Named after the developer, Jeny Staiman, the full name of this bind off should be Jeny’s Surprisingly Simple Super-Stretchy Bind Off. But that’s a mouthful. It is a wonderful bind off for anything that needs a stretchy edge – like socks, hats, cowls, necklines, hems, etc.
It is very similar to the classic bind off with the addition of a yarn over between each stitch. There is a slight difference in the knit and purl techniques.
This bind off can ruffle if
done loosely. To prevent ruffling, go down one needle size to do the bind off.
JSSBO Knit Bind Off
Step 1: Yarn over (yo) in reverse, k1, insert left needle into the yo and pass it over the stitch that was just knit. (You are essentially binding off the yo. Some people omit this step, but doing it makes the first stitch match all of the rest of the stitches.)
Step 2: Yo in reverse, k1.
You now have 3 stitches on your right needle.
Step 3: Bind off: Insert your left needle into the yo and the first stitch and pass them off the right needle over the last stitch you knit. (This is similar to a standard bind off, but you are binding off the yo with the stitch.)
You now have 1 stitch on your right needle.
Repeat steps 2 & 3 until one
stitch remains. Cut the working yarn and pull it through the last stitch.
JSSBO Purl Bind Off
Binding off purlwise is very similar to binding off knitwise, except you purl the stitch AND do the yarn over in the normal direction.
Step 1: Yo, p1, insert left needle into the yo and pass it over the stitch that was just purled. (You are essentially binding off the yo. Some people omit this step, but doing it makes the first stitch match all of the rest of the stitches.)
Step 2: Yo, p1.
You now have 3 stitches on your right needle.
Step 3: Bind off: Insert your left needle into the yo and the first stitch and pass them off the right needle over the last stitch you purled. (This is similar to a standard bind off, but you are binding off the yo with the stitch.)
You now have 1 stitch on your right needle.
Repeat steps 2 & 3 until one
stitch remains. Cut the working yarn and pull it through the last stitch.
Binding Off Knits & Purls…
For a pattern that has both knit and purl stitches, such as ribbing, simply follow the knit bind off instructions for the knit stitches and the purl bind off instructions for the purl stitches.
Video Tutorial for Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy BindOff
This JSSBO video by Cat Bordhi also shows you how to finish off the last stitch when knitting in the round so that the bind off is seamless.
More Resources
For a video of a matching cast on, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n8E3I6Cg2k.
To learn how to do another stretchy bind off called the Invisible Rib Bind Off (also called the Tubular Bind Off or Italian Bind Off), visit https://knitalongclub.com/ribbed-bind-offs/.
About Jeny
Jeny Staiman is a mom, a usability engineer, and a self-diagnosed knitting geek. You can find her on Ravelry as curiousjeny.