Long Tail Cast On

Casting on is the first step in any knitting project. It’s how you get your yarn onto the needles, and ready to knit.

The long tail cast on is the most commonly used method of casting on. It’s great for beginners, but also incredibly versatile. Stretchy, but not too stretchy, it looks very neat; making it ideal for a huge range of projects.

To start you will need just one of your needles and your yarn. Scroll down to watch the video or follow the step by step instructions below.

Step 1: Measure out approximately 3.5 times the desired length of your cast on. It’s better to have more than you need here as you don’t want to run out halfway through casting on.

Step 2: Make a slipknot in the yarn and place it on the needle. This will be the first cast on stitch.

Step 3: Holding the needle in your right hand, pull the slip knot firmly and put your right index finger on the knot to hold it in place. Use your left hand to hold the yarn in a v-shape with the long tail over your thumb and the working yarn over your index finger. Hold the yarn in your palm to keep it secure.

Step 4: Bring the tip of the needle over the tail yarn to the base or your thumb…

…up under the tail and back to the starting position. You now have a loop around your thumb.

Step 5: Using your right index finger to keep the yarn in place on the needle, take the tip of the needle over the top of the working yarn.

Catch the working yarn on the needle, then pull it through the thumb loop.

Use your thumb to help pass the loop over the needle.

Step 6: Slip the loop off your thumb and tug gently on both strands of yarn. It’s important not to pull too tight as this will make it difficult to knit the next row.

Step 7: You now have two cast on stitches on the needle. Return to the starting position and repeat steps four to six until you have cast on the required number of stitches. Remember to count the slip knot at the beginning as the first stitch.

Once you have cast on enough stitches you’re ready to knit the next row. You can trim the tail if it is too long, but make sure that you leave enough to weave in later.

Ready for the next stage? Learn how to knit stitch, purl stitch and cast off.