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An Easy Way to Take the Guesswork Out of the Long Tail Cast On

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how to know the right length for a long tail cast onI love doing the long tail cast on. It’s what I use probably 98 percent of the time. It’s quick and easy once you know how to do it, but it can be a challenge, especially when you’re casting on a lot of stitches, to know how long your long tail should be.

A reader recently sent in this video tip that will help you make your long tail the right length every time; it’s actually the method I use most of the time when I’m casting on this way, too.

I’ll save you the click and tell you that it’s a matter of wrapping the yarn around the needle once for each stitch you need (or if you’re casting on a bunch, wrap, say, 20 times and then use that amount as a measurement to get up to the number you need).

I would add that you should do this kind of loosely because if you wrap the yarn too tightly you won’t have enough to make the stitches.

Do you do something like this when you’re estimating for a long tail cast on? Do you actually measure the length you need or do you guess? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

[Photo via Sheep Thrills.]

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Comments

  1. When doing the long-tail cast-on, I use 2 strands of yarn…either from 2 balls or from the outside and inside of 1 ball. You can cast-on any number of stitches you need without having to estimate, or without ever having a tail that ends up too long/short. Once the stitches are cast-on, you just need to cut one yarn and continue knitting with the other.

  3. Once, I cast on 100 stitches, pulled them out and stretched that yarn between my arms. Now I know if I stretch out my arms as far as they go, with the yarn in my hands, I have about 100 stitches worth of yarn. To make up for needle sizes, I generally add a bit of yarn to the final amount. It usually works out pretty close and any excess can be used for seaming, if necessary

Have you read?

Bucket Hat Knitting Patterns

As I was starting to write this post I thought that it was true that I’d never done a roundup of bucket hat knitting patterns before. But then I looked, and I actually did one last year (which you can find here) but there are plenty of cute bucket hats to do another post about, right? 

The one that made me want to write about this (again) is the Red Heart Knit Fanfare Bucket Hat from Yarnspirations. This cute striped hat can be worked in team colors, and while I might prefer a non-acrylic yarn for a summer hat, it would be fine when it’s not too hot outside (or try a cotton yarn instead). 

Claire Slade’s Sunlit Bucket Hat has an angled brim to help keep the sun out of your eyes. It’s worked from the bottom up using worsted weight cotton yarn, and comes in three sizes. You can find the pattern on Ravelry. 

Get a little air flow in your bucket hat with the Shady Bucket Hat from Wool & Beyond. This one uses DK weight yarn and an eyelet pattern throughout the body to keep it cool. It comes in sizes ranging from newborn to adult large, and is worked in one piece from the top down. You can grab the pattern (in English or Swedish) on Ravelry. 

If you’re looking for a fun, floppy sun hat for kids or adults, this pattern from Muki Crafts is a little more slouchy than a traditional bucket hat but it’s super cute. It comes in baby, toddler and bigger kid sizes and adult. I uses worsted weight yarn and is worked from the bottom up. 

Another variation on the classic bucket is this one that’s more of a cloche style. Made by branda, it uses bulky yarn so it’s more of a winter bucket hat, but now’s a fine time to knit it if you live somewhere that’s warm right now (or even more so if you live somewhere that’s cold right now). 

Another one to get you ready for colder weather is Tirmety, a two-layer bucket hat from ViTalina Craft, which has a textured stitch pattern on one side and stockinette on the other. You can wear either side out or even make them different colors if you want. The pattern is sized for toddlers, kids and adults. 

And if you want to add some extra cuteness to your bucket hat, I love this (of course totally optional but also totally adorable) embroidered deatila on the New York Bucket Hat from Pauline Fanguin. It uses two strands of DK weight yarn held together for extra sturdiness, and uses changes in needle size to shape the hat. Of course you could also knit stripes or use different textures of yarn to change up the look. This pattern is made to fit your head and is available in French and English.