Knitting
with
the
cable
cast on
Hats, in particular, are the perfect projects
for beginner knitters. They encompass so
many techniques in one little project that
offers relatively immediate satisfaction to
boot! They also make great last minute
knitted gifts. Let's get started on the
holiday gift list by knitting some children’s
hats using the sweet Top This! hat kits.
One of the first cast on techniques many
of us learn is the knitted cast on, which is
a great first step because its steps mimic
the knit stitch itself, so you can make the
most of all the new skills you're learning
as a new knitter. If you’re new to knitting,
learning a variety of cast on and bind off
techniques is one of the most valuable
steps you can take to expand your “tool
box” of skills. Many of us have a favorite
cast on or bind off that we use frequently,
so you never know if one of those new
techniques will become your new favorite!
The cable cast on makes a neat edge
that's a good choice for ribbing because
it looks equally neat and tidy no matter
if you’re looking at a “purl side” or “knit
side” of the fabric. It’s also similar to the
knitted cast on which makes it an easy
2nd cast on to learn. You don’t need it just
for cabled knitting, though, so don’t be
fooled by the name!
As we can see in the photos, the cable
cast on is just a little bit different from
the knitted cast on, with the main
difference that we start by inserting
the right needle between the first two
stitches on the left needle, rather than
through the actual first stitch.
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KNITmuch | issue 1
These are the steps for the cable cast on:
1. Start by making a slip knot and placing
it onto the left needle. Make a 2nd stitch
knitwise by knitting into the slip knot and
placing that stitch back onto the left hand
needle. You now have 2 sts.
2. Next, insert the needle in between the
first 2 sts on the left hand needle.
3. Wrap the working yarn around the right
hand needle as you normally would when
making a knit stitch.
4. Pull the yarn through the two stitches to
the front of the work.
5. Place this new stitch back onto the left
hand needle, inserting the left hand
needle into the front of the stitch (this
twists the stitch around slightly).
6. Repeat steps 2-5 until you have the
number of stitches you need.
Above all, try to keep your cast on a little bit
loose – if the stitches are too tight then you
may end up with a very tight edge that's
hard to slip over your head.
The photos
demonstrate
the steps for the
cable cast on