Ok, apparently I’m going to have 385 questions about this project. I’m working on Fetching from Knitty. I’m assuming they want you to do a cable cast on since they tell you where to go to find out how to do it. Problem is, I’ve never done it. I’ve always done long-tail CO. I followed the video here on the site and I understand how to do it, but it’s very difficult for me to do. How important is it that I do a cable CO? If I do a long-tail CO instead will it make a huge difference?
I’d go ahead and do long-tail. Cable cast on might be a bit stretchier, but if it’s uneven it won’t look good anyway. Just don’t cast on too tightly.
Thanks, Ingrid! 
Hey Ingrid,
Is your cable cast on more stretchy than your long-tail CO? I would’ve thought that should be the case (from my limited experience) but I’ve just read two different knitting books that insist cable CO is not as elastic as long-tail CO and therefore long-tail CO is better for things like hats or socks that you want some stretch in.
Maybe it depends on the knitter?
To be honest, I only use long tail, unless I need to do a provisional. I know that some people are very particular about their cast-on. I’m not sure of the differences, except that I find long-tail easier and neater for me. I could very well be mistaken about the relative stretchiness.
I think that some patterns may specify a certain cast on only because that’s what the designer happens to prefer.