The longtail 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.
The only possible downside is that it’s a little tricky to do at first. It involves a bit of hand gymnastics. But if you break down the steps into smaller actions, it’s pretty easy to do. And once you get the hang of it, it’s the only cast on you’ll want to use.
Anne says
January 15, 2015 at 3:40 amHi, Davina:
I have a question about the long tail cast on. When you start knitting (or purling) on “Row 1,” after you’ve cast on using the long tail cast on, is that Row 1 considered the RS (Right Side) or the WS (Wrong Side) of a pattern?
The reason I’m asking is because I’m currently knitting an afghan, and the pattern says that Row 1 is RS, yet all of my odd rows are definitely the WS of the pattern. With a blanket (afghan), it doesn’t really matter; with any other pattern it might, right? How do I ensure that Row 1 is RS using the long tail cast on?
P.S. LOVE your videos! Found them on YouTube first & then discovered your website. You are super helpful!!
Davina says
January 22, 2015 at 12:34 amHey Anne,
Whether Row 1 is your RS or WS really depends on the pattern you’re knitting. Some patterns will tell you that Row 1 is a RS an others will just give you instructions for Row 1 without specifying whether you’re on the right side or wrong side. Uuuusually, your Row 1 is the right side, but the best course of action is to do whatever your pattern says.
I don’t have your afghan pattern in front of me, so I’m not sure if there are some steps between your Row 1 and the place where your odd rows suddenly become WS rows. If you follow the pattern exactly as says, does your afghan turn out ok? If so, then slavishly follow your pattern and ignore the idea that Row 1 must always be a right side (even though it usually is).
When I get stumped by a pattern I usually do one of two things: I either forge ahead and try to follow exactly what the pattern says even if it doesn’t make sense (slavish following) or I try to work out the pattern on a piece of paper and figure out whether my knitting will really turn out as the pattern says or if there’s a mistake. More often than not I go with option one because it’s faster and because I’m just impetuous in that way, and more often than not, the pattern ends up working out.
I don’t know if your aghan pattern is one of those, trust-and-it-will-work-out patterns, but I’d suggest you to knit a couple rows or at least one or two repeat, following the pattern exactly, and see whether the pattern turns out as it’s supposed to.
Hope this helps!
Anne says
February 7, 2015 at 12:44 amHi, again, Davina:
I checked my afghan pattern, and it said that the first row was RS and a knit row. I just watched a bunch of other YouTube videos on long-tail cast on, and what some of the knitters were saying is that with the long-tail cast on, you have a built-in first Knit row already!
So my afghan pattern’s first row is that cast-on row, and I should have just started knitting from the 2nd row of the pattern. That would have kept all of the odd-numbered rows as RS (and the even-numbered rows as WS). I never knew that. It doesn’t really matter with an afghan because there’s no shaping or finishing involved; I can knit it as long (or as short) as I’d like.
I learn something new everyday. Thanks for your answer; I like to forge ahead too (slavish following!), so I laughed with you in your reply. My afghan pattern is definitely a “trust-and-it-will-work-out pattern.”
I really appreciate your time and patience with all of us! :>)