Three-needle bind-off

The three-needle bind-off joins two live edges and binds them off at the same time. It's the standard finish for sweater shoulders, the top of a folded bag, and the toe of a mitten. Instead of binding off both sides and sewing them, you do the whole join in one row.

The seam it makes is strong and has almost no give, which is the point. Shoulders carry the weight of a sweater and shouldn't stretch.

What you need

Both edges must have the same stitch count and both must be live — still on needles or on waste yarn. You need a third needle, the same size or one larger, to work with.

The steps

1. 1Hold the two needles parallel in your left hand, tips pointing the same way. For an invisible seam, hold right sides together so the ridge lands inside.
2. 2Insert the third needle into the first stitch on the front needle and the first stitch on the back needle, knitwise, as though they were one stitch.
3. 3Wrap and knit both stitches together. One new stitch sits on the right needle.
4. 4Repeat with the next pair, so there are two stitches on the right needle.
5. 5Lift the first stitch over the second and off, exactly as in a standard bind-off.
6. 6Repeat steps 4 and 5 to the end. Cut the yarn and pull it through the last stitch.

When to use something else

• The two edges have different stitch counts. Bind off separately and seam with mattress stitch, easing the difference as you go.
• You want the join to disappear entirely. Kitchener stitch grafts live stitches with no ridge at all. It's slower and easier to get wrong.
• The join needs to stretch. Three-needle has essentially none. A sewn seam with a little slack is better across a side seam.

If it goes wrong

You run out of stitches on one needle first.

The counts didn't match. Unpick back, then either decrease the longer side to match before joining, or bind off and seam instead.

The seam is tight and pulls the shoulder up.

Work the bind-off with a third needle one or two sizes larger. Nothing else changes.

The ridge shows on the outside.

You held wrong sides together. There's no fixing it after the fact short of undoing the row, which unzips easily from the tail end.

Stitches split as you knit two together.

Enter both stitches in one motion with the needle tip flat, not stabbing. A slightly blunter tip helps on plied wool.