Although there are many interesting cast ons, the one I invariably use is long tail. It’s quick and easy, and I can either CO in knit, in purl, or in a rib sequence, depending on the edge I want.
The only trouble knitters find with long tail is *how* long to make the tail. No one wants to find they’ve run out of tail yarn before the total # of sts have been cast on. I also don’t like to have an excessive tail length left over *after* casting on, much preferring to have just 4-6” of a tail.
So, how do I achieve this?
Firstly, I find that getting the long tail length right is easiest with the weight of yarn I knit the most – in this case, worsted to heavy worsted. I know, from experience, to allow 1” of yarn for each st, so I pull off about 10” of yarn for every 10 sts needed, then pull off almost 1 more length, for good measure.
If you’re not quite sure how long 10” is, measure the first length of yarn pulled off the ball – I keep a wood ruler near my knitting chair, for this purpose, also for measuring wraps per inch. One can also just wind the yarn around the ruler, keeping track of the wraps, letting the yarn off, when it’s too much, and continuing the winding process, until the # of inches have been pulled off, with a bit extra for the ending tail.
For bulky yarns, I pull off about 12-13” of yarn for every 10 sts. For DK wt., I pull off about 8” of yarn for every 10 sts. You get the idea!
If I’m using a wt. of yarn I don’t normally use, like sport or fingering, I will CO 15 to 20 sts, knit a few rows in St st, then stop. With the ruler handy, I will then pinch the end of the working yarn, as I slowly rip back 10 sts, then measure the amount of yarn those 10 sts required. If in doubt, I’ll rip back another 10 sts and remeasure.
I don’t always eyeball the lengths properly, so, yes, I do need to rip out a CO now and then! Alternately, one can use a tip presented by Arne & Carlos where they would just add in a separate length of the CO yarn, by pulling off enough length for the CO, then cutting the yarn and continuing to CO sts with the new tail. Or by using the outside-of-the-ball tail, or a tail from a 2nd ball of yarn.
Personally, I would only consider this method if I was casting on oodles of sts, more than 200. But then, if I was CO a lot of sts, I would just pull off way more than I think I will need. I’d much rather have a too long remaining tail, than a wonky CO edge, as a too-long tail can be trimmed, then the yarn length saved for grafting, repairs, or duplicate stitching over errors, etc.
When I weave, the thrums pile can build too quickly, requiring a system for their storage and organization, but knitting builds the pile slowly. Just a corner of a small drawer holds yarn snippets, up to a few yards in length – everything not long enough to wind into balls.
4-6” yarn snippets make (what I think are) perfect stitch markers. As I don’t like hard stitch markers, in the pile, there’s always a color to contrast with what I’m knitting, so I don’t have to fiddle with an unyielding stitch marker. It’s also one less gadget I need to buy.
I also use these short lengths to mark shaping, as seen here in a pair of wool pants, by just weaving the snippet through a few sts on the row or rnd that has shaping, to facilitate counting. If the yarn is at least the same thickness as my knitting yarn, the snippet stays put.
Longer thrums come in handy when I need to reinforce a wearing-out sock heel or ball of foot in my thicker house socks. I’m not fussy about the colors, of even the yarns used, for mending socks – no one needs to look at the bottom of my feet!
Onward!
Dawn
