Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Make Your Cast On Looser for Knitting Success

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Try this simple tip for relaxing your cast on in knitting.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.]

Comments

  1. 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.

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Pencil Knitting Patterns

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns! 

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil. 

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn. 

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point. 

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up. 

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.