You’ve got your yarn. You’ve got your needles. But… the question is: how do you get the yarn onto the knitting needles? The answer: cast on your stitches! “Casting on” means you’re creating beginning stitches for your knitting project. It’s how you get the yarn onto the needle so you can start knitting! The stitches you cast on become your foundation row in your project – in other words, it’s the very first row of stitches you’ll either knit, purl or do some kind of combination of those stitch types to get your project going.

There are a lot of different ways you can cast on yarn, ranging from beginner to advanced. In this knitting tutorial, you’ll learn 2 very simple techniques for casting on stitches. These are perfect for new knitters, because they’re the basic cast ons that you’ll find in projects like a scarf, hat, pouch or similar.

All knitting projects start here – you need stitches to knit, and you need them on a set of needles! Once you’ve mastered these 2 cast-on techniques, you’ll have an easy way to start any project. These 2 methods are perfect for pretty much any type of yarn, and any needle size, too.

Pro-tip: don’t get discouraged! Casting on can feel intimidating, but with a little practice, you’ll get it down. I’ve got a video tutorial for each method below to help you build that confidence!

Cast-On First Step: the Slip Knot

Believe it or not, before you can begin casting on anything, you’ll need to put a slip knot on either the right or left needle (depending on the type of cast on you’re doing).

A slip knot is pretty simple! The video below will walk you through.

Here are the steps to create a slip knot if you prefer to read instructions: 

Step 1: Pull out about 5-6″ of yarn for your tail from the ball of yarn you’ll be using in your project.

Step 2: Hold the tail in your left hand at the point where you’ll make the slip knot (leaving the 5-6″ of yarn dangling down). With your right hand, wrap the yarn connected to the ball you’re using two times around your pointer and middle fingers. You’ll have 2 loops facing you on your fingers, and 1 loop facing the ball of yarn.

Step 3: Pull out the loop that’s facing the ball of yarn, and push the yarn connected to the ball through that loop.

Step 4: Remove your point and middle fingers. Hold the knot you’ve created and tug the tail to tighten it.

Step 5: Place the tightened slip knot on the needles you’re using for your project, and pull the tail and working yarn (the yarn end connected to the ball of yarn you’re using) away from each other to shrink the size of the loop so it fits on your needle.

And that’s how to create a slip knot! Once you know how to do that, you can move on to the 2 methods below.

Cast-On Method #1: Long-Tail Cast-On

This method of casting on looks complicated at first, but is actually fairly simple once you get into the rhythm of it. It will require you to estimate how much yarn you think you’ll need for the total number of stitches being cast on, because you will pull out a tail (hence the name) – aka, a length of yarn – that should be long enough to complete the cast on. Something unique about this cast on is it’s a slingshot method – because you end up creating a bit of a slingshot shape with the yarn on your left hand, using the right hand needle to grab the yarn and pull it through the slingshot.

Here’s how to work the long-tail cast on method:

1 – Place a slip knot on your needle, leaving a very long tail (hence the name). This method uses both the tail and the working yarn to create stitches so you need a long tail to accommodate for the number of stitches you will need. A good rule of thumb for estimating is to pull out about an inch of yarn per stitch.

2 – Hold your needle in your right hand. With your left hand, use your first finger and thumb to split apart the tail and working yarn, creating a V shape. You’ll drape the 2 strands over your fingers – one of your first finger and one over your thumb. Use the rest of the fingers on your left hand to secure the strands and then pull them taught. This should create a diamond shape as you spread your thumb and first finger away from each other.

3 – Turn your left hand so your thumb is pointing up and your first finger is pointing out. This creates somewhat of a triangle shape with the yarn. Insert the needle under the top strand around your thumb.

4 – Turn your left hand so it’s somewhat flat again, which twists the yarn. Bring your needle up over your thumb and insert the needle inside the loop created around your first finger (basically putting it under the top strand on your first finger).

5 – Then turn your left hand once more so your thumb moves up and this will take the loop on your thumb over your needle. This creates a stitch on the needle. Take your thumb out of the loop and then reposition your fingers once more and pull the strands away from each other to tighten the stitch.

Repeat for as many stitches as you need.

You can use this method with straight or circular needles. It’s really nice because it does create a bit of a stretchy edge, yet also a firm edge so there’s still structure to the foundation row. Cast-on stitches from a long tail are also very easy to see in terms of the right and wrong side, because you’ll immediately be able to see the purl bump on the back and the beginning of the V shape for the knitted stitch that forms the front of your work.

Cast-On Method #2: Knitted Cast-On

Unlike the long tail cast on, you don’t need to estimate how much yarn you’ll need when using these technique. You’ll cast on directly off the working yarn, once you’ve put your slip knot on the needle. Like the long-tail, you can use this cast-on technique with straight or circular needles, and with any type of yarn.

Here’s how to work the knitted cast on technique:

Step 1: Insert the right needle into the slip knot, as if to knit. This means you put the right needle behind the left needle, so the needles make an X.

Step 2: Wrap the yarn attached to the ball you’re using (your working yarn) around the right needle from behind.

Step 3: Pull the right needle down and in front of the left needle, keeping the yarn you just wrapped on it. You’ll basically catch the yarn you wrapped around the needle on the tip as you move it from the back to the front. You’ll still have an X shape.

Step 4: Instead of removing the slip knot off the left needle like you would if you were knitting, you’ll actually use the right needle to pull out the loop you’ve just made so it’s a little bigger. You’ll push the strands of the loop away from each other so they open up. You’ll insert the left needle into this loop and remove the right needle.

Step 5: Tighten the loop you’ve just made and placed on your left needle by tugging on the working yarn. This is a new stitch you’ve just casted on!

Step 6: You’ll repeat steps 1-5 until you’ve added the number of stitches to your left needle that the pattern calls for. Each time you go back to step 1, you’ll insert the needle into the new loop you just added.