[cast off] vt (1602) 1: loose "cast off a hunting dog"
2: unfasten "cast off a boat"
3: to remove (a stitch) from a knitting needle in such a way as to prevent unraveling ~ vi 1: to unfasten or untie a boat or a line
2: to turn one's partner in a square dance and pass around the outside of the set and back
3: to finish a knitted fabric by casting off all stitches