Glossary : Cast-On

Tubular Cast-On

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:44:00 GMT

With contrasting waste yarn, use the backward loop method (see below) to cast on half the number of stitches required, plus one. Cut waste yarn. Continue with working yarn. Row 1: K1, *bring yarn to front to form a yarnover, k1 (Figure 1). Repeat from *. Row 2: K1, *bring yarn to front, slip 1 purlwise, bring yarn to back, k1 (Figure 2). Repeat from *. Row 3: Bring yarn to front, *slip 1 purlwise, bring yarn to back, k1, bring yarn to front. Repeat from * to last stitch, slip last stitch. Work Rows 2 and 3 once more, then work k1, p1 ribbing as desired. Remove waste yarn after a few rows of ribbing.

Fig. 1 Fig. 2

Provisional Cast-On

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:38:00 GMT

See: Invisible Provisional Cast-On

Middle East Wrap Cast-On (a.k.a Turkish Cast-On)

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:37:00 GMT

Snugly wrap the working yarn counterclockwise around two needles. Bring the yarn forward between needles, back to front (Figure 1). Knit across stitches on upper needle (Figure 2). Rotate the work and knit across the same number of stitches on the other needle (Figure 3). On the third row, pick up two stitches along each side (Figure 4).

Long-Tail Cast-On

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:35:00 GMT

See: Continental Cast-On

Knitted Cast-On

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:34:00 GMT

Place slipknot on left needle if there are no established stitches. *With right needle, knit into first stitch (or slipknot) on left needle (Figure 1) and place new stitch onto left needle (Figure 2). Repeat from *, always knitting into last stitch made.

Invisible Provisional Cast-On

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:32:00 GMT

Place a loose slipknot on needle held in your right hand. Hold waste yarn next to skipknot and around left thumb; hold working yarn over left index finger. *Bring needle forward under waste yarn, over working yarn, grab a loop of working yarn (Figure 1), then bring needle to the front, over both yarns, and grab a second loop (Figure 2). Repeat from *. When you're ready to work in the opposite direction, pick out waste yarn to expose live stitches.

Crochet Provisional Cast-On

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:28:00 GMT

Make a crochet chain 4 stitches longer than the number of stitches you need to cast on. Pick up and knit stitches through back loops of the crochet chain. Pull out the crochet chain to expose live stitches when you're ready to knit in the opposite direction.

Continental (Long Tail) Cast-On

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:27:00 GMT

Leaving a long tail (about 1z2" to 1" [1.3 to 2.5 cm] for each stitch to be cast on), make a slipknot and place on right needle. Place thumb and index finger of left hand between yarn ends so that working yarn is around index finger and tail end is around thumb. Secure ends with your other fingers and hold palm upwards, making a V of yarn (Figure 1). Bring needle up through loop on thumb (Figure 2), grab first strand around index finger with needle, and go back down through loop on thumb (Figure 3). Drop loop off thumb and, placing thumb back in V configuration, tighten resulting stitch on needle (Figure 4).

Chain Edge Cast-On

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:26:00 GMT

This method is worked with a crochet hook. It forms a tidy chain along the edge. Place a slipknot on a crochet hook. Hold the needle and yarn in your left hand with the yarn under the needle. *Place hook over needle, wrap yarn around hook, and pull the loop through slip knot (Figure 1). Bring yarn to back under needle, wrap yarn around hook, and pull it through loop on hook (Figure 2). Repeat from * until there is one less than the desired number of stitches. Bring the yarn to the back, and slip remaining loop from hook onto needle.

Channel Island Cast-On

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:26:00 GMT

Make a slipknot with two balls of yarn, leaving long tails (about 1" per stitch). The slipknot counts as one stitch. Cut one of the strands connected to a ball of yarn. Place the single strand over your left index finger and wrap the double strands counterclockwise around your thumb. *Make a yarnover on the needle with the single strand (Figure 1). Insert needle up through both loops on thumb, grab the single strand, and bring it back through the two thumb loops (Figure 2). Drop the thumb loops and tighten all three yarns to form two more stitches. Repeat from *.

Cable Cast-On

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:25:00 GMT

Begin with a slipknot and one knitted cast-on stitch if there are no established stitches. Insert right needle between first two stitches on left needle (Figure 1). Wrap yarn as if to knit. Draw yarn through to complete stitch (Figure 2) and slip this new stitch to left needle as shown (Figure 3).

Cast-On

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:25:00 GMT

Casting on lays the foundation for your knitting project. It is the method by which stitches are formed that you then knit or purl to form your knitted item.

Download this PDF to learn more about how to Cast-On.

See also: Backward Loop Cast-On, Cable Cast-On, Chain Edge Cast-On, Channel Island Cast-On, Continental Cast-On, Crochet Provisional Cast-On, Invisible Provisional Cast-On, Knitted Cast-On, Middle East Wrap Cast-On, Provisional Cast-On, Tubular Cast-On

Backward Loop Cast-On

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:22:00 GMT

*Loop working yarn and place it on needle backward so that it doesn't unwind. Repeat from *.