Beginner cast-on methods

[untonuggan]

I've been teaching my mom to knit, and she's got knitting/purling down pretty well. She's still struggling with casting on, though. I tend to use the double-stranded cast on (since it's the first one I learned and it works). However, she has weak hands and has been trouble coordinating everything.

What's a really simple, easy cast-on to teach a beginner? At this point it doesn't have to be super-stretchy or look amazing, but those things would be nice, too.

Thanks!

Comments

[jackandahat]

...am I the only person who finds knitted cast-on really hard? I have weak hands (arthritis) and I tend to struggle with it, but I think some is that I knit *really* tight. So I think it very much depends.

I used the thumb way for years - I don't know if it's necessarily neat but it's very easy.

[clare_dragonfly]

I'm with you--the knitted cast-on is pretty difficult for me. And I'm not even that tight of a knitter anymore. (Probably part of it, for me, is that I'm allergic to wool so most of the yarn I knit with is not all that stretchy.)

I'm very surprised no one has suggested the long-tail method yet. It's the first one I learned and I thought it was the most common. The only problem with it is estimating how much yarn you'll need for it.

[jumpuphigh]

Long-tail is also known as double strand cast-on and that's what Liz's mom is having problems with.

[clare_dragonfly]

Ah. I Googled "double-stranded cast-on" but it didn't appear to be the same thing.

[jumpuphigh]

Well, people seem to name different things that are similar to other things the same thing so I could be completely wrong here. I know it is one of the other names for long-tail and so that is what I assumed Liz was talking about.

[jackandahat]

I'm a big fan of long-tail, it's a bugger to work out how much yarn I need (I usually seem to end up with too much) but it's definitely much easier on the hands for me.

[evilawyer]

I also like the long-tail and use it the most, but it does have the disadvantage of sometimes leading to too much tail (or not enough and starting over again). The one thing I've noticed, too, is that for beginners, the tail flopping around can be confusing or distracting.

[msmcknittington]

If you wrap the yarn around the needle the number of times you need stitches to cast on (or even a factor of the number of stitches you need to cast on and then extrapolate the length from there), you'll know exactly how long your tail needs to be. I generally add a foot onto the length, so I have something weave in at the end.

[ysobel]

You can do longtail with two strands of yarn -- e.g. one from each end of the skein, or whatever. Doesn't work so well with self-striping type yarns, and it gives you two more ends to weave in, but it means you never ever have too much or too little tail.

[ironed_orchid]

Agreed. It took me a few goes to get it without having to check instructions, but it has since become so easy that I use it for everything that doesn't call for a provisional cast on.

[clayr]

I love the long tail cast on (it's the only one that I really know and can do consistently). Agreed on the tail estimation. I'm starting to think that I should measure the tail and write down a rough stitch to tail measurement for myself. It's a little annoying to try to cast on 45 to find I can only cast on 43.

[jumpuphigh]

I hate the knitted cast on. I tried it recently after not using it for decades and by the third stitch I was swearing and ripping it off my needle. I use long-tail for the most part.

[jackandahat]

I think the swearing is a vital part of the process. *nods*

[jumpuphigh]

I usually swear with long-tail, too, but that only happens when I realize that my )#$*&)@W*#$) tail was too short. :D

[clayr]

Did you have problems keeping the edge lined up and not spiralling all over the place with the knitted cast on?

[jumpuphigh]

I don't remember having that problem when I first started knitting 20+ years ago and since restarting, I haven't used the knitted cast-on at all besides a few attempts that got ripped out after 3 stitches. Those few attempts didn't spiral; I just found the knitted cast-on method unwieldy and tight.

[eruthros]

I find the knitted cast on difficult too! I also have weak hands, but I'm not generally a tight knitter - it's just that the stretch doesn't work well for me or something. I find cable cast-on easier even though it's a fairly similar technique.

[afuna]

I find the knitted cast-on easy to understand, but a bit tricky to implement.

That is, knitted cast-on and cabled cast-on, when I first found out about them were like: "needle goes there, yup. do a knit stitch, yup. put it back, yup!".

Whereas long-tail cast-on is easier for me to do now that I've got the hang of it, but it took me a while to figure out where the needle was supposed to go. (Needle goes there, loop over... wait what???)

I'd definitely go with one of the three cast-on methods already mentioned, but all three of them have different cons.

[jackandahat]

*nods* I understand it just fine, it's just getting it to actually be useable - I tend to get a couple of stitches in and then it's just too tight to function! I'm learning to make it more relaxed but it takes a lot of effort.

[pinesandmaples]

That's actually a known issue with the knit-on cast-on. Why do you think people recommend cabled cast-on or the vague "something else" for stretchy edges? It happens to everyone, even the loosest of knitters.

[pinesandmaples]

Just for fun, you should learn the Twisted German. It's hands down my favorite cast-on, and it is stretchier than a plan long-tail cast-on. (It is a long-tail style cast-on, though.)

Plus it's a fun technical skill to have because it impresses the pants off people.

[jumpuphigh]

I just learned this cast-on method recently and if someone already has hands problems, it will be significantly harder than long-tail. It takes me a long time to cast on even a small amount of stitches cause I have to stop every few stitches for an extended break. However, it is gorgeous and has a really nice stretch to it.

[pinesandmaples]

I'm sorry, I thought I was replying to afuna's comment where she expressed delight over long-tail style cast-ons.

[jumpuphigh]

You were. I was just adding to the conversation. I love long-tail cast-on and I love the twisted German cast-on. It's just extremely difficult for someone who has problems with their hands.

[clayr]

That looks an interesting cast on - I will have to try that. Thanks for posting the link.

[afuna]

Oooh *opens link, bookmarks*

[iamshadow]

I am a tight knitter, and this cast on is the reason I can make socks. This, and the super stretchy bind off. It's amazing.

[tephra]

Definitely not the only one. I tend to knit a bit tight and with yarn that's not terribly stretchy and it's just not a good combination for knitted or cable cast-ons in my experience.

I prefer long-tail. Sometimes I'll use the crochet cast-on (if having the cast-on and cast-off match is important) or a tubular cast on if I'm starting with 1x1 rib and need a stretchy edge.

[evilawyer]

I'm in agreement with you. It seemed complicated to me; I only started using it after I'd been knitting for years and only when I need a thick, sturdy cast-on.

[jackandahat]

For me it's not a matter of being complicated, or even not being stretchy enough like PineAndMaples assumed. It just gets ridiculously tight around the needles - I have to pay attention to making myself give it extra slack.

[evilawyer]

That might have been part of my problem with it, too. I used to knit very tightly, particularly at the beginning of pieces. That changed over time.