Hello KH!
Long time lurcher, first time poster 
Quick background - Iâm a left-handed man whoâs learning how to knit ever since my wife got pregnant with our first baby. Weâve been told itâs a boy, so have been teaching myself how to knit using KH, Knitting With Balls (book for men!), and Debbie Blissâ baby knits for beginners.
Been ok till now, HUGE fun! Made some scarves for my wife and a sweater and hat for the baby.
SO - today I stumbled upon these really nice booties (pattern). They seem easy enough but before I start a project I experiment (usually in the middle of the night!) with some spare yarn.
Now, my issue is with the strands. If you care to look there youâll see that to make the strands you knit some stitches, then bind some off, then knit the rest (rows 24 and 25) That, I can do.
The difficult bit is the part where it says for the next row you should knit some stitches, then cast on some more using long tail cast on and a second strand of yarn as the thumb strand⌠and here ladies and gentlemen I am lostâŚ
Now I almost always cast on using the long-tail method, so no problem there, but I have no clue how to do it using 2 separate strands (which I presume is what itâs asking, ie the working yarn is on the finger and another piece is for the thumb).
Would love it if someone could explain it to me or set me right! The booties seem simple enough to make if only I could figure out this part!
And thank you for reading this long post!
I looked at the pattern-- darling booties, by the way!-- and I think I understand what they want you to do. But having said that, I personally wouldnât do it:) .
Hereâs the thing-- they seem to want you to do a long-tail cast on at the end of the row, after youâve knit the 10 sts already on the needle. This means that you have to end up exactly where the 10 sts left off, or youâll have a gap. What I would do, and what is called for in many patterns, is the use the backward loop cast-on (there is a video for that on here). The strap will be a very tiny bit thinner because of that, but the other way seems like such a pain to me.
I donât understand the problem with using the long tail cast-on that imrachel mentions. But⌠I thought, âOkay, a long tail cast on with two different yarns.â I thought I should be able to do it, but couldnât. I think the problem is not having a slip knot to begin with. lol I know people use two different yarns to do long tail all the time, it is supposed to be an improved method because you donât have to worry about your long tail running out because it is a separate ball. If I put a slip knot on the needle with the new yarn, that I then hold on my thumb, and use the yarn I already had as the other yarn, I can do it. But they didnât say to do a slip knot and that may wreck things. I usually use the old fashioned thumb method of doing the LT anyway which may be easier to understand here.
Iâm not sure why long tail would be superior here. It seems you could do the backward loop as imrachel said or the knitted cast on or cable cast on. Whatever one you use, use the same one for both of the straps, so that they match.
You could experiment with the slip knot and long tail, I think you can figure out how to do it with a slip knot to anchor it to the needle, otherwise everything wanted to just disappear on me. If LT doesnât work try one of the others. It might look slightly different than what they did, but those other cast-ons are commonly used in similar situations.
Good luck. Have you shown your baby items in the gallery? We would be glad to ooo and aaaah over them.
Is there a gallery?
Iâll post some pics there but they are as beginner as can be 
Baby isnât out yet (June!) so when he is weâll make sure heâs wearing all his daddyâs garments. Heâs already expressed an interest in them by kicking when I show his mum the stuff. Or thatâs what she tells meâŚ
Right⌠so I should try to do any cast on that I am comfortable with. TBH Iâve only every cast on using the long-tail method (found it easy to do) so I guess now itâs time to learn different cast ons and find one that works for these straps.
Thanks!
Sjaartjeâs booties are so cute â but be warned, lots of seaming and ends to weave in. You might want to give this version by Fleegle a try!
OK so the single loop cast on is too tight, I just canât start knitting from it 
The knit-on cast is fine but I seem to make it too lose
Problem is, after finishing the right strap and binding it off, I donât know what to do with the left one The working yarn is still part of the right strap⌠am I meant to cut it off?
These boots [I]seemed[/I] easy enough
Ah! now that second version is a lot easier and yes for beginners so great!
Thanks so much⌠was getting frustrated at myself for not knowing what to do with the original pattern.
The advantage, in general, for the long-tail cast on, is that youâre knitting the first row when you do it. Itâs more solid a foundation for the first row you actually work. Apologies-- I didnât explain it well in my other post-- but the problem is that when you are adding it on to a piece already worked, as you do in this bootie pattern, you have to add on another piece of yarn. It can be a bit hard to manage and can create a gap or the first sts can be too loose, and then youâve got that extra tail to sew in, which especially in something so tiny, adds bulk. So thatâs why I said to just try the backwards loop cast on here-- itâll just be so much easier to do.
Or, as it seems as been suggested, just use another pattern:).
And yes, there is a forum on here for finished objects! Do post pix! And here, or anywhere else, you can post pix of things youâre working on, which always helps when you have a question.
Good deal with the new pattern. I love doing things in the round and avoiding seams.
The âgalleryâ is the folder called âWhat 'cha Knittin?â. KH folks are great encouragers!
