Cast On, Bind Off (6 page)

CHARACTERISTICS

• Elastic edge

• Loops between stitches can look sloppy

GOOD FOR

• Adding stitches at the ends and middles of rows, such as the underarm of a top-down sweater or base of a mitten's thumb

Make a slip knot, leaving a short tail (approximately 4″), and place it on a needle.

Position the working yarn (the yarn going from the needle to the ball) so that it comes from the needle in between your fingers and thumb, and then outside and around your thumb.

Insert the needle tip under the loop of yarn on the outside of your thumb.

Let the loop slide off your thumb and gently tighten.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the desired number of stitches.

This cast
on takes the Backward Loop Cast On (
page 20
) and adds an extra twist to it. And in doing so, it makes a firmer, more attractive edge. It is excellent for buttonholes and any place where you need to add stitches at the end of a row. My friend Nina was delighted to show me this way of casting on. I have since found it mentioned in a few books, but it is usually made with a loop that is double twisted before putting it on the needle, which I find awkward to do. Nina's method, shown to her by a friend's grandmother, is easy and very quick once you get the movements down.

CHARACTERISTICS