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Cast-OnsCast Ons for Beginners
Knitted Cast On
A cast on made with the knit stitch itself, so you learn both at once.
6 min videoGood for first projects
The knitted cast on, sometimes called the knitted on cast on, is a favorite for teaching someone to knit. It needs no long tail. You start with a slip knot and work from there, and each stitch you cast on is made with the motion of a knit stitch, so a beginner learns both at once.
It is also a good way to add stitches in the middle of a piece, for a buttonhole or a picot bind off. The edge is a neat interlocking one that looks much like a crocheted edge or the plain knitted bind off, so it matches those well.
There are two ways to put each new loop on the needle. With the needles pointing the same way you get a small twist in the stitch, which looks a little nicer and sits a little tighter. With the needles facing each other there is no twist. Either works, as long as you do it the same way every time.
1 Make a slip knot
Make an X in the yarn with the working yarn crossing over the tail. If your X crosses the other way, bring the yarn under instead so it wraps around the working yarn. Pull a loop through, then pull on the tail to tighten it. Put the knot on your needle.
2 Knit into the slip knot
This cast on uses two needles. Hold the needle with the slip knot in your left hand, tension the yarn as you normally would, and put the right needle into the knot knitwise. Wrap the yarn over the right needle and pull it through, as for a knit stitch.
3 Pull out some slack
Here is where it changes from knitting. Do not slide the old stitch off. Pull the new loop out so it has some extra slack, then bring it over to the left needle.
4 Put the loop on and tighten
With both needles pointing the same way, slip the left needle into the loop and draw the yarn down to tighten. Done this way the stitch gets a small twist, which looks a little nicer and sits a little tighter. You could also put the loop on with the needles facing each other, which leaves out the twist. Either is fine. Pick one and stay consistent.
5 Do it again
Once the stitch is tightened you are already in place for the next one. Wrap the yarn over, pull it through, pull out some slack, put the loop on the left needle and release.
6 Then keep going
Wrap, pull through, slip the loop onto the main needle, tighten. Tighten with the needle still in the loop so every stitch comes out the same size. If you can knit, you can do this.