First of all, thankyou for taking the time to read my post. I only recently started knitting, having taught myself from videos and online info. I’m loving it and have made good progress on a baby blanket on circular needles (just a straight forward knit) but I’ve now started my second project and have run into difficulty. Come to think of it I believe I had this problem with the blanket but just knitted through it. I want to get it right now!
I am wanting to knit a number of 10cm squares with different patterns I’m quite happy with the knit and pearl stitches.
I’m encountering 2 problems that could relate to casting on but I can’t be sure - I have done video tutorials in slow motion and swear I’m casting on (thumb method)/knitting fine… I just can’t find the route of my problems, so I must be getting something wrong. These problems are:
When knitting the first row (ie the row after I have cast on) the yarn seems to get longer and longer between the needles. With the baby blanket this meant I ended up casting on more stitches to shorten it… Which means I have a very large baby blanket!
When I am on the last stitch of the first row (ie when I’m putting a stitch onto the slip knot, I end up with a big loop once it’s transferred onto the second needle. No manner of tugging will pull this through. It’s definitely a slip knot and I’ve tried to keep it loose.
I just don’t know where I’m going wrong! I’ve tried uploading a photo so hope that’s worked.
So many thanks for any hints and tips you may be able to give me! It’s driving me up the wall! :knitting:
Welcome to the world of knitting. I think the problems you are facing are related to tension and are very common among new knitters.
When knitting the first row…the yarn seems to get longer and longer between the needles. With the baby blanket this meant I ended up casting on more stitches to shorten it… Which means I have a very large baby blanket!
The CO row is always tighter than the first actual worked row. i.e. The first worked row will be looser than the CO row. As long as your CO row and 1st row (after being worked) have the same # of sts, you’re okay. You should NOT have to add extra sts. After working a couple of rows, things will take shape and start to appear how they should (i.e. more even).
When I am on the last stitch of the first row (ie when I’m putting a stitch onto the slip knot, I end up with a big loop once it’s transferred onto the second needle. No manner of tugging will pull this through. It’s definitely a slip knot and I’ve tried to keep it loose.
Happens to us all. No correction needed. Turn the work. Give the yarn a little tug and work the first stitch for the next row.
Later you may try slipping edge sts to create a more even edge, but learning how to work the edge sts as evenly as possible is a good skill to work on when you are starting out.
Do you mean that the yarn on the cast on gets longer between the stitches? You say you’re using the thumb method. If this is the backward loop cast on, that would cause the cast on to have lots of extra yarn. It’s not really suitable for a general use cast on. You could try the long tail cast on or knitted cast on instead. Videos for both are available on site here.
How are you casting on more stitches to shorten the strands between stitches? Are you just looping the yarn around the needle?
Welcome to the forum!
That strand of yarn that gets longer and longer is due to the thumb loop cast on. I agrre with GG, try the long tail cast on or a knit cast on. The knit cast on uses the knit stitch which you already know. Both are shown on the Free Videos tab at the top of the page under Cast Ons.
I think either of these cast ons will avoid the large loop from the slip knot. The long tail can be started without a slip knot and the knit cast on can be started with a single thumb loop which can be tightened later.
Thank you so much for your replies! This website is a brilliant resource. I’ve never posted on a forum before so really great to have a response! Thankyou!
In reply to RochesterKnitter - I do have the same number of stitches from cast row to 1st row. I was adding more onto my cast on row to use up the yarn (whilst I was on my first row, rather than adding additional stitches to my first row). In terms of giving it a tug, I’m still left with quite a big loop with the slipknot maybe a cm or 2 away from the needle and I’m still not sure this is normal.
GrumpyGramma - That is interesting about the cast on. The yarn distance between the needles is increasing after every stitch I make on the first row. It just gets longer and longer… … to give you an idea (you might laugh here!) with the baby blanket I cast on 55. I thought it wasn’t big enough so I cast on 100. I continued to my first row and with this yarn growth over the first row I ended up having to cast on another 50 to use it up!! (I did this using the thumb method I was using). It will be the most ginormous baby blanket! So anyway, it sounds like there is a problem with my cast on, and I will check out and give your recommendations a try tonight.
Salmonmac - thats great you agree - and I will check the videos out - I had gone for the easiest looking option in terms of cast on so I’ll just have to learn a new one. This definitely seems to be the root of my problems
I’ll give it a go tonight and let you know how I get on - thanks for your help!! :knitting:
I misunderstood your original post then, thinking that you were adding sts on the 1st row to use up the excess/loopy yarn from the CO row.
Regarding the thumb CO (aka backwards loop): I use this CO ALL the time. If anything, this CO method is a very tight CO method (i.e. not stretchy) and hated by most advanced knitters. I LIKE it because I never have to pre-measure yarn (for the long-tail) and only have a short tail to weave in when I am done. This short tail, hanging from the slip-knot, should NOT be used to CO additional sts. It gets woven in, like any other yarn end. It sounds like you have excess yarn betwen the slip knot and the first/next casted on loop. I’m not sure why, except that it may have to do with how you are making your slip knot. I make my slip knots like this. A photo might help if you feel that we are still not assessing your problem correctly. Good Luck.
Forty some years ago I taught myself to knit and I used the backward loop cast on. It was the one in the book I had and I didn’t even know there were any others! I still use it and I still come across this same problem if I’m not paying attention.
What’s happening is that after you knit a CO st, you are pulling your needles apart ever so slightly. This pulls on the last CO st you worked. Because it no longer has the needle to keep its shape and size, the st becomes smaller and the extra yarn in now between the needles. That’s why the yarn gets longer with every st. Take a look at your cast on row after you’ve worked it and you should see that the cast on sts are now a lot smaller than the diameter of your needles. That’s also why you end up with a large loop at the end of your row before you work the slipknot – it’s the result of all those tightened CO sts!
If you keep using this CO method – and I use it all the time! – just try to be aware of what you’re doing between sts and keep your needles as close to each other as possible. You may still end up with a longer length of yarn than you should, but it will be a lot less than now. And what little extra you do end up with should work itself back into the body of your project over time and/or with washing/blocking.
