[silver_queen]

I am trying to learn to knit. I have watched many vids on the internet and read how to do it on the internet and all I have managed so far is to work out how to make the slipknot. I am wanting to learn the knitted cast-on. Has anyone got any tips or instructions on exactly how to do it? I have the needles and the yarn.

[lindee]

Have you tried knittinghelp.com?

[silver_queen]

Originally Posted by lindee

Have you tried knittinghelp.com?

Yep I have, those vids didn't help me either.

[froggie2]

Originally Posted by silver_queen

Yep I have, those vids didn't help me either.

Seems to me someone was asking this before. it wasn't you was it? Anyway I am with you I have tried and tried. My slip knot is pretty hot though. I swear every time i try to cast on it is different. My mother could do everything ,unfortunatley I didn't inherit her skills. Doesn't notthemama knit? What I have done is make the slip know and then pick up wool and turn it right around and then slip that on the needle. I don't know if that is right though. Good Luck.

[Rapunzel]

That could be it. For a knitted cast-on, if you are right-handed, you would hold the needle with the slip knot in your left hand. The right needle goes into the loop on the left needle, picks up more yarn, and brings it through to the front, and places it on the left needle, making a new loop. Repeat until you have cast on the desired number of stitches.

I don't know if that helps or not. It's easier to show someone than to explain it. Is there a yarn store near you? At good yarn stores, they are almost always very happy to show you how to do whatever you aren't sure about.

[splitimage]

I took a learn to knit class over 2 weekends. It was really cheap - like $20 for 4 hours at a local knitting supply shop. Most of the yarn stores up here have classes that are relatively inexpensive and it's a good way to learn.

In my first class we learned to cast on and knit, then we had a week to knit scarf, then in the second class we learned to cast off and make a fringe for the scarf.

The best way I can describe casting on is, once you have the initial slip knot on your needle, put the other needle through it. Wrap the yarn, over the needle, like in a knit stich, with the tip of your needle, pull the yarn through the stitch on the other needle. This is tricky and I sometimes have to use my finger to help hold it in place, then slide the new loop over the needle. I'm still really slow at it.

Good luck, and maybe try taking a course.

--splitimage

[silver_queen]

I don't think I am ever going to get the hang of it

[silver_queen]

Originally Posted by Rapunzel

That could be it. For a knitted cast-on, if you are right-handed, you would hold the needle with the slip knot in your left hand. The right needle goes into the loop on the left needle, picks up more yarn, and brings it through to the front, and places it on the left needle, making a new loop. Repeat until you have cast on the desired number of stitches.

How do you go from having the slipknot on both needles to having the slipknot only on the left? Nobody ever says how to do that.

I know you're supposed to wrap yarn around the needle from back to front to make a loop. HOW? It isn't a loop when just draping the yarn over the needle, it doesn't DO anything!

As you might be able to tell, I'm finding this incredibly frustrating

[Rapunzel]

They used to have hooks, like crochet hooks, on the ends of knitting needles, but hundreds of years ago they figured out that the hooks mostly got in the way. But for the knitted cast on, hooks might be useful. What you're doing is grabbing the yarn in back and pulling it back through the loop on the left needle, and twisting it into a new loop and putting it on the left needle. Then you do it again. This cast-on can look very nice, but it is one of the harder ones to do, I think. I'm a pretty fast knitter when I get going, and I'm not fast or coordinated at this particular cast-on either. I can do it, and I do use it, but others are more comfortable. Don't feel bad or be hard on yourself if you are finding it challenging. Most of the time it would be fine to substitute a different cast-on that you like better or can do more easily.

[Beholden]

Hey Splitimage,

Great you're teaching yourself to knit. Like the others posted, it is hard to learn from a video or to try to tell someone. You Tube has a lot of lessons. Sorry I didn't look some of them up before I go on PC tonight.

The "cable cast on" is the one someone talked about in one of the above replies. As opposed to the "long tail" cast on. One advantage to the cable cast on is you don't have to "guestamate" the amount of yarn you need like in the long tail method. You simply start a few inches from the end of the yarn.

google cable cast on see if you can find a video.

I'll try to explain it.

You have the hardest part accomplished by learning the slip knot so far!

1. The needle with the slip knot is in the left hand.

2. With the right hand needle (RHN), put it into the slip knot, front to back

3. Wrap the "working" yarn around the point of the RHN, as if you are doing
a knit stitch (working yarn is that which leads to the ball, not the short
one (the beginning end that you start with).

4. Pull up a loop (from the yarn around the point above) with the RHN, and
place it on the LHN, forming a stitch. You now have 2 stitches on LHN.

5. You repeat again, putting the RHN into that newly formed stitch rather
than the slip knot, until you have completed the required number of
stitches needed.

I like this method when I have a large number of stitches.

Hope this helps. It would be great for you to have someone demonstrate and then you copy them. At least that helps for me. I have to see it and do it before I get it most of the time. I'll look for a "You Tube" video and reply again. After dinner. Got to go for now.

[Beholden]

Sorry, I wrote my reply to Splitimage, I meant silver queen.

I just googled with keywords "you tube cable cast on" and there were several videos to choose from. good luck, let us know how you are doing.

Pex

[Beholden]

make a slip knot on a needle and hold that in your left hand.
knit into the knot, but don't slip the old stitch off the left needle.
You'll have a stitch on the left needle and a new one on the right needle.
slip the one on the right needle onto the left needle.
knit into that stitch, again, not slipping it off the needle.
transfer the new stitch onto the left needle.
keep going until you have the right number of stitches on the left needle.


Here are the steps I copied and pasted from one reference.

Hi Silver Queen,

this is a video of a knitted cast on.

its a step beyond the straight cast on which is what Heygimm gave dorections for.

the left thumb recreates the straight cast on loop and the forefinger relaces the right hand.

all knitting is making a new loop out of an old one. when making the new loop with the needle pull it towards your chest .

after you get how many you want on your needle the needle replaces the thumb in the video and you add the new needle in your right hand. the yarn thats around the fore finger becomes your looping finger on te left or right hand.

depending on what style of knitting you want to learn depends on which side your looping thread is on.

one loops and tentions the yarn on the right hand/finger ( my style) that holds the right needle

the other tentions and loops using the left hand / finger . thats holds the left needle.

the latter is supposed to be faster .
the right has to make more of an effort to loop the yarn around the needle .

If your left handed .. well do it in reverse of the video.

good luck

Patricia