Binding Off

Because ruffle yarns are looser than standard yarns, a typical bind-off will appear very tight. While this is fine (even desirable) for The Scarf, it's less useful if you are using ruffle yarn for the fancy edge of a garment.

The method that seems to work for Sashay is:
(k1, slip the knit stitch back to the left needle),repeat, k2 tog, (slip the knit stitch back to the left needle, ((k1, slip the knit stitch back to the left needle), repeat, k2tog)), repeat until only one stitch remains.

This is basically knitting each stitch twice before knitting it together with the next stitch. As you can see from the photo, this leaves a pretty straight edge, though there's still a bit of tightness to it.

A variation of the more standard bind-off (k1, (sl1, pass knit stitch over sl st, knit slipped stitch), repeat) had me knitting the same Sashay stitch three times before binding off


A larger mesh, such as Starbella, may require knitting each stitch three or four times before binding it off by knitting it with (or slipping it over) the following stitch.

Design Note:

The curvature of the traditional bind-off (knit each stitch once before slipping it over the next stitch) can also be used to create a collar (see this section of Premier Yarns' Cascading Ruffles scarf) that lays flat on the neck and shoulders, an armhole trim, or other curved trimming.

Basic Stitches: Double Crochet

Double Crochet

Double crochet is, in my opinion, the quickest and most effective fabric, or filling, stitch in crochet. It works up more rapidly than single crochet, without the long bars and open spaces of treble crochet, double treble, or bullion stitch.

In ruffle yarns, the longer stitch of double crochet presents a deeper ruffle than single crochet. On the flip side, the longer stitch means a longer length of unruffled "back side" between rows on The Scarf, while reducing the "z-direction" — the thickness of the scarf. It makes for a thinner, more flexible scarf, and in a ribbon yarn, can bring to mind the curls of natural fleece or the evenly-spaced curves of an Elizabethan ruff.

Insert hook through next open loop of yarn.
	Insert hook through next open chain or stitch; wrap next open loop of yarn around hook. Use hook to draw the last thread through the chain or stitch.
Wrap next open loop of yarn around hook. Draw thread through the loop and yarn-over on the hook.
Yarn over once again, and draw through both loops on hook.
Row of Double Crochet (Flamenco by Trendsetter)	Row of Double Crochet (Twist & Twirl by Bernat)
After a few rows of stitches:
Flamenco (Trendsetter) Twist & Twirl (Bernat)	Top to bottom: Flaunt (Loops & Threads) Sashay (Red Heart Boutique) Starbella (Premier Yarns)

Basic Stitches: Single Crochet

Single Crochet

Single crochet creates a dense, thick, shallow ruffle.

Flamenco by Trendsetter Yarns	Insert your hook through the chain top of the previous row or round, or the top of your foundation chain.
Slip the next free loop of the yarn's working edge over the hook.
Draw the thread through the previous-row loop.
	Slip the next free loop of the yarn's working edge over the hook.
Draw the thread through both loops on the hook.

After the first row:
After several rows:
The other side of the work:

Examples

Top to bottom: examples of single crochet in Flaunt (Loops & Threads), Sashay (Red Heart Boutique), and Starbella (Premier Yarns). Note the short yarn height, shallow ruffles, and dense texture.

Starting Work: Crocheting in the Round

In traditional crochet, we start with a central ring, whether it's made of plastic or bone, padding threads, chain stitches, or a single chain stitch.

It's not so different in ruffle yarn crochet, except that the ring comes from the threads and spaces of the yarn's width.

The Foundation Ring

Starbella Note how the hook comes under the embellished edge.

Accordion-fold the raw edge, matching all spaces from the working edge to the free edge. Insert hook through the open edge space from working edge to free edge, with the hook coming under the free edge and the ball coming to the left of the hook (if you are right-handed).

This is equivalent to the usual foundation ring or the chain stitch that supports all the stitches of the first crocheted round. Work all of the gathered threads as a single initial padded ring, except as noted.

The First Round

Single crochet: Slip the hook through the next free loop of the working edge, and bring the thread through the foundation ring.

Hook is inserted through the first free loop of the working edge

Slip the next free loop of the working edge around the hook from the back of the work. Draw through both loops on the hook to complete the stitch, just as in traditional crochet.

Yarn drawn through foundation ring

Continue to crochet around the ring, working in the raw edge of the yarn.

Another view of the foundation ring

Drop threads from the ring
as they start to get in the way

At some point, about a third to half-way around the ring, the threads will want to separate and it will become difficult to keep all of the threads in the ring (or, it will seem as if you would be adding more threads into the ring). Drop the threads that want to separate (or draw in more bulk) as you continue to crochet around.

As you come back to the beginning of your work, pick back
up the threads just before your first stitch to complete the circular round.

