How to Bind Off (Crocheting)

Co-authored by Suzi Quillen

Last Updated: January 16, 2024

When you come to the end of a crochet project you need to tie it off properly or all of your hard work could come undone. The term "bind off" is used to describe how you tie off your crocheting properly, making a seamless transition at the end of your project. When your crochet pattern asks you to "bind off", here is what you should do.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Binding Off Straight Crochet Rows

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You should end up with one loop on your hook and the working end of your yarn sticking out across the last stitch.
Make one additional chain stitch . Begin this by looping the working end of your yarn around your hook. Rotate your hook slightly, so the yarn stays on it, and then pull the loop of yarn back through the loop that was already on your hook. You should now have one new loop on your hook.

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You can do this by pulling the extra yarn from the working end of your project.
Pull out the loose end of the yarn (your working end), leaving one piece of yarn sticking out of the end of your project. This piece should be at least a couple inches long.
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Research source} This should tie the end of the project off permanently and effectively, creating a solid knot.
If you are having a hard time doing this, simply bend the middle of the yarn in half and squeeze it tight. Push the bent area through the eye of the needle.
Using the needle, pull the yarn back through the middle of the last three stitches you made. Pull the end of the yarn out, so that the needle and yarn are sticking out in the middle of the row, and then stick the needle back into the project. Head back in the other direction with your needle and yarn, inserting the needle one row down and pushing it through the middle of about three stitches. This should lock your yarn tail in place.
The yarn should stay in place, hidden in the middle of several rows of your stitches.
Make sure that the end of the yarn is still tucked away neatly and that the tension on the row is that same as the rest of your project. Your project is now finished!

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Binding Off Crocheting in the Round

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This will leave you with a gap between the beginning of the round of stitches and the end of that round.
You should make your loop about eight inches long.
Pull the working end out of the project, leaving one piece of yarn sticking out of the end of your round. You will end up with four or five inches of tail, which is necessary for you to be able to finish the project.
If you are having a hard time getting the yarn threaded, bend your piece of yarn over and squeeze the bent area as thin as possible with your thumb and forefinger. Push this thin bent area through the head of the needle. It should go through easier than a raggedy end piece.
In essence, you are connecting the end of your last round to the beginning of your last round by replicating that same type of stitch. ^{[2]
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Take your needle and pull it back toward the end of your round, inserting it into the middle of your last bound off stitch, the one at the very end of your last row. Point the end of the needle toward the inside of your project and pull the thread through. This should lock the end of your yarn in place for good.
- Try to match the tension that you used in the rest of the project, so that the last stitch you just made does not stand out. ^{[3]
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Make sure that the end is secure before you clip off any extra tail with your scissors. You should now have an invisible bind off on your circular crochet project!