Bind-offs for ribbing

In knitting, we almost always bind off after some rounds of ribbing. This is the reason why bind-offs (BOs) that work well with ribbing are essential techniques. Surprisingly, considering their usefulness, it's quite difficult to find good information on this subject. Here is my humble contribution.

First, let us discuss what does it mean "to work well with ribbing". What do we want from such a BO? One, we want it to be as elastic as ribbing, two, we want to it to be attractive. The latter means mainly two things: it should be as discrete as possible and it shouldn't flair. In addition, we would prefer a technique that is not too difficult.

There are many BO techniques available out there, but quite sincerely many are not worth the trouble. Why? Because in general, it's not easy to find one that fulfils all of the above conditions. On the contrary, elastic BOs are generally unattractive. In what follows I'll not bother to mention techniques that in my opinion do not provide as good results as the ones I do mention.

Before I describe concrete BOs, there is some useful general info that is important to take in consideration. BOs can be separated in two classes: sewn and knit-as-you-go (like the standard one). In general, the former are more difficult to learn and work and require a long tail of yarn. The latter are easier and use the working yarn without need to cut it. However, sewn BOs have all the other advantages, namely: they are usually more elastic, do not flair and are either completely invisible or very discrete. So, generally speaking, these are the BOs of choice when you want perfect results and don't mind the extra work. However, be aware that, if you have to bind off many stitches, not only you'll need an extremely long-tail, which can make your work nearly impossible, but, in addition, passing the thread repeatedly through all these stitches will eventual damage it. A solution for this problem is to use several pieces of thread, but then you'll have many ends to weave in (the good news is that it's quite easy to weave in ends through rib stitches).

Below are my BOs of choice depending on the rib pattern being used.

1x1 ribbing

There are two BOs I prefer. When perfection is not required, I simply bind off in pattern. Otherwise, the best BO for 1x1 ribbing is the invisible bind-off. This however has the disadvantage of being a sewn bind-off. If you require extra elasticity in a knit-as-you-go bind-off, I'd recommend either Sheena's Stretchy BO or Jenny's Surprisingly Stretchy BO (JSSBO).

Bind-off in pattern

Like a standard bind-off, but you knit the knits and purl the purls. Pros: the easiest to work, relatively elastic, relatively discrete. Cons: depending on the circumstance, it may not be elastic enough, even when worked loosely, and it's discrete but not invisible.

Invisible bind-off

Also known by many other names, such as tubular, sewn, italian, Kitchener, etc. Pros: this is the perfect bind-off for 1x1 ribbing. I wish there was a similar bind-off for all other ribbings. Cons: the ones common to all sewn bind-offs, see comment above.

Sheena's Stretchy BO

this is BO worked in pattern, but you add a yarn-over every other stitch. Pros: it's more elastic than the standard BO and doesn't flair. Cons: it's not as elastic as JSSBO. Conclusion: good enough for sweaters, for example, but may not be elastic enough for socks.

JSSBO

Pros: super stretchy, perfect for socks. Cons: not very attractive: flairs a bit, looks bumpy. Conclusion: I'd recommend it for socks, because this BO is discrete enough with fine yarn and the flair is invisible while wearing.

2x2 ribbing

All of the BOs described above for 1x1 ribbing have an equivalent BO for 2x2 ribbing. The only additional comment I have is that the invisible BO for 2x2 ribbing is, in my opinion, far from invisible and not very attractive. So, I am not sure I'd recommend it. A possible alternative would be:

Jenny's interlocked BO

Pros: this has the advantage of being easily adapted to any stitch pattern and all of the advantages of sewn BOs, see above. Cons: for 1x1 ribbing, it's not as invisible as the invisible BO, so I didn't recommend it above (here is a video showing this technique for 1x1 ribbing), plus all of the disadvantages of sewn BOs, see above.

Other ribbings

It's quite challenging to find a good BO for other ribbings. As far as I know the invisible BO cannot be adapted. As mentioned above, an alternative is Jenny's interlocked BO, but this has the disadvantages of any sewn bind-off. The only good news is that all the knit-as-you-go techniques described above are easily adapted to any ribbing pattern. The bad news is that they are not invisible or particularly attractive. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the more knit stitches in a row, the more unattractive these BOs become. Depending on how perfect you need your BO to be, this may make the interlocked BO the best option.