Do you have trouble with your cast on edge being a lot tighter than the rest of your knitting? I still do sometimes (usually when I’m doing a long-tail cast on and I’m in a hurry so I fly through it and pull tighter than I would if I were thinking about it).
The key to a loose cast on isn’t doing it on a larger needle — that just makes the loops bigger, but doesn’t do anything about the space between them.
What you really need to do is spread the stitches out as you cast on, as this post from Fringe Association notes.
How do you do that? Be mindful of the space between the stitches as you cast on, making sure you’re not bunching them all together. I often stick my thumb against the needle as I’m placing the stitch on so that the stitches sit with that much space between them.
You can also do a knit cast on instead of a long tail, which will automatically be a bit roomier and will remind you to stretch the stitches like you do while you’re knitting.
Do you have any tricks for looser cast ons? We’d love to hear them!
[Photo via Fringe Association.]
Lately I’ve been doing the ‘Russian’ cast on, which is the long tail cast on with an extra twist. It makes the cast on a little stretchier and a little more room between the stitches. I don’t think I will ever go back to just the long tail cast on.
You can also use both needles when casting on.