English abbreviation · Knitting
What does bo mean in knitting?
bo means bind off.
In French: rabattre les mailles
How to work it
bo means bind off: closing the stitches at the end of the work so that they don’t unravel. British patterns say cast off, with the same meaning.
Knit two stitches. With the left needle, lift the first one over the second and off the needle: one stitch is bound off. Knit one more stitch and repeat, until one stitch remains. Cut the yarn and pull it through that last stitch.
In crochet, the same letters don’t mean this: some crochet patterns use “bo” for a bobble. The craft of the pattern tells you which.
In a pattern
Row 30: BO all sts loosely, leaving a long tail.
“Row 30: BO all sts loosely, leaving a long tail.” means bind off every stitch on row 30 without pulling the yarn tight, and keep a long tail to sew the pieces together afterwards. “loosely” matters: a tight bind-off narrows the top of the piece.
US or UK?
American patterns write bind off (BO), British ones cast off. French patterns say “rabattre les mailles”. The gesture is the same.
Common mistakes
- Binding off too tightly, especially on a ribbed collar or cuff. Use a needle one or two sizes up for the bind-off row.
- Binding off a rib all in knit. Unless the pattern says otherwise, bind off in pattern: knit the knit stitches, purl the purl stitches.
A tip
Leave a tail of at least 20 cm when the pattern asks for a long one: it is used for the seam, and a short tail cannot be lengthened.
Frequently asked questions
Is bind off the same as cast off?
Yes: bind off is the American term, cast off the British one.
Can bo mean bobble?
In some crochet patterns, yes. In a knitting pattern, BO is the bind-off.
Try it with a row from your pattern
Here is a row that uses it. Replace it with a row from your pattern: every abbreviation the reader knows is underlined, and its meaning shows on hover.
Row 30: BO all sts loosely, leaving a long tail.