Videojug

How To Cast On

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  • Videojug
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How To Cast On

VideoJug enlists the help of knitting expert Rachel Ong to show you how to get the first few stitches on your knitting needle, which is called 'casting on'. VideoJug enlists the help of knitting expert Rachel Ong to show you how to get the first few stitches on your knitting needle, which is called 'casting on'.

Step 1: You will need

Step 2: Making a slip knot

You will need to make a slip knot to attach the knitting yarn to your knitting needle.

Do this by unwinding a strand of yarn at least 8 inches long from the ball and hold it in your left hand between your thumb and forefinger.

With your right hand, wrap the ball end of the yarn clockwise around your forefinger and middle finger, with your fingers spread approximately 1 inch apart.

Pull a loop of the ball end of the yarn through the loop of yarn around your fingers.

Drop the yarn off the fingers of your left hand while still holding on to the loop with your right hand and gently pull the tail end until a knot forms at the bottom of the base of the loop.

You have now created a slip knot.

Step 3: Position the slip knot

Slide the slip knot onto your knitting needle, and pull the long tail and ball ends to tighten it around the needle.

The slip knot should be able to slide on the needle, not so tight it can't move and not too loose it can slide off.

You are now ready to cast on

Step 4: Casting On

Putting the first row of yarn loops on your knitting needle is called casting on and the easiest way of doing this is using your thumb and index finger.

Hold the needle with the slip knot in your right hand and hold the ball end of the yarn with the bottom three fingers of your left hand. Allow the yarn to cross over your palm and clockwise over your thumb.

With your knitting needle, scoop up the yarn at the base of your thumb. Move the needle in a clockwise direction and scoop up the yarn that runs from between the needle and your index finger.

Drop the loop that is on your thumb onto the knitting needle, drop the yarn in your left hand and pull the thread tight.

Repeat this process until you have cast on the number of stitches that you need. The more stitches you cast on, the wider your piece of knitting will be.

Once your first row of cast on stitches is on the needle, you are ready to move on to the knit stitch.

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Tips & Comments
  1. chattykathy

    I found the knit cast on video very helpful!! When I need more help, I'll come back and visit the site again. Thanks.

  2. Ariel_Cay

    Thank goodness. I've looked at probably 10 other videos already and this video finally helped me cast on. Thank you!!

  3. KnittingGrace

    if it goes to fast..just hit the pause and play it over til you get it. worked for me

  5. David_Stump

    OK, so with that addition/observation and a few minutes of practice it makes much more sense. Cast on about 10 (too tight) stiches. Phew.

  6. David_Stump

    Ahh, OK, so I will correct my comment. The still does show the index finger being over the yarn, but the narrator doesn't mention this fact -- instead focusing on your thumb and the other non-index fingers. So more or less while the image is paused you have to fill in that bit of instruction yourself by closely imitating the hands on the screen, even the parts not mentioned out lout. OK, now it makes more sense...

  7. David_Stump

    I agree with the comment about the index finger. If you go to 01:40, there is no yarn around the index finger, it is just touching the needle. Then at 01:45 when the still picture ends and the video resumes, notice that while the narrator talks about moving the needle toward the yarn around the thumb the index finger somehow magically had yarn looped around it. This is one of trickier parts for us beginners, and a whole step is omitted both in the narration and in the video. I think these videos are good overall, but little errors like that make them less useful and more frustrating for the people who are presumably the target audience -- people with little or no knowledge and experience with knitting. I normally wouldn't worry about such little things but that was a pretty noticeable error that makes it difficult to follow along.

  8. ChikieGirl

    byaK: if this video goes too fast for you, go to http://www.aokcorral.com/projects/howcaston.htm because they use pictures, so you can go at your own speed. That's how I learned. Good luck!!

  9. byaK

    Far too fast for me!

  10. sosuperstarry

    I loved it. I understood it straight away. I just had to ignore the voice and look at her hands.