Ready to join: this Starbella first round
has 14 single crochet stitches

Note that this first round will have more than the six stitches to which you may  be accustomed. (I average eight to ten double-crochets for Sashay, about the same number of single crochets for Flaunt.)

Starting Work: Crochet

The Foundation Chain

After preparing the yarn, unroll a foot or two so that the working edge is at the top, and the free edge is at the bottom.

Large Net and Ribbon Yarn

Fold over the raw edge between the second and third loops so that the second and first loops exactly overlay the third and fourth loops.

Starbella Flash	Ribbon Yarn (Loops & Threads Flaunt)

Considering only the working edge, the first double-loop from the folded edge is your initial slip knot. Insert the hook into the second double-loop and pull through the first for your first chain. Place a stitch marker through the first chain stitch.

Stitch marker through first chain stitch (lower right)

Continue to chain by inserting the hook through the next open loop of yarn and pulling the thread through the chain loop on the hook.

Small Net Mesh Yarn

Fold over the raw edge 1"-2" (2-5 cm) on a narrow yarn, or 3" (8 cm) on a wider yarn, matching loops on the working edge.

Insert the hook into the working edge about 1/2" (1 cm) from the folded edge.

Considering only the working edge, insert the hook about 1" (2.5 cm) from the loop already on the hook; pull through the loop on your hook for your first chain. Place a stitch marker through the first chain stitch.

Second chain. Notice stitch marker under thumb

Chaining

If you start your work with a chain, continue chaining in this manner until you have as many stitches as your pattern requires. Place a stitch marker through the last chain before starting your first row.

The First Row

The top chain of Flaunt is highlighted in yellow

The top chain of Twist & Twirl is highlighted in green

Looking  at the top of the chain you just completed, you should see what looks like a traditional chain stitch, formed by the working edge. This is the part of the work into which you will insert your hook for the first row of stitches.

Continue to use the next open loop on ribbon and large mesh yarns (or the loop about 1" from the previous yarn-over on small mesh yarns) for yarn-overs, while in all other ways forming your stitches as usual.

Notes

Remember to move up your stitch markers at the beginning and end of each row, or at the beginning of each round.

If for any reason you need to stop your work, remove your hook from the active loop and insert a locking stitch marker in its place.

Starting Work: Knitting

Casting On

After preparing the yarn, unroll a foot or two so that the working edge is at the top, and the free edge is at the bottom.

Raw edge, Starbella Flash (Premier Yarns)

Fold over the raw edge between the second and third loops so that the second and first loops exactly overlay the third and fourth loops.

Raw edge has been folded over, matching loops

Sashay (Red Heart Boutique)

Slip the first double loop of the working edge over the left knitting needle (if you knit right-handed) from back to front if you work English or Continental, or from back to front if you work Eastern.

Casting on the first stitch

Slip the second double-loop over the needle (this should bring the raw edge closer to the middle of the work.

The second stitch

Slip the first single loop (the third loop from the folded edge) over the needle. Continue until you have slipped as many loops over the needle as the number of stitches you need to cast on.

A short row of cast-on stitches

The First Row

Note how Flaunt is kept tensioned and untwisted to start the row.

Hold the yarn spread-out and flat, draped from front to back over your index finger, using your thumb and second or third fingers to tension the yarn and stretch the spaces made by threads 1 and 2 (or on a ribbon yarn such as Red Heart Boutique Ribbons, between the working-edge thread and the ribbon).

Sashay tensioned for knitting

Insert the right needle through the first stitch as usual. Use the right needle to pick up thread 1 (the working edge) of the ball yarn from the nearest unworked loop. Complete the stitch as usual.

Starbella Flash tensioned for knitting

Repeat to the end of the row, treating the loops of the folded-over edge together with the loops of yarn with which they were matched for the initial cast-on.

Finishing the first row: work in the folded-over edge

Turn the work so that the stitches are on the left needle (if you knit right-handed, or the right needle if you knit left-handed), being careful not to twist the yarn.

The Second Row

Knit (or purl) as usual.

Flaunt after three rows.
Note how the ribbon nests over each previous row.

Sashay has been kept untwisted through multiple rows

A tip about knitting needles: If you expect to have to put your work down for any reason, you will need to make sure that your stitches don't fall off either the back or the tip of the needle, as well as making sure that threads other than the working thread don't loop over either end of the needle and confuse your stitch count. One way to do this is to make a set of four hardboard or foam core disks, about 1.25" (3 cm) in diameter, with center holes just large enough to fit your needles through. Thread one disk to the back of each needle before casting on; put one at the end of work on each needle before putting it down. Another method is to knit on round needles, and bind the two needle ends together.

A hardboard disk keeps stitches from slipping off the back end