Knitting guide
How to cast on knitting: long-tail, knitted, cable and backward loop
Updated by Khokhar Sab
To cast on in knitting, make a slip knot on your needle, then add loops until you have the number of stitches your pattern asks for. Sarah Maker recommends the long-tail cast-on as the one to learn first: it is quick, neat and a little stretchy. The knitted and cable cast-ons need no long tail, and the backward loop suits adding a few stitches in the middle of a project.
What casting on means
Knitting is a row of loops pulled through the row before. The very first row has nothing to pull through, so you build it from scratch. That foundation row is the cast-on, and its edge stays at the bottom of the finished piece.
Every method starts the same way, with a slip knot on the needle. What changes is how the loops get made. That decides how stretchy the edge is, how it looks, and whether you need to measure out a long tail of yarn first.
Cast-on methods compared
This table sums up how Modern Daily Knitting, Handy Little Me and Sarah Maker describe each method.
| Method | The edge | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Long-tail | Neat, with some stretch | All-purpose: socks, mittens, hats, scarves |
| Knitted | Even and stretchy, made like a knit stitch | Beginners, and when you don't want to measure a tail |
| Cable | Firm, with a rope-like look | Garments and blankets that should hold their shape |
| Backward loop | Fast but loose and less tidy | Adding a few stitches mid-project, such as thumbs and underarms |
| German twisted | Long-tail with an extra twist, more elastic | Socks, and yarns with little stretch such as cotton |
| Tubular | Rounded and very stretchy | Ribbed cuffs and hat brims |
| Provisional | Temporary, leaves live stitches | Edges you will knit from later |
| Judy's magic or Turkish | Closed, with no seam | Toe-up socks and mittens |
Sarah Maker's advice for a first method is simple: if you learn only one, learn the long-tail. Handy Little Me lists 15 methods in all, including picot and pinhole cast-ons, but the first four above cover everyday knitting. When a pattern names a cast-on, use that one.
How to cast on knitting with the long-tail method
The long-tail cast-on uses two strands at once: the tail and the yarn coming from the ball. Your hand holds them in a Y shape, often called the slingshot. These steps follow Sarah Maker's tutorial.
- Measure the tail. Pull out a length of yarn before the slip knot. The next section covers how long.
- Make a slip knot at that point and put it on the needle. Snug it up so it sits on the needle.
- Hold the needle in your right hand. Let the tail hang toward you and the ball yarn hang away from you.
- Make the slingshot. Close the last three fingers of your left hand over both strands. Slip your thumb and index finger between the strands and spread them apart, palm up. The tail goes around your thumb and the ball yarn around your finger, the same layout Lion Brand describes.
- Go up through the thumb loop. Swing the needle tip down, under the outside strand on your thumb, and up through the loop.
- Catch the finger strand. Take the tip over the inside strand on your index finger and back down through the thumb loop.
- Drop the thumb loop and pull gently on the tail to snug the new stitch onto the needle.
- Reset your thumb under the tail and repeat until you have enough stitches. Count them before you start the first row.
The long-tail cast-on puts purl bumps on one side of the edge. Lion Brand notes that you choose which side is the right side, so check what your pattern says before working the first row.
How long a tail to leave
The tail has to cover every stitch, plus a few inches to weave in. Sarah Maker suggests a tail 3 to 4 times the width of the piece, so an 8 inch scarf needs 24 to 32 inches. Lion Brand prefers a sample: cast on 10 stitches, pull them out and measure the yarn they used, then add about 10 inches.
Width rules leave out yarn thickness and stitch count. The long-tail cast-on calculator works from a wrap test with your own yarn and needle instead, and compares the rules side by side. Lion Brand's advice is worth keeping in mind: too much tail beats running out.
The knitted cast-on
The knitted cast-on needs two needles and one strand, and no measuring. Leave a 6 inch tail and put the slip knot on the left needle.
- Put the right needle into the slip knot from left to right, as if to knit.
- Wrap the yarn around the right needle and pull a loop through.
- Slide that loop onto the left needle. That is a new stitch.
- Knit into the newest stitch the same way, and repeat.
Each stitch is a knit stitch that you keep, so Handy Little Me points out that it teaches the knit stitch as you cast on.
The cable cast-on
The cable cast-on starts like the knitted one. Once you have two stitches, Modern Daily Knitting says to put the right needle between the first two stitches on the left needle, not into a stitch. Wrap the yarn, pull a loop through and place it on the left needle. Repeat between the newest two.
Modern Daily Knitting calls the result firm without being inflexible, and suggests it for garments and blankets. Handy Little Me finds it less stretchy than other methods and advises a loose tension. It needs no long tail, so there is nothing to run short of.
The backward loop cast-on
The backward loop is the simplest method. Wrap the working yarn around your left thumb, slip the needle up through the loop and let it go onto the needle. Pull the yarn to snug it, and repeat.
