Cast On, Bind Off (30 page)
Authors: Leslie Ann Bestor
CHARACTERISTICS
⢠Invisible beginning
⢠Can be a little loose and sloppy
GOOD FOR
⢠Toe-up socks
⢠Bags
⢠Top-down hats and mittens
Hold needles parallel in your left hand with the needle tips pointing right and the yarn held behind the needles, with the tail hanging down in the back.
Working left to right, wrap the yarn around both needles counterclockwise. Wrap the yarn half as many times as the desired number of stitches (that is, if the pattern calls for casting on 20 stitches, wrap it 10 times around the needles). End with yarn behind the needles. Make sure that you have an equal number of wraps around each needle.
Pull the bottom needle so that the bottom loops are on the cable of the needle, allowing the tips to dangle.
Knit across the stitches on the top needle.
Rotate your work so the bottom needle is now on top and turn to knit across the needle. Slide the loops of the top needle to the tip so they are ready to knit; slide the bottom stitches onto the cable of that needle.
Knit across the stitches on the top needle. If you want to switch to double-point needles, do so after the first row or two of knitting.
Getting It Right
This cast on can also be started with a slip knot to hold the yarn in place. To begin, make a slip knot and place it on the bottom needle. Then wrap the yarn as in step 2. When you reach the slip knot on the first round of knitting, just slip it off the needle without knitting it.