How To: Cast On Knit Stitches. The easy way!

02/08/2012

 
I have been wanting to put up some tutorials for a while on some of the basics of knitting techniques.  So, I thought I would start at the beginning of any project and go over how to cast on with knitting.  I do plenty of both knit at crochet projects, but I definitely have a great passion for knitting.  It's definitely something I have been hoping I could share.

I started with how to create a slip knot.  This particular kind doesn't create a hard knot - if both ends are pulled simultaneously, the knot will come apart.
Step 1: Holding the end of the yarn in one hand, use your free hand to create a loop.
Step 2: Pass the long side of the yarn through the loop, creating a secondary loop.
Step 3: Pull the new loop so the first loop is tightened into the knot.
For the rest of the tutorial, and a short video, continue after the jump!
The rest of the steps involve actually casting onto the needle.  This is the part where it starts to get a little more interesting, and this is where so many different techniques differ.  I learned this cast on technique in high school - probably ten years after I initially started knitting.  It's so easy, I can just barely remember the other ways that I know.
Step 1: Put one knitting needle through the slipknot and pull the slipknot snug (but not too tight) on the needle.
Step 2: With the long end, make a loop so the end connected to the needle is toward the back.
Step 3: Slip the loop over the needle so the excess is on the bottom.
Step 4: Pull the new stitch snug onto the needle keeping the end toward the bottom with the loose end of the slipknot.
Step 5: Repeat steps 2 though 3 until there are enough stitches on the needle to complete the project.
And now for a two minute video going through each of these steps.  This is definitely my favorite way to do it, not just because it's easy, but because it retains the same elasticity throughout the work with this stitch.  I'm still trying to find a good way to cast off that does the same thing.
 


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