Since the bind-off edge should be the same tension as the knitted piece, stitches should be bound off evenly and according to pattern.
While most stitchers understand this rule as well as what to do if you bind off too tightly or loosely; trying to figure out how to keep the last stitch from becoming a shapeless loop can be elusive. Here are a few recommendations from experienced knitters.
Work the last two stitches together; pull the third stitch from the end over it and finish off.
Slip the last stitch; pull the next to the last one over it. Cut the yarn and pull through the slipped stitch and adjust the tension.
Bind off until one stitch remains on the left-hand needle; slip it to the right-hand needle and pick up the loop of the stitch one row below the slipped stitch. Return the slipped stitch to the left-hand needle and work the loop and the last stitch together.
On the row before the bind-off row, work the first stitch, give the yarn a tug and finish the row. The last stitch of the bind-off row will be tightened.
