Cast On

The long tail cast on is a great all-purpose cast on. It's stretchy and has a neat knitted edge. Because it's generally good for all knitting projects, use the long tail cast on as your default cast on. It won't fail you. But it can be a bit tricky to do at first. So, follow the video tutorial and take it slow: clamp down, make a diamond, touch your thumb. (These terms only make sense after ... keep reading >>

In this post, I’ll show you the long tail cast on. This is the thumb method for the long tail, which is great for beginners. The long tail cast on is the best all-purpose cast on: it’s stretchy, but not too stretchy; it’s firm yet flexible; it lays flat and looks pretty. What’s not to love? When in doubt, use the longtail cast on! So, you’ve got needles and a ball of yarn. Cool! Now you want ... keep reading >>

The German twisted cast on is perfect for the brims of hats, tops of socks and cuffs of mittens. It's a flexible stretchy cast on that's very similar to the longtail cast on.   An extra twist in this cast on is what gives the edge more strength and durability. Eagle-eyed knitters will notice that the German twisted cast on looks a bit different than the longtail cast on. It has a ... keep reading >>

The alternating cable cast on is a beautiful invisible cast on that looks great with ribbing. The edges of the cast on elegantly merge right into the knits and purls, giving the illusion of no cast on at all. The alternating cable cast on is also quite stretchy, making it nicely suited for ribbing. In fact, I sometimes refer to it as my “ribbing cast on”! While this cast on is more ... keep reading >>