Knit With Me : 3 Cast-Ons
Good morning fellow knitters, crafters, needleworkers, fiber artists, and homesteaders of Steemit! And a happy #needleworkmonday to you all.
First off, I'd like to thank everyone who supported my first Knit With Me post--how exciting to see it have such success! I hope that means it was helpful to lots of you. Before we continue with the second post in the washcloth series, I'd like to take a step back to focus on a fundamental part of knitting: the cast-on. As this is step 1 in any knitting project you'll ever do, I thought I'd present 3 basic cast-ons. Between the 3 of these, you should find something that works for most any project. I myself use the last one for most projects these days. I'll present them below in order of difficulty, from simplest to most complicated. But don't worry--with a little practice you'll be able to get the swing of all three in no time!
1. The Loop Cast-On
This is easiest cast-on in knitting, I swear. The Loop Cast-On (also known as the backwards loop, single cast-on, or thumb cast-on) is a good general cast-on and great for beginner knitters who aren't looking for anything too fancy. The one drawback is that it doesn't create the strongest edge. I personally would not use it for clothing or garments--things that'll get a lot of wear and should be able to stand up to some strain and stretching. But for a decorative knit or something that won't be subjected to lots of handling or washing, this can be a great way to begin.
2. The Knitted Cast-On
This one is already familiar to those of you who followed my last Knit With Me post, as it's what we used to make our Seed Stitch Washcloth. It's another relatively straightforward cast-on, though a bit more complicated that the Loop Cast-on. One of the main benefits of the Knitted Cast-On is that you get to practice your knit stitch as you go, so it can be helpful for beginner knitters. Another benefit is that you do not have to estimate how much yarn will be used in the cast-on (as we'll see in the next one), eliminating the risk on not enough/way too much yarn. Again, this is a good all-purpose cast-on and definitely sturdier than the Loop Cast-On. It can create a looser edge which some people may not enjoy, but that mainly depends on your own knitting style and the tension at which you tend to knit. Overall, it's definitely worth knowing and playing around with; you may find that it's one of your go-tos for projects!
3. The Long-Tail Cast-On
We're getting into the realm of intermediate-level cast-ons with this one, but I know that plenty of you out there are (or soon will be) totally capable of this one. This is actually the cast-on I use most, as it creates an even edge with decent stretch--important for lots of clothing and accessories (think socks, sleeves, hats, necks; you want some stretch in all of those). I'm not alone in turning to this cast-on, it's one of the most common ones for the reasons I just mentioned. For certain projects you'll want a more specialized cast-on, but this one works for many different types of knits and has advantages that the first two don't offer. The only drawback to it is that it used a so-called "long-tail," which means you have to estimate how much yarn will be used in the cast-on before you even begin. This can be tricky to figure out at first (in fact, it still is for me!), but if you have a bit of patience and are willing to undo your cast-on once or twice, you'll get it eventually and have a better edge for it. There are a few different tricks for figuring out how much yarn you'll need and though I haven't found one yet that works for me, writing this has inspired me to give it another go!
How neat that you're making tutorials! Knitting is my needlework nemesis (I can do the very basics, but I'm quite clumsy at it) so the few times I've knitted I've been grateful for tutorial videos!!
Maybe these will inspire you to give it another go! Or not, there's tons of other worthy needlework out there too 😊
I always use the third method. But I use both needles at the same time. When I finished the cast-on, I pull out one needle. With that method the loops are never too tight for the first knit row.
Do you mean that you hold both needles together, where I'm just holding the one?
Yes.
Interesting . . . that had never occurred to me, but it's a good tip!
Again you invested so much time to write a tutorial and it turned out great! Wish I could give you more SBD with my upvote. Thank you!
You've always been so supportive of my posts! I'm very grateful to you 😊
Same to you :)
love that you're teaching knitting...I've been wanting to learn to crochet and make some very practical things and this post nudges me one step closer to taking action ;-)
Hurray! I'll post again soon, keep an eye out 😊
Great how-to post @colleenthurber. It looks like you've really found your niche :-)
Thanks!
Great!!!! More casting on 😃 I have to learn and try the first two methods, I never did them. As @creative-life wrote in Germany the long tail cast on with two needles held together is very common. But I am so in love with the crochet hook, I always use the crochet cast on (and as @cryptocariad wrote, I am also not good in estimating the needed tail length)
Hope to see more of your tutorials <3
I never knew of the two needle trick! But then again, I usually end up finding one way that works for me and stick with it. I like that variation though, I often cast on tightly and then have to battle my way through the first row of knitting.
I have the opposite problem, I knit so looooose.... :-D
I am so excited for you and the success of your first tutorial. I hope you continue to get great support for your contributions and inspire others to pick up their knitting needles! Kudos to you!!!
I’m hoping to get my crochet series started real soon!! Thanks for the inspiration! 😊
Thanks @crosheille! I don't know how to crochet, so I'll keep an eye out for your tutorials!
Awesome! 😀
I enjoyed watching the videos @colleenthurber.... and trying to work out which method I actually use... and it's all three of them depending on the situation (eg to add stitches). My mum told me the long tail cast on method but I am not very good at estimating how long to leave the tail...
I look forward to your future videos...
Incidentally, I have seen other steemians list other posts they've made at the end of their posts (like an index). In your case I think it would be good because you are producing good quality material that we appreciate :)
Thanks again
Good advice @cryptocariad, I'll do so in the future. I'm so happy to hear that the videos are enjoyable and helpful!
Great tutorials again, thank you, I'm looking forward to trying them out.
You've very welcome! I look forward to seeing your lovely knitting again soon
I often use the third method.
Because your explanation is very easy to understand, I think it will be a very helpful reference for beginners.
Thanks @sumi! I hope that it is. I think knitting often looks intimidating when it's really not so hard to get the hang of at all. I'd like to help people get inspired to knit.