Knitting Tips - How Do I Get Rid of "Stair Steps" When I Bind Off Over Several Rows?  

There's a fairly simple way to get rid of the "stair steps". When you bind off each group of stitches, always slip the first stitch of the group. This makes for a much smoother edge. 

However, this still does not always get rid of all the gaps, for example, along a neckline, where you are adding ribbing or an edging. Picking up stitches a whole stitch, or even 1½ stitches in from the edge will help avoid gaps. 

I find that, when working with fairly bulky yarns (worsted weight and up) the gaps are more of a problem than when working with fine yarns. The holes are just smaller with finer yarns. 

Another technique that I use when I feel the stitches picked up along an edge look uneven is to pick up stitches at every available point along the edge. Then I decrease away the extra stitches on the first row or round of the ribbing.

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All text and images copyright © 1998, 2002 Margaret K.K. Radcliffe