Picots are a beautiful embellishment to your knitting and crochet projects. Along with adding to the decorative element it can be very functional to bind off stitches and take them off your knitting needles. Binding off with a picot edge is a lovely way to add a decorative finish to your knitted or crocheted project. The picot edge creates small, decorative loops along the edge of your work.
Before starting the picot bind off, make sure you have enough yarn to complete the bind off and secure the final loop. Our previous guide on how to bind off stitches on knitting will walk you through the steps
Here's how you can do it:
Before getting started you can work with the same pair or set of knitting needles or switch to a larger size. If you are working with a pair of single pointed needles, you can slip the stitches on bigger needle size for a more defined picot. Even if you are working with double pointed needles, you can still work on this design. Circular knitting needles also work the same steps of bind off so you simply go binding off and create those embellished points.
Step-by-step instructions for Picot Bind Off in knitting:
Step 1: Cast on Stitches
Knit (or crochet) the number of stitches needed for the picot loop. The number of stitches will depend on the size of the picot you want. A common number is three stitches. Cast on two stitches and then bind off four stitches for each picot. No matter how many stitches you cast on, you will always bind off twice as many stitches for each of the embellished point.
Making a picot bind off requires to cast on the appropriate number of stitches at the front of the knitting needle with the stitches on it. The use of the cable cast on, which is similar to the knit cast on but creates a cable look is best recommended. If you want to make picots in middle of the projects, you can also work with a knit or crochet provisional cast on.
Step 2: Knitting Two Stitches Together
Knit (or crochet) two stitches together. This decreases one stitch and sets up the picot loop.
Step 3: Knitting the Picot Edge
Using your left-hand needle, lift the first stitch on the right-hand needle (the one farthest from the tip) over the second stitch and off the needle. You have now bound off one stitch.
Repeat steps 1 to 3 for each picot loop you want along the edge of your work.
After binding off the last picot loop, cut the yarn, leaving a tail of several inches. Thread the yarn tail through the last picot loop and pull it tight to secure.
Weave in any remaining yarn tails to finish your project. Thread the yarn tail on the appropriate size finishing needles and then bury in the ends in the fabric.
Remember, the size of the picot loops can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the number of stitches you knit (or crochet) for each loop. You can experiment with different sizes to achieve the look you desire.
Please note that these instructions are specifically for knitting. If you want to do a picot edge in crochet, the concept is similar, but you'll use single crochet or slip stitches instead of knitting stitches. You can crochet a picot with any of the basic crochet stitches. The exact steps may vary depending on the type of crochet project you're working on.
How to add Picots on your Knitting Project with Crochet Hooks
Adding picots to a knitting project using a crochet hook is a fun way to incorporate a decorative edge. This method is often used for finishing edges, especially when you want to add picots to a knitted piece without having to bind off and cast on stitches. Here's how you can do it:
Step 1: Identify the edge of your knitting project where you want to add the picots. This could be the cast-on or bind-off edge, or any other edge you wish to decorate.
Step 2: With your knitting project and the right side facing you, insert the crochet hook into the first stitch of the edge where you want to start adding picots.
Step 3: Chain the desired number of stitches for the picot loop. For example, you can chain 3 or more stitches for a small picot or chain 5 or more stitches for a larger picot.
Step 4: Once you've chained the desired number of stitches, slip stitch into the top of the last chain you made. This creates the picot loop.
Insert the crochet hook into the next stitch along the edge of your knitting project and repeat steps 3 and 4 to create another picot.
Continue this process along the entire edge of your knitting project, creating picots at regular intervals or as specified in your pattern. Once you've added all the desired picots, you can finish off the crochet section by making a final slip stitch into the last stitch or a nearby stitch.
Weave in any remaining yarn tails to secure the crochet picots and complete your project.
After making the slip stitch, you can continue with your pattern as required. For example, you might work single crochet, double crochet, or other stitches in the next stitches or spaces.
Crocheting a Picot in the Middle of a Row:
Step 1: Insert your hook into the desired stitch or space where you want to create the picot.
Step 2: Make three chains.
Step 3: Skip the first two chains from the hook, and in the third chain, make a slip stitch (sl st). This creates the picot loop.
Continue with the rest of your pattern.
Crocheting Multiple Picots:
If you want to create multiple picots in a row or round, simply repeat the process of making three chains and a slip stitch in the same stitch or space as many times as needed.
Remember to adjust the size of the picots by increasing or decreasing the number of chains you make for the picot loop. For smaller picots, you can make two chains instead of three, or for larger picots, you can make more chains.
As always, it's a good idea to practice on a swatch first to get the hang of crocheting picots before incorporating them into your main project.
As with any new technique, it's a good idea to practice on a small swatch before using the picot bind off on your main project to get comfortable with the process. With the Lantern Moon collection explore premium knitting needles and crochet hooks made from precious ebony wood. Handcrafted by skilled artisans each tool and accessory is crafted lovingly by hands for crafters to serve for generations.