It is quick, but Modern Daily Knitting notes that the loops are not yet anchored, so they can be hard to knit from. It keeps the method for adding about 10 or 15 stitches in the middle of a project, such as a mitten thumb or the underarm of a top-down sweater.
How many stitches to cast on
A pattern gives the count. Without one, multiply the width you want by your stitches per inch, then round to a number that fits the stitch pattern. Your stitches per inch come from a swatch; the guide to measuring gauge shows how to knit and count one.
Ribbing needs a multiple. Worked flat, 1x1 rib uses a multiple of 2 plus 1, and 2x2 rib a multiple of 4 plus 2, so both edges match. In the round there are no edges, so plain multiples of 2 and 4 work. Here are counts for four projects, worked out with the cast-on calculator's logic:
| Project | Width and gauge | Plain | 1x1 rib | 2x2 rib | Rough tail for 2x2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarf, worked flat | 7 in, 18 sts per 4 in, 5 mm | 32 | 31 | 30 | 34 in |
| Hat brim, in the round | 19 in, 22 sts per 4 in, 4 mm | 105 | 104 | 104 | 83 in |
| Sock cuff, in the round | 7.5 in, 30 sts per 4 in, 2.75 mm | 56 | 56 | 56 | 35 in |
| Blanket, worked flat | 36 in, 18 sts per 4 in, 5 mm | 162 | 163 | 162 | 156 in |
The scarf shows why fitting matters. Its exact count is 31.5 stitches, which no rib pattern can use. Flat 2x2 rib rounds it to 30, and 1x1 rib to 31. The tail column uses the calculator's rough estimate from needle size and includes 6 inches to weave in. For the hat, that is 83 inches, while Sarah Maker's 3 to 4 times rule gives 57 to 76. A wrap test with your own yarn settles it.
How loose should a cast-on be?
Loose enough to stretch with the fabric above it, and even enough to look neat. Sarah Maker warns against both extremes. If your edge comes out tight, she suggests casting on with a needle one or two sizes larger, or with two needles held together. Then switch to the pattern needle for the first row.
If the edge looks loose and uneven instead, check where the stitches sit. Sarah Maker advises forming each one on the full-width shaft of the needle, not the tapered tip. A stitch made on the tip shrinks to the tip's size. The knitting needle size chart lists the sizes one or two steps up from yours.
Common cast-on mistakes
- A tight edge. Sarah Maker warns that tight stitches are hard to work into later, and a tight edge has less give than the fabric above it. Use a bigger needle for the cast-on.
- Running out of tail. Stopping a few stitches short usually means pulling it out and starting again. For a long edge, Lion Brand suggests casting on with strands from two balls, so the tail can't run out.
- Miscounting the slip knot. Sources disagree. Sarah Maker counts it as the first stitch, while Lion Brand says it doesn't count. Follow your pattern and count the loops on the needle.
- A twist when joining in the round. Berroco warns that one twist can make the piece unusable, and it can't be fixed once you start knitting. Before joining, check that the cast-on edge runs in a clean circle without spiraling around the needle.
- A whole edge in backward loop. The loops are unstable and hard to knit from. Keep it for a few stitches and choose another method for the main edge.
Questions people ask
What is the easiest cast-on for beginners?
The backward loop is the simplest to learn, but it makes a poor main edge. Sarah Maker and Handy Little Me both point beginners to the long-tail or the knitted cast-on. The knitted one needs no tail estimate.
What is the stretchiest cast-on?
Handy Little Me names the German twisted cast-on for extra elasticity, and the tubular cast-on for ribbed cuffs and hats. Either suits the top of a sock.
How do I cast on in the middle of a project?
Use the backward loop for a few stitches, as Modern Daily Knitting suggests for thumbs and underarms. For more stitches at the start of a row, a cable or knitted cast-on gives a firmer edge.
Should I cast on with a bigger needle?
Only if your cast-on tends to be tight. Sarah Maker and Handy Little Me both suggest a larger needle as the fix. Knit the rest with the needle your gauge swatch used.
When the piece is finished, the guide to binding off covers the other edge, including stretchy bind-offs that match a stretchy cast-on. For socks knit from the cuff down, the toe closes with Kitchener stitch.
Sources and further reading
Sarah Maker's How to Cast On in Knitting for Beginners gives the long-tail, knitted and backward loop steps, the slip knot count and the tension fixes. Modern Daily Knitting compares the long-tail, cable and backward loop in Skill Builder: Two Cast-ons. Handy Little Me describes 15 methods in Knitting Cast On Methods. Lion Brand covers the 10 stitch sample and the two-ball trick in Expert Tips on How to Do the Long-Tail Cast On. Berroco explains joining in the round in Ask Amanda: How do I join my knitting in the round?
Video tutorial
"How to CAST ON Knitting for Total Beginners" by Sheep & Stitch, on YouTube. The video loads only when you press play.