Long Tail Cast On
A firm but stretchy edge suitable for most projects
This cast on makes a firm but stretchy edge, but its prime advantage is that it is FAST. It is also very easy to not make it too tight. However, if you do find that your first row is too rigid, cast onto a needle three sizes larger than the pattern calls for.
Pros:
Great all-purpose cast on
Easy to learn
Easy to work into
Firm, stretchy edge
Fast to make
Cons:
You need to guess how much yarn you’re going to use before making it and leave that as a tail. (Approximately four times the length of the finished edge.)
A little complicated to execute, and if you don’t do it often, you may need a reminder. (Which is why this tutorial is handy to have bookmarked.)
Note that the video has you hold your yarn tail over your thumb, the reverse of my written instructions. I have tried both ways, and see very little difference. Use the way that seems best to you. (Also see my tutorial for How to Make a Slip Knot.)
How to do it:
Basic Principle:
Using two strands of yarn held taut, you will be creating a loop in one strand which will serve as the anchor of the stitch you pull through the loop from the other strand.
Step One:
On a needle, make a slip knot that tightens when you pull on the ball end. The tail should be about four times longer than your finished edge will be.
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Optional: If you like math and want to be more precise, the formula is:
[(Needle diameter in millimetres) multiplied by 3.14 (pi) multiplied by (Number of stitches to cast on)], plus 150 millimetres for the tail. Divide by 10 to get this in centimetres, and divide by 25.4 to get this in inches.
Step Two:
Hold the needle in your dominant hand. Grab the tail ends of the yarn in the fourth and fifth fingers of the non-dominant hand and press them against your palm. Insert your non-dominant thumb and forefinger between the two strands of yarn, then flip your hand over so the palm is upward while widening the thumb and forefinger into a U.
The yarn should now be coming from the slip knot around the needle in your dominant hand, through the centre of the U in your non-dominant hand, with one strand of yarn each travelling around the back of your thumb and forefinger and into your palm.
Holding the ends of the yarn in your non-dominant palm keeps tension on the yarn. Throughout the cast-on process, use these to keep the yarn taut.
Step Three:
Move needle tip from the wrist of the non-dominant hand toward the index finger to hook the yarn section between the thumb and your palm. Make sure to keep the yarn taut using the fingers curled around the yarn tails.
This creates a loop with the yarn over your thumb.
Step Four:
Continue moving the tip of the needle toward the non-dominant ring finger without catching any yarn. Then move the needle tip back toward the thumb, this time catching the second yarn in the section between the needle and your forefinger as you do.
Step Five:
Keep moving the needle tip back toward your body, pulling the second yarn through the loop on your thumb toward the wrist. This will create a new loop on the working needle from the yarn over your index finger.
Step Six:
Release the loop on your thumb while pulling on the needle to tighten the new stitch, and simultaneously use the same thumb to hook the yarn tail again so the yarn still goes from the needle, through the centre of the U between the thumb and forefinger, and around the back of the thumb, with the tails grasped by the curled fourth and fifth fingers.
Step Seven:
Repeat from Step Three until you have the desired number of stitches. Keep a little space between the stitches as you tighten.
