Cable Cast On and Alternating Cable Cast On
A 2 needle cast on. Drawings from Radcliffe, Margaret ‘The Knowledgeable Knitter’ (2014) Storey Publishing
A good basic cast on.
Alternating Cable cast gives a rounded finish to the bottom edge for rib and moss stitch.
Cable cast on for stocking stitch gives an attractive edge but is not rounded.
To start. Make 2 slip knots* placing them close together on the needle. These slip knots are used to start the cast on and will be removed later. Make sure the yarn end is on the outside as in (A) below.
For knit cast on, insert the right needle between the 2 slip knot stitches (A) on left needle from front to back; knit a stitch and place on left needle by inserting the left needle into the front loop of the new stitch and slipping it off the right needle (B) – one knit stitch cast on (slip knots are removed after a few rows are worked).
For purl cast on, bring the right needle from back to front between last 2 stitches on left needle (A); purl a stitch and place on left needle by inserting the left needle into the front loop of the new stitch and slipping it off the right needle (B) above. Figure B on the right shows the alternating knit and purl cast ons – the last one is purl.
For first row only, knit the knit stitches into the back of the loop. Purl stitches normally into front loop.
- Work 1 x 1 rib by knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches. Identify purl stitches by the ‘purl bump’ on the side you are knitting.
- Casting on an even number of stitches: if you start with a purl cast on, the last one will be a knit cast on and you will be starting each row of knitting with a knit stitch.
- Casting on an odd number of stitches: if you start with a knit cast on, the last one will also be a knit cast on and you will be alternating between starting rows with a knit stitch and a purl stitch. So first row starts with a knit stitch, second row starts with a purl stitch.
Work moss stitch by purling the knit stitches and knitting the purl stitches. Identify purl stitches by the ‘purl bump’ on the side you are knitting