Tuesday Tip – Left Hand Long Tail Cast On
Some of you may have taken my class “Improve Your Knitting” and know that there is no wrong way to knit. You also might know a bit about stitch mounts and how to avoid twisting our stitches we have to work into the leading leg.
When it comes to long tail cast on, there’s more than one way to accomplish it. Today I want to get a happy untwisted first row of knitting for left handers. That means a different way to make a
Left Hand Long Tail Cast On
It’s a simple adjustment for lefties . . . many left handed knitters work with the empty needle in the right hand, but things like long tail cast on are awkward.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I learned to knit in high school, knit many sweaters but then gave it up until now, very late in life. I am left handed and the way i learned to cast on was simply to loop a the yarn over the needle creating a simple loop, which produced an uneven first row looking a bit ragged. I tried to learn the “Long tail” but by right handers and I could not do it. I then went to two knitting stores and and watched a ridiculously long winded video but none of these sources could help me learn how to cast on with the long tai. FINALLY your video not only taught me but you taught me in a way that will not have the stiches looking backward! YAY! By the way for a while I thought the “long tail” was named that because when you cast on your have both the long tail and the leading yarn knit together. But now I don’t thin, that that is the cast. What exactly IS the long tail for? Is it in order to weave in sleeves when putting sections together later?
I’m so glad it helped. Long tail is named for the long tail of yarn that is held over your thumb. You are knitting a row. The tail is over your thumb and you use it to make a loop (a stitch) and the yarn from the ball is held over your finger and you are “knitting” with that yarn (by creating a new stitch pulled through the loop on your thumb).
To really understand the structure of your stitches, check out my book: https://pattylyons.com/books/
Casting on and when knitting in the round right handed (so much wider than it should be) Thank you Patti. It took me a long time to realize I was taught to knit right handed but I cast on left handed.