“Casting on” is the initial step in knitting, where you create the foundation row of stitches on one of your knitting needles. There are lots of different methods for casting on, and the choice depends on the type of edge or project you’re working on. The Long-Tail Cast-On is often one of the first method that knitters learn and is still my personal go-to method. If no cast-on method is specified in the knitting pattern, I’ll almost always use this method.
Here’s a basic description of the Long-Tail Cast-On method:
Long-Tail Cast On
Instructions
- Lay the yarn across the top of the needle in your right hand, with the tail of the yarn at the front toward you and the working yarn (attached to the ball) at the back. Use your pinky and ring finger to hold light tension on the strands. From behind, insert your forefinger between the two strands and lift the working yarn strand up and out.
- Insert your thumb between the two strands and push the tail strand out and up.
- Pull the thumb and forefinger back and up, creating “bunny ears” with the strands.
- With the needle in your right hand, insert it up into the thumb loop by going under the outside thumb strand.
- Keep pulling the needle all the way over and insert it into the center of the forefinger loop.
- From inside the forefinger loop, use the needle to push the inside forefinger strand towards the centre of the thumb loop.
- Keep going until the forefinger strand comes out through the other side of the thumb loop toward you
- Gently tighten that new stitch on the needle by placing your forefinger and thumb back into “bunny ear” position.
- Repeat Steps 5-8 to cast on the desired number of stitches.
- The Long Tail Cast On counts as your first right-side row.
Video
Notes
Link to Pattern
Link to patternThe trick with the long-tail cast-on is starting out with enough yarn to cast-on all the stitches. That’s usually not an issue if you are casting on 30 stitches, but if you are casting on 300 stitches and you get stitch number 287 and you run out of yarn, it’s bound to be frustrating. So I typically cast on about 10 or 20 stitches as a test and figure out how much yarn I needed in order to cast on those stitches. Then I just multiply it out to how many stitches I need to cast on. So, if I used 10 inches of yarn for 30 stitches, then theoretically I would need 100 inches of yarn for 300 stitches.
Then with any extra yarn that is leftover after the Long-Tail Cast-On, I will wind that into a butterfly to keep the yarn with my project, but neat and tidy and not getting in the way. After I finish knitting my piece, I can use that extra yarn for seaming the pieces together, if needed. Otherwise, you can cut the yarn and weave in the ends.
Note that different knitters will work this cast-on method differently, so you might see other knitters holding their yarn differently or picking up the loops differently, but at the end of the day, they create this same result.
Sometimes, I’ve seen knitters work the cast-on with two knitting needles held together. Then when the cast-on is complete, removing one of the needles. This might be helpful for casting on slightly larger stitches, if this is something that is needed for your project.
The Long-Tail Cast-On creates a neat and flexible edge. Other casting-on methods, such as the knit cast-on or Provisional Cast-On, offer different characteristics suitable for various projects. Choosing the right cast-on method depends on your preference, the pattern instructions, and the type of project you are working on.
Our Long-Tail Cast-On tutorial is part of a free series called “Learn to Knit a Scarf” which you can find on our YouTube channel.
