Today, you'll find that many knitters recommend Judy's magic cast-on for toe-up socks. You can find the instructions for Judy's magic cast-on here. Doesn't need to be neatened or finished; just cast on and keep knitting!
The long tail cast on serves to cast on stitches onto the needles and it results in a very flexible rim. It works well in projects where you knit in stockinette stitch or rib stitch at the beginning.
Drape the two strands of yarn over your thumb and index finger and then hold it taut with the rest of your fingers. Hold the slip knot in place with your index finger as you hold the knitting needle. This is the same way you hold the two strands of yarn for a long-tail cast-on.
To work this cast on, measure out or eyeball the amount of yarn you'll need for the cast on. As with the long tail cast on, you can wrap the yarn around the needle the same number of times as stitches that you need. For example, if you need 25 stitches, wrap the yarn around the needle 25 times.
If I'm casting on using the German Twisted Cast On method, I add about 4" / 10 cm of yarn extra since that method takes up a bit more yarn per stitch. From this point, I tend to make an educated guess on how much yarn I need to wind off for a long tail cast on.
The wrap cast on is one of the easiest to execute, but it's not the easiest to perform because it is somewhat difficult to keep an even tension when you knit with it. Uses: This method is a good choice for beginners because it is quick and easy. It's also a stretchy cast on, making it good for sweaters and socks.
Best Cast Ons for Ribbing: Alternating Cable Cast On for 1×1 Rib
- Leaving a tail for weaving in, tie a slip knot on needle.
- Insert RH needle into first stitch on LH from front to back; yarn-over knitwise and pull through a loop; place loop on LH needle.
Convert to inches (1” per 2.54cm) and you've got roughly 10” minimum for the tail to cast on. Add a few more inches so that you'll have yarn to hold on to at the end; four to five inches should do it.
The Chinese Waitress Cast-On is a beautiful, reversible, and stretchy short-tail cast-on. It is one of the most popular new cast-ons in the knitting world today because of its novelty, stretchiness, and reversibility.
If you want to knit a hat that's 19 inches around, you will cast on 5 stitches per inch times 19 inches, for a total of 95 stitches.
In knitting, the slip knot counts as the first stitch of the cast on. That means that by tying a slipknot, you've cast on your first stitch! So, how do you make a slip knot?
The cast on doesn't count as a row. But it's easier to count all the rows in the worked fabric, below the needle, and just not count the loops on the needle. And that you don't count your cast on if you're counting rows.
The alternating cable cast on is particularly useful for socks, hats and sweaters.
The stretchiest cast-on methods add in extra yarn to create an elastic–rather than rigid–edge that will grow to accommodate an wider circumference than the knitting. Knowing a few types of stretchy cast-ons gives you more flexibility (literally and metaphorically) in your knitting.
The advantages of the thumb cast on: It creates a stretchy cast on and therefore is suitable for garments that need give e.g. sock and mitt cuffs (a revelation for me as hinted at in the introduction above!) It is simple to do in the middle of your knitting as you continue to work in the same direction.
The long tail cast-on is one of the most common cast-on methods. This is because it's extremely versatile. While it helps create an even edge (something that can sometimes be difficult to create with the single cast-on method), it's also a great cast-on to use on projects in which you may want a fairly elastic edging.
Casting on with your thumb is a fast way of working a long-tail cast-on, perfect for yarn with a firm twist. This method follows the knitted cast-on method, but uses a thumb instead of one needle. It's faster than working with two needles, hence its popularity!
