Casting On

This cast on creates a solid edge. It is quite similar to the Knitted Cast On. The difference is in where you insert your needle and draw the loop through. In the Knitted Cast On, you are drawing it from the previous stitch. Here, we draw it from between the two previous stitches.

Make a slip knot and slide it onto one needle. Create a second stitch by using the Knitted Cast On method.

Insert the tip of your right needle betweenthe two stitches in your left needle.

Wrap the yarn around and draw a loop through.

Insert your left needle tip into this loop from right to left and remove your right needle from the stitch.

Repeat these steps to create the appropriate number of cast on stitches, lightly tightening the stitches as you go along.

This cast on requires three lengths of yarn and leaves behind a picot edging. This is creating by alternately pulling up loops through the doubled yarn and completing yarn overs with the single strand.

Grasp the three yarn tails and the needle in your right hand.

Using your left hand, split the yarn so that one strand passes over your index finger and the other two strand pass over your thumb. This is quite similar to the positioning for the Long Tail Cast On.

*Wrap the two strands of yarn around your thumb twice in a counter-clockwise motion.

Insert the needle under the strands that are wrapped around your thumb.

Pass the needle over the top of the single strand of yarn from your index finger and draw a loop through all of the strands on your thumb.

Tug on the three strands of yarn with your left hand to snug them up.

Pass the needle over the top of the index finger strand from front to back to create a yarn over.

Repeat from * until you have the desired number of stitches cast on. After a few rows of knitting, you will see the decorative edge that the cast on has created.

This cast on may appear tricky, but it has a really unique and clever aspect to it. The yarn tail is used as something of a drawstring, gathering the cast on stitches into a circle so you don’t have to worry about joining them to work in the round.

First, position the yarn in your left hand as shown in the picture. The working yarn should be pinched between your first and middle finger. The yarn tail will wrap around your ring and pinky fingers with the yarn tail being held by your right hand.

*Using your right hand, insert the point of your needle (you can use double points or a circular) under the yarn across your ring and pinky fingers.

Pass the needle over the working yarn and draw a loop out from under the yarn you first slid your needle under.

Now pass the needle over the working yarn and draw a loop up as in a yarn over.

Repeat from * until you have cast on the required number of stitches. Note: If you need an even number of stitches, you will need to cast on the final stitch as a standard yarn over when you begin your first round of knitting.

Arrange the stitches on your double point needles, on either side of a long circular for Magic Loop, or on 2 circulars to begin knitting in the round.

Tug on the yarn tail to draw the stitches into a tighter circle. Begin knitting!

This method allows you to remove the original cast on row in order to pick up and use the live stitches at a later time. Particularly handy for adding a decorative border, or for increasing the length of a sweater that is knit from the bottom up. You will need a crochet hook and a length of yarn in a contrasting color for this technique.

Begin by placing a slip knot on the crochet hook in the contrasting yarn.

Wrap the yarn around the back of the crochet hook and across the front.

Use the hook to draw a loop through the original slip knot. You have now made one chain. (Holding onto the yarn tail with your right hand can make this easier to do.)

Continue to repeat this motion until you have made as many chains as you need in your cast on row. You may want to make a few extra, just in case. When you are done making your chains, cut your yarn and draw it loosely through the loop that was on your crochet hook.

If you hold the chain in your hands, you will see a ridge of bumps running along one side. These bumps are what you will use to pick up your first row of knit stitches.

Insert your knitting needle tip into the first bump.

Wrap your yarn around the needle and pull up a loop to pick up one stitch.

Continue to insert your tip into the bumps along the crochet chain and pick up stitches until you have picked up the number of stitches you need in your cast on row.

When you are ready (or when your pattern indicates you should) you can return to the cast on edge and remove your crochet chain. In an earlier step we threaded the end of the contrasting yarn through the last crochet loop. Undo this step to prepare for the chain removal.

Gently pull the contrasting yarn to remove the crocheted chain. This will reveal a set of live knit stitches. Insert your needle into these stitches and you are ready to begin knitting downward.

The knitted cast on is easy to do, especially if you already know how to make a knit stitch. This is a good all-purpose cast on and creates a stretchy edge to your work.

Start with a slip knot on the needle in your left hand. Use your fingers to hold the yarn tail out of the way.

