Knitting Tutorial: 3 Ways to Cast On Stitches

Sometimes figuring out which cast on technique to use is the hardest part of a project— but don’t let that stop you from making the project of your dreams! We’ve created a short video to show how to do three of the most popular cast ons in knitting:the Long Tail Cast On, the Knitted Cast On and the Cable Cast On.

You’ll see each technique up close and personal, learning helpful tips  to ensure a successful start with each one. Here is an overview of what we cover:

TheLong Tail Cast On is a great all purpose cast on, perfect for when you need a stretchy edge to your project. In the video above, we demonstrate this tried-and-true method for making sure to have enough of a yarn tail to complete the cast on:

1. Start by wrapping the yarn around your needle 10 times.
2. Use the resulting 10-stitch length of yarn as a guide to estimate how much yarn you’ll need for your entire cast on by multiplying it by as many times necessary to get to your total cast on number of stitches. Example: To cast on 100 stitches, you’d measure the 10-stitch length of yarn 10 times.
3. Voila! Now you won’t run out of yarn while casting on.

TheKnitted Cast On is an extremely strong cast on that is perfect for garment edges and areas that might get strained or a lot of “wear and tear.” The other benefit to this technique is that you cast on with your working yarn, so you never have to worry about running out as you would with the Long Tail method! The Knitted Cast On is also relatively stretchy, plus it is easy to do.

TheCable Cast On provides a firmer cast on edge that looks like a cable, making your edges neat and tidy. However, it doesn’t provide the stretch and ease of the Long Tail or Knitted Cast Ons, so we don't recommend using it when knitting a hat, sweater, or anything you need to stretch. If you need to cast on stitches in the middle of your knitting, however, this is an excellent method to try!

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