Help with thumb opening cast on

#1

I’m working on fingerless mitts designed by Rowan Design Team (British?) and am quite confused. After the gusset cast off. I’m to

“slip the last st (on right needle) from bind-off back to left needle; turn; cast on 3 sts to left needle using the cable cast-on method; turn; move working yarn to the back and slip the first st on the left needle to the right needle purlwise, and pass the last cast-on st on the right needle over.”

There’s a lot of turning and left and righting here. I got lost after the first turn. From my perspective, my working yarn is now on my right needle and I’m being asked to cast on on the left? How can that be?

#2

Welcome!
It depends on how you do the bind off. If you knit 2sts and lift one over the other, the working yarn is coming from the tip of the right hand needle (RHN) at the left edge of the cast off. If you simply slip sts to the RHN and lift one ober the other, the yarn doesn’t move. Tthe yarn is coming from the RHN but from the right edge of the cast off. Is the latter the method used in your pattern?
If so, slip the leftover stitch back to the LHN and make turn #1. The working yarn is now near the tip of the LHN. Cast on 3sts, make turn #2. Now the working yarn is at the tip of the RHN, you can complete the directions and continue knitting.
Let us know which cast off you used, just to be sure. What is the mane of the pattern?

#3

I did the basic bind off. The pattern is Softyak DK Wrist Warmers designed for Jimmy Bean’s - the May 2016 Big Beanie Bag. Don’t know if it will work, but here’s the link. https://www.jimmybeanswool.com/details/images/beanieBagsMonthly/BIGBBMay16WristWarmersV2.pdf

  1. So I did the last bind off - it’s on my right needle.
  2. I slipped that last bo st to my lhn.
  3. I turned. Now the last bo st is on my rhn and thus my working yarn is there.
  4. The next step is to co to the lhn using cable co. This is where experience fails me.
#4

OK, if you cast off that way, then the yarn is at the last stitch remaining after the bind off. Once you move that stitch back to the LHN, you’re ready to cast on the sts on the LHN.
Cast on, the yarn will end up at the end of the LHN, yarn to the back and now turn (turn #1).
Slip the stitch at the tip of the current LHN to the RHN, pass the last cast on stitch over and turn (turn #2). Right side will be facing you.
Knit across the newly cast on sts and continue to knit to the end of round.

I don’t see how you can follow the given pattern directions either. The usual place to cast on is onto the LHN. Thanks very much for the pattern link. That really helps.

#5

No problem. Thank YOU for reinterpreting the instructions! I will continue to sing the praises of Knittinghelp.com to all my fellow knitters. :grin:

I’m not sure what I hoped for more, errata or some new and amazing technique for doing thumbs.

#6

That’s very kind of you. These directions are similar to the one row buttonhole which you might also take a look at.


It seems to me that it’s a little neater.

#7

Terrific! I’ll check it out.