Insert the right needle into the slip knot and work a knit stitch, but do NOT slip it off of the left needle.

Tilt the right needle to the right and insert the left needle into the loop you’ve pulled up. You are now in position to complete another knit stitch. Repeat the instructions, as you did when you worked the slip knot above. Tip: If you are having a hard time working your left needle tip into the loop on the right needle, try pulling up a larger loop when you work the knit stitch.

This cast on is fast and neat once you get the hand of it. You may also see it referred to as the slingshot cast on.

Before you make your slip knot you will need to leave a “long tail” that will accommodate the stitches you are making. The tail must be roughly three times the width of your finished pieces of knitting. For instance, if you want your knitting to be 10 inches wide, leave a tail of 30 inches plus 6 for weaving in = 36″ total.

Make your slip knot, leaving the appropriate length of yarn for the tail. Place the slip knot on one of your needles and snug it up by tugging lightly on the yarn tails. Hold the needle in your right hand with the needle tip pointing to the left.

The bulk of the work is done with the right needle. Grasp the two yarn ends below the slip knot in your left hand. Push your left hand thumb and forfinger through the two strands (the long tail should be lying over your thumb, the working yarn over your forefinger).

Spread the fingers apart and lower the needle so that the yarn makes a V between the thumb and forefinger. You can use the forefinger of your right hand to hold the slip knot on the needle.

Pass the needle under the yarn around the thumb (1), over the top of the yarn around the forefinger (2), and back through the yarn around the thumb (3).

Draw the thumb out from the yarn loop and tug lightly on the yarn tails to tighten up your stitch.

Repeat these steps until you have cast on the required number of stitches.

This is perhaps the easiest cast on to learn and master. It creates a very loose and thin edging to the knitted fabric and is a good all-purpose cast on. It is also known as the backward loop cast on, the e-wrap cast on, or single cast on.

Start with a slip knot on your needle. Hold your needle in your right hand and use your fingers to keep the yarn tail out of the way. Grasp the working yarn in your left hand.

Pass the working yarn around your thumb from back to front.

Slip the needle tip under the loop around your thumb.

Pull your thumb out of the loop and tug on the working yarn to tighten up the stitch.

This cast on, much like the crocheted provisional cast on, leaves some waste yarn in the first row that can be removed to reveal live working stitches.

Begin by securing the waste yarn by tying it’s tail around the working yarn tail. Then get your hands in position for the cast on by placing the knot on your needle (held by your right hand index finger), and the yarn in your left hand. Working yarn at the back around your index finger, waste yarn towards the front around your thumb. This hold is very similar to the Long Tail Cast On.

*Bring the needle over the top of the waste yarn, then around it from front to back.

Pass the tip over the top of the working yarn from front to back and draw a loop of working yarn forward under the strand of waste yarn.

Pass the tip over the top of the working yarn from front to back and draw a loop of working yarn up.

Repeat from * until required number of stitches is on the needle.

Begin knitting. When you are ready to pick up the live stitches at the cast on, slide the working yarn tail out of the knot you tied around it with the waste yarn. Pull the waste yarn out straight to the side, parallel to the knitting. Slide needle into the live stitches. If you are worried about losing some stitches, you can pick them up one at a time as you slowly pull out the waste yarn.

This cast on leaves a nice, stretchy edge. It is specific to k1, p1 ribbing.

Begin with a length of waste yarn. Cast on half of the total number of stitches you need. (If you need an odd number of stitches, cast on half + 1 stitch.) Cut the waste yarn, leaving a 6 inch tail.

Change to the working yarn and complete the first row as follows: *Knit 1, yarn over. Repeat from * to last stitch. Knit 1.

Complete the second row as follows: *yarn forward, slip one stitch purlwise, yarn back, knit 1. Repeat from * and slip the final stitch.

Complete the third row as follows: *Knit 1, yarn forward, slip one stitch purlwise, yarn back. Repeat from * and knit the final stitch.

Repeat the second and third rows.

Change to K1, P1 ribbing. On your first row you will begin with a purl stitch. Once you have worked several more rows of ribbing, you can carefully snip the waste yarn and extract it from the cast on edge.

You will be left with a stretchy edge that is well suited to your ribbing.