Draft
One by One Rib Cast On
A cast on that alternates knit and purl stitches for 1x1 rib.
8 min videoGood for 1x1 rib
The one by one rib cast on, also called the alternate long tail cast on, is the long tail cast on with every other stitch worked backwards. One stitch the traditional way makes a knit, one stitch the backwards way makes a purl.
That gives the edge a lot more stretch, which makes it particularly suited to ribbing. The edge has little V shapes along it that look nice on rib while still giving a good amount of stretch. It is very stretchy, so it is good for the edges of hats, the cuffs of gloves and sweaters and the tops of socks knit top down.
You can adapt it to any rib, one by three, two by two, even five by seven. The one thing to watch is keeping your place. Learn what each stitch looks like as you go, because losing count throws off the whole rib and loses some of the stretch.
1 Measure your tail
Wrap the yarn around the needle to estimate how much you need, about an inch a stitch. Another way is three to four times the finished width. Here that is three wraps of the needle for fifteen stitches.
2 Set up the slingshot
Put your thumb and forefinger into the loop and let it drop over them. Hold the two ends with the rest of your fingers and stretch out the strand between thumb and finger, the bar.
3 Twist the bridge onto the needle
Lay the needle on top of the bar, go over and pick up the strand so it twists on the needle. That is your first stitch, with no slip knot.
4 Make a normal long tail stitch
Work one stitch exactly as you would for the long tail cast on: up through the thumb loop, over the forefinger strand, back through the thumb, tighten.
5 Now do it backwards
Look at the slingshot. It is the same on both sides, so the next stitch is the mirror image. Come under the outside strand on your forefinger and pick it up. Go over the inside strand on your thumb, then come back under it and pick it up.
6 Through the loop on your finger
Bring that strand back through the loop on your index finger. Let the loop off your finger and tighten it down, not so hard that the stitches cannot move along the needle.
7 Then keep alternating
One regular stitch, one backwards stitch, all the way across. The regular stitch, worked from the thumb, makes a knit. The backwards stitch, from the forefinger, makes a purl. For 2x2 rib do two of each, and so on for any rib you need.