Draft
Long Tail Thumb Cast On
The long tail cast on worked with the thumb only, for hands that prefer it.
4 min video
The long tail thumb cast on is the regular long tail done without the slingshot. You still use two strands and you still make the same stitch, but one hand makes a thumb loop and the other lays the second strand over the needle, so each stitch is built in two moves.
The video shows it with two colours so you can see which strand does what. The second strand becomes the stitch on the needle, and the first strand wraps around its base and holds it there.
It is slower than the slingshot long tail, which is the fastest way to make this edge, but it makes exactly the same stitch. The edge is not shown knitted up in this video. It is compared with the other long tail variations later in the series.
1 Take a strand in each hand
Hold one strand in each hand. Two colours are used here only to show which strand does what. The piece starts from a slip knot made with both strands together, but a normal long tail slip knot works as well.
2 Make a loop with your thumb
With the first strand, make a simple loop over your thumb and slide it onto the needle, as you would for a backwards loop cast on. Do not pull it tight. A loop that sits securely on the needle is enough.
3 Lay the second strand over
Take the other strand and lay it over the needle, in front of the loop you made. You can hold it with your thumb or your index finger.
4 Pass the loop over and tighten
Lift the first loop over the second strand and off the needle, then pull it down to tighten. The second strand is the stitch left on the needle. The first strand wraps around its base and holds it in place. Keep your tension even, and not too tight.
5 Then keep going
Thumb loop, strand over, pass the loop over, tighten. It gets faster with practice, though the slingshot long tail is the quickest way to make the same stitch.