Casting on

Casting on is how you make the first row of loops on your needle. Every piece of knitting starts here. There are many methods, and this guide teaches the long-tail cast-on in full, because it is neat, stretchy and widely used.

Before you start

You need your needle, your yarn and a few minutes. Keep the needle in your right hand if you are right-handed, and the other way round if you are left-handed. The steps below describe the common right-handed way.

Plan your tail first. The tail is the loose end that you will use to make the stitches. A useful rule is about 2.5 cm (1 inch) per stitch you want to cast on. For 20 stitches, measure about 50 cm and leave a little extra.

Long-tail cast-on, step by step

1. Make a slip knot. Leave your tail at the length you measured. Make a loop, pull a second loop of the working yarn through it, and tighten it on the needle. This is your first stitch.
2. Hold the yarns. The tail goes over your thumb and the working yarn (attached to the ball) over your index finger. Hold the two strands in your palm with your other fingers. Spread the thumb and finger apart to make a V shape.
3. Go under the thumb strand. Bring the needle tip up through the loop that sits on the front of your thumb.
4. Catch the finger strand. Take the needle over and around the strand on your index finger, then draw it back down through the thumb loop.
5. Drop the thumb loop. Let the loop slip off your thumb and gently pull the tail to tighten the new stitch on the needle. Do not pull hard.
6. Repeat. Put your thumb back into the V, and repeat steps 3 to 5 until you have the stitches you need.

The slip knot counts as the first stitch, so count it when you check your total.

Gordon’s tip: Do not pull each stitch tight. Leave a small gap between stitches so the needle can slide in easily. You want the loops snug but not strangled.

Making the edge even

A neat cast-on edge has stitches of the same size. Some habits help:

• Keep the stitches an even distance apart on the needle.
• Use the same tension with every pull of the tail.
• If your edge is tight, cast on over two needles held together and remove one before you knit the first row.
• If you lose count, you can count the little bumps along the bottom edge. Each stitch has one.

You can use a spare strand of yarn or a stitch marker to mark every ten stitches. It makes counting much quicker.

Two alternatives

The long-tail method is not the only way. Here are two others you will meet in patterns.

Knitted cast-on. You make each new stitch by knitting into the one before it, then placing the new loop back on the left needle. You do not need a long tail, so it is a good choice when you are not sure how much yarn to leave. The edge is a little firmer.

Cable cast-on. It is similar to the knitted cast-on, but you put the right needle between the first two stitches, not into the first stitch, and pull the new stitch through from there. The edge is firm and rope-like. It works well for buttonholes and for adding stitches in the middle of a row.

Many patterns name a method. If a pattern only says “cast on”, use the long-tail method or any one you like.

Practice

Cast on 20 stitches with the long-tail method. Count them. Then pull them out and do it again. Your second try will be faster and neater than your first. When you can cast on 20 stitches without thinking, move on to the next guide, which teaches the knit and purl stitches.