Hi - I am new to all of this! I have tried to do the continental cast on, and thought I finally had it. The problem is that I am ending up with the tail yarn on one end of the needle and the working yarn on the other side of the needle. How do I get them both on the correct end of the needle? I already made something, and the way I (think) I fixed it was to move the stitches onto the other needle. But I know it’s not supposed to work that way! Thanks for your help.
Casting on Question
A knitted cast on will look exactly as you described. The tail will start out on the opposite end of the needle as the working yarn.
A long tail cast on winds up with the tail and the working yarn starting off on the same end.
Normally it really doesn’t matter which end of the needle the tail is on. You just want the working yarn on the business end of the needle.
Amy has a video on how to do the long tail cast on.
Yeah, you don’t need to do anything with the tail. When you’re done with the piece, cut it to 2-3" and weave it in later. Or don’t cut it if you’re just practicing and will use the yarn again.
Thanks for the replies, Mason and Sue - my problem isn’t the tail - I am using that to loop over my hand to create the stitiches. It’s the working yarn that is ending up on the wrong place on the needle - the working yarn is on the inside of the needle and the tail yarn is on the outside. I’m thinking they should both be on the outside (end) of the needle. It’s very weird - I can’t see how it’s happening!! I will check out the video.
Okay, I just watched the video and now I see what I was doing wrong - I was somehow letting go of the working yarn when I made the stitch, and in the video she holds onto it! I’m thrilled to have gotten this - it seems like it should be easy but it’s not! Thanks, Amy
Oh you meant frontside/backside of the needle, not one end or another? Just keep watching the videos, they explain a lot of things.
Re: it seems like it should be easy but it’s not!
everything is easy once you know it!
and even the simplest of things is hard when you don’t know it!
I am a good driver… (many years of driving, and never a major accident, and 10 years since even a minor fender bender)
I live in NYC–and i can parallel park my car in a space just 6 inches longer than my car (so little room, i can’t walk between my car and the next!)
(my suburban friends need spaces the sizes of bus stops!)
but I am lousy (and hate to!) pass on a two lane road…
i get stuck behind a slow driver, and i am pertified to pass…
(i never have to do that in my city driving! )
I used to spend a week in the country (visiting my ex’s family)
but now i am divorced (and the great grandparents (and even the grandparents) have died, so i don’t even get to practice passing.
(and i know, i was terrible when i practiced 2 weeks of the year… now, with no practice…)
what is easy (parellel parking ) or hard (passing) depends on how much you practice.
and think about it–we cast on once and then follow up with many rows of knitting before we cast on again (for an other/new project)
Many knitters never really get good at casting on! (they just never get enough practice!) you can make a point of learning and practicing casting on… and soon you’ll find you are a champ!
[B]Most cast on’s are easy[/B]–once you know them… but getting from NOT Knowing to EASY? that the hard part!