Muggle Knitting: The Basics
written by Rosalina Milanette
Knitting is an old art, dating back hundreds of years ago. In this book, step by step instructions will be given for basic knittiing.
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
6
Reads
467
Casting on
Chapter 2
Casting on:
To begin, we need to get the yarn looped onto the needles; we do this by casting on. There are, well, a lot of different ways to cast on, and we'll learn several methods as we go through the class. However, pretty much all the basic cast ons require a slipknot to start, so let's take a look at how to make one of those.
Making a slipknot
Hold the yarn between your thumb and index finger, about where you want the knot to end up. Wrap the working yarn around your index and middle fingers, letting the working yarn hang behind. Pull the working yarn in through the loop created on your fingers and tighten — but not too much, or you'll lose your knot. You can now adjust the size of your loop by pulling on the working yarn (to make a smaller loop) or on the loop itself (to make a larger loop).
Unless otherwise stated in your instructions, the slipknot will count as your first cast-on stitch.
Loop Cast On:
Of all the different cast ons, the Loop method is probably the easiest to learn. It's not always the easiest to knit evenly, but since we're just starting out, we want to get the yarn on the needle quickly, and this is a very quick and simple way to do it.
To start, make a slipknot in your yarn, leaving 4 or 5 inches free as a tail (that will be pulled in later). Place the slipknot on your LH needle (left hand needle, meaning the needle you hold in your left hand... clearly), with your working yarn facing the needle tip. Adjust the size of your slipknot so it fits comfortably (slightly loosely) on the needle. (If you can fit two needles securely, that's probably a good size.)
Now, the fun part. Take the working yarn in your right hand and and grab it in a 'thumbs up' gesture. This should put the working yarn in your curled-up fingers. Place your thumb on top of the yarn and, in a nice, smooth motion, wrap your thumb around the yarn. Then, starting at the base of your thumb, take the tip of your left needle and transfer the loop from your thumb to the needle.
If looping the yarn onto your right thumb is awkward for you, try the Backward Loop Cast On. I find the easiest way to do this is to follow the instructions for the Loop Cast On, except you're using the RH (right hand) needle and your left hand to do this.
To begin, we need to get the yarn looped onto the needles; we do this by casting on. There are, well, a lot of different ways to cast on, and we'll learn several methods as we go through the class. However, pretty much all the basic cast ons require a slipknot to start, so let's take a look at how to make one of those.
Making a slipknot
Hold the yarn between your thumb and index finger, about where you want the knot to end up. Wrap the working yarn around your index and middle fingers, letting the working yarn hang behind. Pull the working yarn in through the loop created on your fingers and tighten — but not too much, or you'll lose your knot. You can now adjust the size of your loop by pulling on the working yarn (to make a smaller loop) or on the loop itself (to make a larger loop).
Unless otherwise stated in your instructions, the slipknot will count as your first cast-on stitch.
Loop Cast On:
Of all the different cast ons, the Loop method is probably the easiest to learn. It's not always the easiest to knit evenly, but since we're just starting out, we want to get the yarn on the needle quickly, and this is a very quick and simple way to do it.
To start, make a slipknot in your yarn, leaving 4 or 5 inches free as a tail (that will be pulled in later). Place the slipknot on your LH needle (left hand needle, meaning the needle you hold in your left hand... clearly), with your working yarn facing the needle tip. Adjust the size of your slipknot so it fits comfortably (slightly loosely) on the needle. (If you can fit two needles securely, that's probably a good size.)
Now, the fun part. Take the working yarn in your right hand and and grab it in a 'thumbs up' gesture. This should put the working yarn in your curled-up fingers. Place your thumb on top of the yarn and, in a nice, smooth motion, wrap your thumb around the yarn. Then, starting at the base of your thumb, take the tip of your left needle and transfer the loop from your thumb to the needle.
If looping the yarn onto your right thumb is awkward for you, try the Backward Loop Cast On. I find the easiest way to do this is to follow the instructions for the Loop Cast On, except you're using the RH (right hand) needle and your left hand to do this.
