Cast On, Bind Off (29 page)

Loop the yarn around the top needle, with the tail sandwiched between the top needle and the bottom needle and coming out the back. The tail should have approximately ¾″ for each stitch you are casting on. The working yarn will go over the top needle.

Pick up the yarns with your left hand in the slingshot position, with the tail over your index finger and the working yarn over your thumb. This twists the yarns and creates a loop on the top needle that counts as the first stitch.

While holding the stitch in place with a finger on your right hand, rotate the pair of needles up and wrap the yarn on your finger around the bottom needle, as if making a yarnover. Gently tighten the loop.

Rotate the pair of needles downward and wrap the thumb yarn around the top needle as if making a yarnover. Gently tighten the loop.

Repeat steps 4 and 5 to cast on the desired number of stitches. Alternate between top and bottom needles, with thumb yarn wrapping around top needle and finger yarn wrapping around bottom needle. End with step 4.

Turn the needles so that the bottom one is on top and the yarn ends on the right. Drop the tail and bring the working yarn up behind the top needle. Make sure the tail lies under the working yarn, between it and the needle. This twists the yarns so you can knit the first stitch. Knit the first row. The first stitch may become a little loose; just pull on the tail to tighten it.

Turn needles at end of first row and knit the next row (the second half of the first round).

a.k.a. Middle Eastern

The Turkish is probably the easiest
of the double-sided cast ons to learn and remember, because you are just wrapping yarn around the needles. And precisely because you are just wrapping around both needles, it tends to get a bit loose and is harder to maintain even, neat stitches.

Extras
Two same-size circular needles