Needles to say...: easy bind edge question...

I got an email the other day and thought it would maybe help others out.
Greetings Mary Anne,
I’m not sure how I’ve lived my machine knitting life without knowledge of your blog, but I just found a small book in my inherited collection called
50 Ways to Love Your Knitter and between that and your blog I feel like I’ve gone to MK Nirvana.
Anyway, I didn’t immediately see the way to search your blog for this edging, is there a YouTube video maybe? I am a hand knitter and have been converting patterns for years, so the step 3 is throwing me. Pick up from edge (1/2 outside edge stitch) and put onto every other needle. It’s the 1/2 I don’t get.
These edgings are fab, I’ve been looking for ways to make my garments more interesting. I’m trying to make my Gran a tuck st poncho but I wanted a nice edging and this #26 should look lovely.
Thank you in advance for any clarification you can offer, I’m so excited to delve into your blog.-KVT

Dear K, I don't do YouTube but hopefully I can help. On the selvedge, only pick up the loop/bar/half-knot (whatever you call it), the single piece of yarn, not both sides of the actual stitch. I’ll do a blogpost for you!

from 50 Ways to Love Your Knitter:

26. Easy bind edge: Use on vertical edges, great for uneven fabrics such as tuck & slip; looks good on both sides.
1. With wrong side of fabric facing, pick up edge, without stretching.
2. MT, knit 3 rows.
3. Pick up from edge (1/2 outside edge stitch) and put onto every other needle.
4. Carefully push needles out, putting knitting behind latches.
5. Close latches.
6. Knit 1 row loosest tension, latch tool cast off.
Steam and pat flat.

So, I found a swatch from ‘Neck’s Best Thing’ by MAO (#26 1X1 Rib with Swung English Rib) and tried out this Easy Bind Edge, using pink for the purl side application and blue for the knit side – thought it would show up in the photos with more detail than if it was same colour.

Hang side evenly without stretching

What it should have said:

Easy bind edge: Use on vertical side/selvedge, great for uneven fabrics such as tuck and slip but works for stockinette and others too! Looks good on both sides and finishes sides neatly.
1. Place carriage at left ( so final row for the chain cast-off will be knit from right to left which is the easier way for most). Hold piece up to needle bed without stretching to determine number of needles required. With inside of fabric facing you, pick up edge, whole outside stitch.

pick up top side of selvedge onto EON

2. Bring ns out and close latches (this prevents the carriage jamming up when you try to knit across without closing the latches because the open latch could catch in the selvedge). Carriage at left, Main Tension, knit 3 rows.
3. Pick up from same edge, but only half of the outside edge stitch, and put onto every other needle. Doesn’t matter if it’s the top bar or the bottom, but be consistent. This is a single-prong tool job. There will be 2 loops on EON and only one stitch on the other.

using carriage to knit loosest tension on right;
switch to manually knitting loose row at left

4. Carefully push needles out, putting knitting behind latches.
5. Close latches.
6. Knit 1 row loosest tension (or manually knit row very loosely if you can’t dial up at least 4 full numbers higher), latch tool/chain cast off.
Steam and pat flat.
To Add to open stitches:
Reduce by 10%, e.g. if original number is 70 sts, multiply by .9 = 63. Bring 63 ns to work. Rehang cast-on sts from waste yarn, gathering evenly to reduce. I picked up 2-3 sts from the trim on the selvedge. Knit side or purl side as above. Knit the 3 rows. Pick up sinker loop of original row OR sinker loop of first row of trim, either, again be consistent and do #6 to finish.