Like so many knitting techniques, there are multiple ways to make a knit hem. The video Knit Hem Tutorial, below, shows one favorite method: picking up and knitting together. In the video, we show you how to make a hem both along a cast-on edge, as well as a bind-off edge.

Click To See Video Transcript

Hi, I’m going to show you how to work a knit hem. First along a cast-on edge, and then second along a bind-off edge. I have a small swatch here. I’ve cast on and then worked about 3 inches of stockinette in a light gray. So I’m ready to make my hem. What I’m going to do is pick up my fabric, fold it in half, orienting it so that the cast-on edge is directly behind my live stitches.

So to make the hem, what you want to do is pick up one stitch for each, one stitch along the cast-on edge for each live stitch. You’re going to work them together and that’s going to graft the stitches and then you have your hem. So to pick up those stitches along the cast-on edge, I use a smaller size needle either a double point or a circular needle.

One tidbit is that be sure to pick up one of these lower, bumps here that look like little U’s rather than these upper bumps that look like arches. Alright, so sometimes this first edge stitch is a little tricky to find, but here we go.

And I have twelve stitches on my needle, so I need to be sure that I’m picking up twelve stitches along the cast-on edge.

Alright, I’ve got my twelve stitches. I’m holding them parallel… My two needles parallel to one another. And now I’m ready to work these stitches together. So I take a third needle, the same size as my other working needle, and I’m just going to knit these stitches together. Just like that. Insert the needle into the front leg of both stitches.

There we go. So you do this all the way across your row or your round or however the pattern indicates. As you become more and more comfortable with this technique, you may find that you won’t even need to pick up the stitches with this smaller needle along the cast-on edge. You can just use the tip of your working needle to pick them up as you go, but just however, knitter’s choice, whatever your preference.

Okay. So, I’ve worked all the way across my row.

Here we go. And we have a hem right here, knit hem. And then if you turn your work, you can see the cast on right here. It’s pretty. And you’re ready to just start working again in stockinette or whatever pattern you choose. And that’s how you make a knit hem along the cast-on edge. Now I’m going to show you how to make a knit hem along a bind off edge.

You can see my swatch here. I have this fun pink yarn threaded under every other stitch of this row. This is a guideline. There’s different ways you can make a guideline. This is how I like to do it. I just take a tapestry needle and a very fine yarn or even a thread. I identify the row of stitches that I want to graft together with my working stitches for the hem.

And then I just draw that tapestry needle under every other stitch. Every other stitch column, just like that, just demonstrate a few. And then when you’re finished making your hem, it’s easy enough to just pull out. Alright, so I have my swatch, I have my guideline, I’m ready to make a hem. I’m going to fold my fabric, very similar to how we did when we were making a hem along a cast-on edge.

This time you have to orient it a little differently just because there’s this extra fabric back here. But just make sure that you have your guideline, your row of stitches directly behind your live stitches. Now we can use the spare needle and pick up along the row beforehand just like we did in the along the cast-on edge.

But another option is to just pick them up as you go using the tip of your left needle and that’s what I’m going to do for this hem. Also for this hem I’m going to bind off as I go. You can either do it as I’m going to do it now, or you can make the hem and bind off on the following row. 

But, okay, so I’ve got all of my work in my left hand. I have my guideline directly behind my live stitches. I’m going to use the tip of this needle to just pick that bump up, and now I’m ready to knit these two together. Let me get this guideline out of the way. There we go. Now I can pick up the next one, knit these two together. And since I’m binding off as I go I’m gonna pick this up and pull it up off that needle.

Pick this guy up, knit those together. Now I’m binding off so I’m gonna bind that stitch off. And you just keep doing these stitches all the way across the row.

Pick one up, knit two together. And the optional step would be to bind this off. Do be careful not to bind off too tightly, that can be a bit of a pitfall with this technique. Alright, we’ve gone all the way across the row, and now you can see this beautiful knit hem! Bye-bye, guideline!

Ready to knit some hems? Our Classic Hemmed Crewneck gives you the chance to work hems along both the cast-on and bind-off edges!

Knit Hem | Purl Soho

Another Method: Start with a Provisional Cast On

  • Post Image
  • Post Image

Here’s another common method for working a knit hem along a cast-on edge. The following photos are taken from our Classic Mittens.

  • Post Image
  • Post Image

Use scrap yarn and a provisional cast-on to begin. Work until the piece is double the length of the hem you’d like.

When you’re ready to make the hem, fold up the cast-on edge to align with the working stitches. The wrong sides of the fabric should be facing each other, and the cast-on edge should almost always go behind the working stitches.

Pull out the provisional cast-on, picking up the live stitches with a spare needle.

  • Post Image
  • Post Image

Holding the working needle and spare needle parallel to each other, knit 1 stitch from the front (working) needle together with 1 stitch from the back (spare) needle.

Repeat to end of round (or row).

Put It to the Test

Put all you’ve learned here to the test with our Over-the-Top Top, which features knit hemmed edges… but with the purl side out!

Knit Hem | Purl Soho

Need more knitting help and inspiration? Explore all our knitting tutorials and beautiful yarns and cast on!

Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!