Picot Bind Off
A decorative bind off that creates small picot points along the top edge. It is the most popular dressy bind off for shawl borders, baby blankets, and the necklines of feminine garments.
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Method
Cast on 2 stitches using the cable cast on. Bind off 4 stitches (the 2 newly cast on plus 2 from the body). Slip the remaining stitch back to the left needle. Repeat across the row.
Visual
A row of small triangular points evenly spaced along the bound-off edge. Each picot reads as a tiny scalloped bump and lies flat without curling.
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Spacing
Each picot consumes 2 body stitches. Plan your stitch count in multiples of 2, or interrupt with plain bind-off stitches for wider spacing. For a more pronounced picot, cast on 3 and bind off 5 instead.
Pairing
Pairs naturally with feather-and-fan, old shale, and any traditional Shetland lace pattern. Also a popular finish for baby blankets in DK and worsted.
Abbreviation reference
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| BO | bind off |
| CO | cast on |
Tips
- Adjust picot density by varying how many body stitches you bind off between picots.
- Use a needle one size up for a more pronounced, rounded picot.
- Block firmly to set the picots and prevent rolling.
In depth
The picot bind off is essentially a series of tiny cast-ons-and-bind-offs interleaved along the edge of the work. Each picot is structurally a 2-stitch cast-on and 4-stitch bind-off, which is why the edge is both decorative and extremely stable.