How to Cast On in Knitting

Casting on is the first thing you do when you learn to knit. It's the process of establishing a row of stitches, which serve as the foundation for your knitting project. There are several ways to cast on, but this article teaches you the long-tail method for a right-handed knitter.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Choose the needles suggested by your pattern to obtain the correct knitting gauge. It's easier for a beginner to work with larger needles, especially when learning to cast on.

2. Pull out enough yarn from the skein to equal about an inch for every stitch you are going to cast on. Form a slipknot at the point closest to the skein of yarn and place it on one of your knitting needles, leaving the long tail of yarn hanging free. Pull to tighten it on the needle. This counts as your first stitch.

3. Hold the needle with the slipknot and the long tail of yarn in your right hand. Form a V with your left thumb and index finger. Loop the tail end of the yarn over your thumb and loop the yarn end connected to the needle over your index finger. Allow the two strands to run down the palm of your hand and use your other three to fingers to hold the yarn in place.

4. Place your hands in a vertical position and insert the point of the needle up through the bottom of the loop formed on your thumb.

5. Position the point of the needle over the yarn on the index finger and then press the needle down and back through the loop on your thumb, forming a stitch on the needle.

6. Remove your thumb from the original loop to allow the newly formed stitch to remain on the needle. Adjust the tension of the stitch by gently pulling on the needle as you reposition your thumb under the tail of the yarn to prepare to cast on the next stitch.

7. Repeat this procedure until you have cast on all of your stitches.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice casting on with ten stitches before you begin your actual project. You can tear it out and start over until you have perfected the process without messing up your good yarn.
• Form a slip knot by forming a loop and pulling a second loop through the first one. The second loop formed is the slip knot, which is placed on the knitting needle.
• During the cast on procedure, the yarn remains secured in your palm while you work the needle with your right hand into the loops formed on the index finger and thumb of the left hand.