Italian Cast On
The Italian cast on is a one-needle tubular cast on that produces the same rounded, seamless edge as the classic tubular method without requiring waste yarn or a pickup row. It is faster than the classic tubular cast on once mastered.
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Mechanics
Cast on the first stitch with a slipknot. Subsequent stitches alternate: a "knit" cast-on stitch made by bringing the working yarn over the needle from behind, and a "purl" cast-on stitch made by bringing the yarn under from the front. The motion creates the same alternating column structure as the classic tubular cast on.
Pairing with ribbing
Designed specifically for 1x1 ribbing. After the cast on, work two setup rows of k1, slip 1 purlwise wyif (alternating on RS and WS) before beginning the ribbing proper. The setup rows establish the rounded edge.
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Why it is faster
No waste yarn, no provisional cast on, no pickup row. The full setup takes the same time as a long-tail cast on of the same stitch count. Once the alternating motion is in muscle memory, the speed difference is significant.
When it goes wrong
The most common error is reversing the direction of the yarn on the second setup row, which produces twisted stitches in the ribbing columns. If your ribbing looks twisted after the setup rows, frog and try again.
Abbreviation reference
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CO | cast on |
| sl | slip purlwise |
| wyif | with yarn in front |
Tips
- Practice the motion with scrap yarn until you can cast on 20 stitches without thinking about which direction the yarn comes from.
- Use a needle one size up for the cast-on row to keep the edge from drawing in.
- Counting the cast-on stitches is tricky — count the slipknot as one stitch.
In depth
The Italian cast on creates the same seamless tubular edge as the waste-yarn tubular cast on but in a single step. The trick is that the alternating yarn-over-front and yarn-over-back motion sets up the alternating knit and purl columns of 1x1 ribbing directly into the cast-on edge.