Knitting Help - German Twisted Cast-On

[@karenlopez7033]

You are the only one who expained the twist, the reason being to untwist the yarn. That made all the difference. I GOT IT!!! Now on to my first pair of socks. THANK YOU!

[@ek1177]

I just love the look on your face when you finish and look up at the camera with a loooong pause

[@monicaries62]

I always come back to your videos. So clear and concise! Thank you again!

[@afghanbunny1]

This is the best Demo I have seen for this - and I have watched several! Your videos are really good because you explain things as you do them, the video quality is good, AND there is great contrast between the color of the yarn and the background. There may be other knitters that are as good, but you are the BEST for both explaining and great visuals! Thanks bunches!

[@denieselipscombe9436]

Your instructions are always so clear and simple to follow. I love the thumb move, it makes it so much easier than the way this method is taught in other videos. Thank you for helping me create beautiful gifts for my family and friends!

[@52Peg]

I watched other videos, but you were the only one to explain that the thumb UNTWISTS the loop when it comes down. That is key! Thank you!

[@melweismann]

As always, your tutorial of how to do the old Norwegian CO is the BEST tutorial on the internet. Thanks a million.

[@sarahg1583]

You always have the best tutorials. I find myself coming back to your tutorials whenever I need help. *Thank you*.

[@msdraeneichick]

You are such a good instructor, and the camera angles capture your work perfectly!

[@jdb6026]

Your instructions are so clear I understood it on your second demonstration. You've always been an inspiration back when I was 14 and even now 13 years later.

[@melizmatea]

Great video - you were really clear, straightforward and right to it - I hate videos that go on and on about stuff that isn't important! I'll be watching more!

[@cheeseface1234able]

Many Thanks! I have a pattern that recommends this cast-on. I have tried various tutorials trying to understand it, but yours is the first that does not lose me. It shows how to do EACH step. The vocal instructions are clear. The repetition is nice. Not overly done, and repeated in such a way that the minor variances helped to clarify the steps. Again, THANK YOU!

[@BrennaDarazs]

This tutorial is extremely helpful, especially in regards to the way it is filmed from above for clarity and repeated multiple times for repetition. Thanks so much!

[@wills2652]

Thanks so much! The bend down is so easy and you doing it on bigger needles is so much easier to see! Thank you!

[@abbyharpur8752]

YES! Thank you! This cast on was include in a pattern I was trying and I gave up because of how the video explained it. She did something else to "untwist" the yarn but I couldn't get it and kept ending up with extra loops on my needle. This was sooo helpful. Not a single one of your videos that is not explained to perfection!

[@cait888]

I love all your videos! I find your tutorials clear and easy to follow. I'm a mostly self-taught knitter, and your videos have been invaluable. Thank you!

[@VintageAnn]

This is my go to cast on. I use it for socks, sweaters, wash cloths, it's endless. I have a tendency to knit tightly and this helps to keep things stretchy. Thank you.

[@laurenwojcik9696]

This is wonderful. After watching and trying 4 times I didn’t think I’d ever get it. The fifth time, on .75x speed, was the charm! Thank you for the visuals and crystal clear explanation.

[@Melissa-vt7fj]

Thank you for this ! Your videos have helped me so much over the years

[@brookejohnsenhartel9731]

This is the most helpful video for the twisting cast-on. The only other note is that it's often useful to use a needle a size or two bigger than you'll be knitting with since this can come out a little tight on the needle.

[@KerryHendry-s2t]

This is such a brilliant tutiorial - thank you!!! It's my very first time learning this and its so satisfying when you get it!!! Really good clear instructions, thank you!

[@verypinkknits]

Yes, this cast-on is very similar to the long-tail cast-on the way it's worked. So, to make the pretty side of the CO the right side of the work, you'll want to work a WS row after casting-on.

[@gauravsricool5]

This was easy, yayyyy... I did it in one attempt. It was easier because of you explain concisely. Thank you 😊

[@luellscott6268]

If you don't want to bend your thumb, it's very easy to just see the space to bring your needle up through the little triangle. I use this for just about everything I do. I love it. Thanks for all your tutorials. They are so helpful to me!

[@hannah4peace]

This is what I do. Easier on old fingers

[@melissasmith1662]

Excellent video! Took me a couple of tries to get it right, but the directions in the video made it all very clear! Thank you!

