Knitting Blog

Closing Out 2017

Yay! It’s the end of 2017!

Here is a direct link list of all of my blog topics so far.

Alphabetically, of course!

Click to view each.

Blocking                              The Mysteries of Blocking

Cast On                                Backwards Loop Cast On and Long Tail Cast On

Cast on                                 Do the Twist! German Twisted Cast On

Cast On                                 Provisional Cast on: What, How and Why

Charity Knitting               Knitting for Charity

Christmas                            Christmas Kisses!

Christmas                            Knitting for Christmas

Decreasing                          My “Rules” for Decreasing

Double Points                    Double Points: No Fear!

Fall Knitting                       October Knitting

Fixing Mistakes                 Fixing Knitting Mistakes

Gauge                                     It Really IS All About the Gauge

Hats                                        “Fit to be Tied”

Hats                                         Hats!

Holiday Knits                      Valentine Knitting

Increasing                             A Tale of Two Increases

Knit Stitch Projects          The Knit. The whole knit. And nothing but the knit. Part 1

Knit Stitch Projects          The Knit. The whole knit and nothing but the knit… Part 2: Log Cabin Style

Knitting Techniques        The “Right” Way to Knit

Knitting Techniques        “Rules” to Knit By

Mittens                                   Red Mittens: A Personal Story

Organization                       Knitting Goals 2017

Organization                       “To Stash or Not to Stash…”

Reading Patterns             Don’t be a Slave to the Pattern

Picking up stitches          Picking up Stitches in Garter and Seed

Sewing Knitting                Sewing Your Knits: Stockinette Stitch

Small Projects                   Those Hot Summer Knits

Sweaters                              Sheep to Sweater Story

Weaving                               Weaving: A Necessary Evil

Yarn Store                           Your LYS

 

Happy New Year!

Martha 

KnitYourselfHappy

Knitting Blog

Do the Twist! German Twisted Cast On

Of course, there are many ways to cast on…

One of my favorite cast ons lately is the German Twisted Cast On. (Don’t ask me why it is called “German”, maybe it originated there!)

This cast on is a variation of a long tail cast on. It is stretchier than a regular long tail cast on, so it is especially good for the top of a sock, the beginning of a mitten cuff, or a hat cuff.

If you find that your own regular long tail cast on tends to be a bit too tight (yes, you are out there!), try the German Twisted Cast On instead.

I have two ways of showing students how to do this cast on. Some people find this way of casting on a bit challenging, so take a look at these two videos which both produce the same German Twisted Cast On.

While this cast on takes a bit more time and practice, the result is worth it.

Remember, Knit Yourself Happy! Martha

 

Knitting Blog

Backwards Loop Cast On and Long Tail Cast On

So many cast ons, so little time… Two of the MCCOs (Most Common Cast Ons): the Backwards Loop Cast On and the Long Tail Cast On.

Beginning knitters are usually taught how to do a “backwards loop” cast on first. Other names for this cast on are: e-wrap, thumb, half hitch, and loop. Whew. I am sure there are many more names for this easy cast on, depending on where you live and who taught you to knit, but I will leave it up to you to find more. I am slightly dizzy after thinking of just those few. A backwards loop cast on begins with a slip knot:

There are pros and cons to the backwards loop cast on. This cast on can become very loose if the needles are pulled too far apart during the first row of knitting. Consistency in the loops is difficult to maintain, but it is by far the easiest cast on to master, especially for young children learning to knit. Because the edge is likely to be loose, it is a good cast on for underarms or necklines with the knitting already in progress. Usually these areas are finished with a seam or edging, so the e wrap cast on will not be visible.

The “long tail cast on” is probably the most common of all cast ons. Other names for this cast on are two strand, thumb, and sling shot. It makes a decent looking edge, it is fairly stretchy and it can be done quite quickly once learned. It is a bit tricky for the newest knitters, and takes a bit of practice to get it even and loose. I have almost never seen a long tail cast on that is too loose; usually the problem with this cast on is that it is too tight. Because you are working with two strands of yarn, (the “working” yarn and the “tail”), this cast on cannot be done with the work in progress unless you are willing to add another piece of yarn as the tail, and that is just a bit silly, now, isn’t it?

The chief query among knitters is “How long should the tail be?” In short, nobody knows. Sorry about that. There are myriad tricks for estimating tail length, from wrapping the yarn around the needle, estimating 1″ of tail for every stitch and so on. Because I have been doing this a long time, I will confess: I just guess. If I waste some yarn by guessing too much, oh well. I usually only run out of the long tail when the yarn is very bulky. (Big yarn, big needles, more long tail is needed.)   The thumb seems to use less yarn than the forefinger, so one tip is to place the tail over the thumb and the working yarn over the forefinger. You can also try estimating how many inches the cast on will be and triple that number for the length of the tail. So, a scarf that is 8 inches wide would need 24 inches worth of tail. You are welcome to experiment with any method you like!! Get back to me when you have the definitive answer! Finally, if you are casting on a lot of stitches, (say more than 90), and the yarn is precious, use two skeins of yarn, one as the “tail” and one as the “working yarn”.

Don’t forget to subscribe to this blog, share it, and check out all of my videos and subscribe to my channel on You Tube. 

Previous posts can be viewed by going to the home page, scrolling down, and clicking on “Older Posts”.

On Ravelry, I am knityourselfhappy

Knit Yourself Happy!