How to cast on knitting stitches

How to cast stitches on a knitting needle to start your knitting project

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When knitting any project by hand the first step is to cast the stitches on the needle. Following a pattern, you cast on the required number of stitches to form the foundation row. This is true of all projects, whether it is a small dishcloth, a sweater or an afghan.

The stitches you cast on must be of the same tension and you should not have them too loose or too tight. If you cast on the stitches too tightly, you will have a difficult time knitting the first row. If they are too loose, the foundation row will have loops or holes in it that will mar the effect of the finished product.

Casting on stitches in knitting starts with the first stitch, which is always done in the same way. Once you have that on the needle, then you have two ways in which you can continue casting on the remiander of the stitches.

Instructions

Step 1

Casting on the first stitch

Wrap the yarn around the thumb of your left hand (or your right hand if you are left-handed) and insert the knitting needle into the right side of the yarn. With the hand that is holding the needle, put the yarn around the needle and pull it through the loop on your thumb in the same way as you would knit a stitch.

When you put this stitch on the needle, you have cast on the first stitch for the knitting project.

Step 2

Cast on the rest of the stitches

You can now continue to cast on the rest of the stitches in this manner, using your thumb and only one knitting needle until you have the required number of stitches.

Step 3

Knit the stitches on the needle

If you do not want to cast on the stitches using the thumb and needle method, you can also knit them on.

To do this, once you have the first stitch on the needle, you then start using the second knitting needle. Insert the needle into the front of the base stitch and knit a stitch, which you then place back on the first needle. Now you have two stitches cast on.

Continue knitting on the stitches until you have the required number called for in the pattern.

Step 4

Knitting the first row

When you have all the stitches you need cast on, you start following the pattern and work the first row.

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Things Needed

yarn

knitting needles

Tips & Warnings

When casting on stitches always check back to make sure the stitches are not too loose or too tight.

Always knit the first and last stitch of each row.

If you want to cast on all of the stitches using the thumb method, make sure you have enough yarn to complete the number of stitches. You can always cut off any extra when you are finished.

Amazon resources

Amish Knitting Circle-Volume 1-Beginnings

by: Karen Anna Vogel
Release Date: 2011-09-05
Price: $0.99

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Frances Stanford
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