Draft
Italian Cast On
A tubular cast on for 1x1 rib with a rounded, seamless edge.
6 min videoGood for 1x1 rib, sock cuffs, sweater hems
The Italian cast on is a tubular cast on for ribbing. The edge almost disappears into the knitting. The fabric looks as if it runs from one side to the other and folds over, with no cast on row to see.
It is one of the stretchiest edges there is. The rib stays live at the end, and because it stretches out you never see the edge.
Use it for the bottom of a sweater, the cuffs of sleeves and the collar of a top down sweater, anywhere you want ribbing with a clean, finished look. It starts much like a long tail cast on, with a measured tail and a slip knot.
1 Measure your tail
Start as you would for a long tail cast on. Wrap the yarn around the needle five times to see what five stitches take, then measure out that length for every five stitches you need. For 15 stitches that is three wraps' worth.
2 Make a slip knot
Put a slip knot in the yarn at that point and place it on your working needle.
3 Hold the two strands open
Hold the two strands open between your thumb and forefinger as you would for a long tail. The difference is that the bridge between them now runs to the needle.
4 Over the top and under both
Here is the part that takes some getting used to. Take the needle over the top strand, all the way under both strands, then come up in between the two strands. That is your first stitch.
5 Under the bottom, over the top
Now go under the bottom strand, the one over your thumb, and up through the middle. Then go over the top strand and bring the needle back under both strands. That is your second stitch, and you can see the two of them sit as a pair.
6 Then keep going
Repeat the pair. Over the top and under both, then over the bottom and through the middle. Under the bottom and up through the middle, then over the top and back under both. You will see the stitches building up in twos.
7 Finish with a hitch
To end, make a hitch like a backwards loop cast on: come under the loop on your thumb, put it on the needle and tighten it down. Then knit from the needle as normal.