Casting on
Once you have your pattern, yarn, and needle selected the next thing to do is to begin your project by casting on. Casting on is the process of creating new stitches by basically looping your desired number of stitches onto a needle. There are multiple different ways to cast on, and each of these methods has a different benefit for the project and person using it.
Some cast-on examples are:
- Longtail Cast-On
- By far the most common cast-on, Longtail is great because it is easy, fast, and somewhat stretchy. You can use this on practically any project but it’s great for hats, scarves, and sweaters.
- Norwegian Cast-On
- Also known as the twisted German cast-on is very similar to the longtail cast-on but is significantly more elastic. It is most often used for socks, mittens, hats, and other projects that need a bit more stretch..
- Tubular Cast-On
- Most commonly used for hats and socks to create a stretchy edge that looks a bit rolled over. It is perfect to use on projects with ribbing, as it sort of resembles it.
- Provisional Cast-On
- A provisional cast-on is interesting because it is temporary. If you want to use a different edging or need to do something specific for a pattern you just can rip it out while still having usable stitches. Most often this cast-on is used to create the underarms on sweaters.
- Turkish Cast-On
- This cast-on is best used on projects where you want a practically invisible starting edge. Because of this, it is often used on toe-up socks to hide the seam.
After you’re done casting on your desired number of stitches, you can just start knitting!
Casting off
After finishing what you’re working on, the way to truly complete the project is to cast or bind off. Binding off is essentially the opposite of casting on, because you create an edge to your work. In this case it marks the end of the work rather than the start. The type of bind off you choose can be very important, as some projects require stretchier bind-offs.
Some bind off examples are:
- Standard Bind Off
- This cast off method is the most common, and probably one of the most easiest bind offs for any project. One thing to note with this bind off is it can be quite tight depening on your tension, so it might not be the best option for certain projects.
- Stretchy Bind Off
- The stretchy bind off is very similar to the standard bind off, but the resulting edge is much more elastic. This elasticity makes it a great choice for cuffs of mittens, socks, and hats, which all need a little bit of give.
- Kitchener Stitch
- Kitchener stitch is essentially grafting two sides of live stitches together to finish a project. Because this method relies on live stitches, it is normally used for the toes of socks and tips of mittens to seemlessly graft them closed.
- Tubular Bind Off
- This bind off is similar to the kitchener stitch but is mainly used to make a nicer edge for ribbing when casting off. It is a great choice for binding off cuffs and necklines of things.
- Picot Bind Off
- Unlike the other bind offs in this list Picot is more of a decorative cast off than simply a practical one. Using this bind off adds small beads to the edge of the work, making it perfect for shawls or decorative necklines and cuffs.
Once you’re done binding off you can weave in all your ends. To do this, you simply have to use a tapestry needle to weave the loose threads throughout your work so you can’t see them and they won’t come loose. After this, you can cut them, and get ready to block your project if necessary.