Draft
Estonian Cast On
A long tail cast on from Estonia with a rounded, stretchy edge.
5 min videoGood for lace, stretchy edges
The Estonian cast on is a variation of the long tail cast on. One simple change, flipping the thumb on every other stitch, gives the edge a brand new look.
It is often used for socks and for ribbing, especially around the top of a sock knit top down. It is also traditional in Estonian lace shawl knitting. The edge is stretchy, with a double layered, almost purl like look and little bars made by pairs of strands.
Those interlocking loops make it strong and durable, though not as strong as the cable cast on. Measure the tail the same way as for the long tail cast on.
1 Measure your tail
This is a long tail cast on, so start the same way. Wrap the yarn around the needle a few times to measure what five stitches take, and count that out for the number of stitches you need.
2 Make the bridge and the first stitch
Set up the bridge between your thumb and forefinger as for the long tail cast on. Twist the yarn to make the first stitch on the needle, no slip knot needed.
3 Cast on one the long tail way
Come up under the loop on your thumb, go over and around the strand on your forefinger, then back through the loop on your thumb. This is the plain long tail stitch you already know.
4 Flip your thumb the other way
Here is the one change. Instead of the yarn running along the inside of your thumb and out, bring your thumb underneath the strand and out, so the yarn wraps your thumb from the other side.
5 Pick up the inside strand
Pick up the inside loop on your thumb with the needle, come over the strand on your forefinger, and go back through the loop on your thumb. Let go and tighten it down.
6 Watch the thumb direction
This is where people get confused. Normally the yarn loops around the outside of the thumb and goes in. On the flipped stitch it goes around the inside and comes out. You pick up the same strand, from the other side.
7 Then keep alternating
One regular long tail stitch, then flip, pick up the middle strand, come over the forefinger, back through the thumb, tighten. The pairs of strands make little bars along the edge. That is where the stretch comes from.