The edge still feels tight.
- Check the yarn-over direction on purls. Most tight Jeny's edges come from wrapping every yarn over the same way regardless of the stitch that follows.
- You lose track in ribbing.
- Say it out loud for the first ten stitches: over, work, lift, pass. The rhythm sticks after that.