How to Bind Off Pleats

I learned how to bind off pleats in my design of a pleated cap sleeve. It’s an easy way to bind off in a way that a creates body and fabulous pleats!

I tried this bind off using less stitches – but I found this was the minimum number of stitches in order to have an impact in dk weight yarn anyway. Feel free to try it with different numbers of stitches and yarns!

How to Bind Off Pleats:

Bind off 1 stitch.

**Slip 4 stitches purlwise to a cable needle. These are the front stitches.

Slip the next 5 stitches purlwise from your left needle to another cable needle.

These are your middle stitches.

Turn your middle stitch cable needle clockwise, so the middle stitches face the front stitches.

Slip 1 stitch purlwise from the middle cable needle to the right needle,

knit the first stitch from the left needle

and pass the 2 stitches on the right needle over it 1 at a time.

*Slip 1 stitch purlwise from the front cable needle

and 1 stitch from the middle cable needle to the right needle.

Knit the first stitch from the left needle

and pass the 3 stitches over it 1 at a time.

Repeat from * 3 times until 1 stitch remains on the right needle.

Repeat from ** for every pleat you would like to add to your bind off. In my sleeve cap example, here’s what it looks like flat with 3 pleats:

And here’s what it looks like once it’s sewn together with the body of the sweater:

Once you master this bind off, you’ll be adding pleats all over the place!

Pin for later!