Ok, I did it this morning and don’t have it in front of me, but…
I CO 20. When I did my first row (purl, b/c the video said the CO makes a knit row), I ended up doing 21 P. I think the CO makes 2 loops on the needle - should I have skipped the first one, or the last one or something?
If the long-tail CO makes a row of K, then if a pattern says, CO, then do a K row, do I skip that and start right with the P row instead? What if it was something like this:
CO 40
row 1: knit across
row 2: P across
Countinue rows 1 & 2 for 10 more rows
Would my row-count be off if I used the long-tail CO? Not so worried if it’s a pattern that says “continue until X inches long”, but even then, it often says “end on a purl row” - wouldn’t I be backwards since my row 1 was purl instead of knit?
What are the times when you shouldn’t use the long-tail CO? For example, if the pattern was:
CO 40
row 1: K1, P1 across
etc…
Then would I be messing it up by having that “magic knit row” created by the cast on?
I totally think I’m going to have to run to the yarn store at lunch today and get some advice - I think I have the CO, P, and K methods down, but I’m afraid all these little things are going to ruin my work!
The slipknot or loop used to start it is considered casting on a stitch, so if you did that then counted 20 more, you actually cast on 21.
I don’t agree that this cast on makes your first knit row, it’s just a cast on, so I always start with the first row in the pattern. You can decide for yourself if you want to start the pattern with the knit or purl row, it doesn’t matter. And if the pattern says to end with a purl row, you end with a purl row and the next row will be a knit row. You can use the longtail for a ribbed pattern, it’s not that crucial, and nothing will be messed up.
There are people who don’t worry about that first automatically knitted row in a long-tail cast on. And they are perfectly right-- it’s knitting: why worry?! However, I am currently working on the knitting masters programme through the Knitting Guild of America and their rules for acceptance of swatches are that that first automatically knitted row in LT cast on is very definitely a first, knitted row. So if you had a pattern that said using LT method, cast on 20 sts, and then K 1 row, P 1 row, you would begin with the second, that is, purled, row. If you don’t, you get a first row of purl bumps on the outside of your fabric, at the bottom. But some like it, or don’t care, and that’s just their preference. Also, a friend of mine did a fibre arts degree many years ago, and if you didn’t count that automatically knitted first row in LT cast on as having knit your first row, and so then knit the actually first row you worked after cast on, therefore creating that mini-row of purl bumps, your item would get a failing grade. They were adament about that being the correct form. But hey, it’s just knitting, so unless you doing an official programme, then what the hell. . .
As for the example you gave in the question about whether to ever NOT use the LT cast on-- It doesn’t create any problem whatsoever. The only thing in that situation is to be sure to cast on loosely-- if you don’t, the rib won’t stretch well.
I am also one that doesn’t count the cast on row as the first row. It just makes life easier especially if you have to count rows for something in the pattern later.
