Long-Tail Cast On
The long-tail cast on is the workhorse cast on of Western knitting. It produces a tidy, moderately stretchy edge that doubles as the first row of stockinette, so it works for almost any project that begins on right-side stockinette. Allow roughly three times the width of your cast-on edge as a leading tail.
Recommended A printable technique cheat-sheet for your knitting bag.
What it gives you
A firm-but-elastic edge that lies flat and matches stockinette in tension. The "purl bumps" that form on the wrong side of the cast-on are actually the first wrong-side row, which is why you start your pattern on a right-side row immediately afterwards.
How the hand position works
The yarn loops around your thumb and index finger to form a slingshot; the needle dips through the thumb loop, picks up the index strand, and brings it back through. The thumb loop is your tail; the index loop is your working yarn. Slow down and watch which strand you grab.
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Estimating the tail
Wrap your yarn loosely around the needle once for each cast-on stitch, then add a few extra wraps for insurance. For a project of 100 stitches in worsted, allow about a metre of tail. Running short mid-cast-on is the most common beginner frustration with this method.
When to choose something else
Long-tail is too rigid for the top of toe-up socks, the lower edge of bottom-up sweaters in true ribbing, and lace shawls that need maximum stretch. For those, use German Twisted, tubular, or Jeny's Stretchy Slipknot Cast On instead.
Abbreviation reference
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Long-tail CO | long-tail cast on |
| CO | cast on |
| MC | main colour |
Tips
- Cast on over two needles held together for a slightly looser, more elastic edge.
- If you keep running out of tail, switch to long-tail in two strands: one ball for the tail, one for the working yarn.
- The first stitch is the slipknot; some knitters drop and re-tie it after the first row to avoid a visible bump.
In depth
The long-tail cast on simultaneously casts on stitches and works the first row in one motion, which is why the resulting edge already looks like the start of stockinette. Counting the loops on the needle counts as one row when you measure for length.