this is how I cast on

I always cast on using two needles.

I do this for several reasons, one of which happens to be that this is how my mom told me to do it when she taught me to knit - I was eight.  But I continue to use this method because it allows me to pull each stitch taught, creating stitches of exactly the same size with even tension. This method also creates nice, loose stitches so that hems, cuffs and necklines won't pull.   Finally, casting on with two needles is super fast because you don't have to worry about keeping even tension or making the stitches so tight that they become difficult to knit. 

As for needle size, I usually go down a needle size from the needle I will be knitting with.  For example, for this project I will be using a size 8 so I cast on using two size 7 needles held together.  (this is not a hard and fast rule - often I use the same size as the working needle held together)

To begin knitting, I gently pull out one of the two needles and knit the stitches off onto my working needle.  The photo below shows how neat and even the stitches look after the second needle is pulled out.  

Then I simply knit the stitches onto my working needle.  (in this case I am using a circular needle)

When the pattern calls for joining in the round, I usually knit off the first row and join on the second row.

And what are all these stitches going to become?  Why the Diminishing Rib Cardigan, of course!  But it looks like this one will take a while.

Edited to add:  It was just brought to my attention that I neglected to state that this pattern calls for a tubular cast-on.  I chose, instead, to do a regular long-tail cast-on because I like the way the 'chain' that the long-tail makes looks around the neckline.  If you are casting on for this sweater using the tubular cast-on then disregard my method. 

My two-needle cast-on really works best for long-tail cast-on.

And I leave you with a photo of my lunch, dump salad II, thrown together in a moment of great hunger and great frustration when I came home after taking my 'no-longer-sewing' sewing machine to be serviced.  Argh!

Thanks for hanging in there to the end!

How do you cast on?

Comments

[sarah]

i was going to do what you did...an asian women i met by chance at a show just came up to me and told me she wanted to show me how her granmother taught her. it was wierd, but anyway i didn't remember until you said it.
i did a knitted cast-on, but only have a couple rows done so i may go back and start again. did you cast on all your stitches on the two needles? like i'll need 103. i'm a little confused right now. but i look again in the morning. i'm pretty sure i can figure it.
it will be fun to see our progress together!
sarah

[Courtney]

LOVE that sweater pattern! I'd love to know what yarn you're using here.

And thanks for sharing the cast-on method you use ... I'll have to try it next time!

[sheepishone]

yes, the double needle cast on is nice and uniform.
dump salad. i so need to absorb that term into my vocabulary. my great-grandmother would do something similar with like leftovers: pytt i panna. (literally, it means "put it in the pan" in swedish.)

[larissa]

Sarah, you can try long-tail using this method or you can stick with the tubular cast-on. It'll look great either way.

Courtney, yes, it's a great pattern - and super simple. the yarn is Sublime cashmere merino silk aran in 'shade 0009.' I purchased it on discount from WEBS.

sheepishone, dump salad is delicious and there's just one bowl to wash! can't beat that!

[kristyn]

my knitting teacher taught me to knit to cast on- I'm sure there's an official name for it {that I don't know}. thanks for the great tips! I'll stop back here for a tutorial.

[Lisa Q]

I use a long tail cast on and just use one needle. I'll have to give this a try when I start my rusted root. I usually get pretty even stitches so I'll have to see the difference. thanks for sharing.