Good morning fellow knitters, crafters, needleworkers, fiber artists, and homesteaders of Steemit! And a happy #needleworkmonday to you all.
First off, I'd like to thank everyone who supported my first Knit With Me post--how exciting to see it have such success! I hope that means it was helpful to lots of you. Before we continue with the second post in the washcloth series, I'd like to take a step back to focus on a fundamental part of knitting: the cast-on. As this is step 1 in any knitting project you'll ever do, I thought I'd present 3 basic cast-ons. Between the 3 of these, you should find something that works for most any project. I myself use the last one for most projects these days. I'll present them below in order of difficulty, from simplest to most complicated. But don't worry--with a little practice you'll be able to get the swing of all three in no time!
1. The Loop Cast-On
This is easiest cast-on in knitting, I swear. The Loop Cast-On (also known as the backwards loop, single cast-on, or thumb cast-on) is a good general cast-on and great for beginner knitters who aren't looking for anything too fancy. The one drawback is that it doesn't create the strongest edge. I personally would not use it for clothing or garments--things that'll get a lot of wear and should be able to stand up to some strain and stretching. But for a decorative knit or something that won't be subjected to lots of handling or washing, this can be a great way to begin.
2. The Knitted Cast-On
This one is already familiar to those of you who followed my last Knit With Me post, as it's what we used to make our Seed Stitch Washcloth. It's another relatively straightforward cast-on, though a bit more complicated that the Loop Cast-on. One of the main benefits of the Knitted Cast-On is that you get to practice your knit stitch as you go, so it can be helpful for beginner knitters. Another benefit is that you do not have to estimate how much yarn will be used in the cast-on (as we'll see in the next one), eliminating the risk on not enough/way too much yarn. Again, this is a good all-purpose cast-on and definitely sturdier than the Loop Cast-On. It can create a looser edge which some people may not enjoy, but that mainly depends on your own knitting style and the tension at which you tend to knit. Overall, it's definitely worth knowing and playing around with; you may find that it's one of your go-tos for projects!
3. The Long-Tail Cast-On
We're getting into the realm of intermediate-level cast-ons with this one, but I know that plenty of you out there are (or soon will be) totally capable of this one. This is actually the cast-on I use most, as it creates an even edge with decent stretch--important for lots of clothing and accessories (think socks, sleeves, hats, necks; you want some stretch in all of those). I'm not alone in turning to this cast-on, it's one of the most common ones for the reasons I just mentioned. For certain projects you'll want a more specialized cast-on, but this one works for many different types of knits and has advantages that the first two don't offer. The only drawback to it is that it used a so-called "long-tail," which means you have to estimate how much yarn will be used in the cast-on before you even begin. This can be tricky to figure out at first (in fact, it still is for me!), but if you have a bit of patience and are willing to undo your cast-on once or twice, you'll get it eventually and have a better edge for it. There are a few different tricks for figuring out how much yarn you'll need and though I haven't found one yet that works for me, writing this has inspired me to give it another go!