[@carolynprice8817]

Fantastic tutorial, I'd watched a few others and was just about to give up but this was really clear. Thanks!

[@karenlopez7033]

Amen. Me, too!

[@kathygoodman4531]

Very clear instructions! I watched you do it 3 times and got it. Thank you!

[@pamwesterdahl425]

You are sooooo good! That dropping of the thumb at the end is the key. Thank you!

[@iSharShar]

I got it on the first try? This was a great instruction video and very clear. Thanks!

[@dcrunicycles]

Thank you. Watching your video in KZbin slowmo flattened out my learning curve. KZbin slowmo: just click the 3 dots, upper right corner, then choose play back speed. The slowest is .25 : )

[@verypinkknits]

I have a slo-mo video of this technique coming out on Feb 20, 2019. The slo-mo videos that I put out are much higher quality slow motion than slowing a regular speed video down. :)

[@smz506]

This is very helpful! I did have to watch 4 times before I figured out how to make the cross on the thumb and then go back through. Thank you!

[@dorothyrushforth888]

I’ve watched several videos to learn this method but the last step was unclear on the others. You have made it look so easy😊

[@VictoriahouseneedlecraftAu]

I have recently started knitting socks, mittens and gloves and my old cast on taught by my Grandma/Nanna/Mum was too rigid. I have tried a few different stretchy ones but this appears to be my favourite for consistency and finish. Thanks for your video

[@marge6581]

Thank you so much for this great tutorial! You explained it so well. I just started knitting my first hat and used this cast on.

[@carb101]

Your video is the third one I watched. Why didn't I go to it first?? With the other videos, I was ending up with an extra loop on my needle each time, and it's because I wasn't untwisting when I bent my thumb. You saying "untwist the yarn" and showing your hands from above made it clear. Thank you!!!

[@kenbet19]

Super video--your instructions on the thumb untwisting were particularly helpful in a way that other videos I'd seen on this technique were not. Thank you!

[@dianeschuller]

I used this video before and am starting another hat and decided to go back to using this cast on since the other project I had used the German Cast on for was so perfect. Also, a total aside from knitting, I really love this hairstyle Staci -- very flattering.

[@samslade1165]

Thanks for sharing, I’ve only just heard of this method. I’ve saved so can watch again later. A darker yarn colour may have helped me see better

[@jolhh2]

I love this! I wasn't sure if I was doing it right till I was watching your video! I loved the part about untwisting it so that I could see how that part works. Thank you so much.

[@jenkatt]

thank you so much! normally I hate knitting videos, they confuse me, but since you explained each step and why, I got it!

[@rislachius]

Man who the heck came up with this! Lol. I get it now after rewinding a bunch of times. Thank you!

[@hilarylemon]

This is a great cast-on! I'm making wool soakers for our new baby due in June, and one particular pattern needed a good, stretchy cast-on. This is perfect. Thanks!

[@theresahouston3412]

Oh my gosh! This is so much easier than the cable cast on. Thank you thank you THANK YOU! Staci. You are the best!

[@DrKarenHoving]

Thanks so much! OMG I watched 2 other videos and couldn't get it...yours was shorter, but something about it and by the second try I got the thumb position right!( even with RA!). Brilliant! Thanks...making your socks 2 cuffs magic loop!!

[@anthonyhoughton6625]

❤ Another really clear video. Thanks so much.

[@carolharper268]

I’ve watched other videos on this and yours is the only one I understand and I was desperate for a stretch cast on, thank you 😊

[@Bethabara9]

This one did the trick. The slow motion one I didn't pick up on the thumb part. This one is perfect! Thankyou!

[@verypinkknits]

Yes, you can use this CO any time you want to have a stretchy, and not stiff, CO edge.

[@saprater25]

Lovely cast-on. Using it right now for the brim of a chemo hat with wide ribbing at the brim. I also used it on mitts b/c I have such thick arms but small wrists.

[@linelladevlin7701]

U r a very good teacher....concise and helpful....but the thing I like most of all are your nails, lol!

[@amigurumigirl]

I'm really enjoying your videos. Thank you! I hope you continue to do them. They are so helpful!

[@peachyTO]

This was a really great explanation and I got it super quick..love your videos, thanks so much!

[@akgoss007]

This is a lot easier to watch with your beautiful long fiingers ... than it is to do with my shorter ones! :-) I always come up with a big leftover loop after the first round. Will keep trying. Thanks for the video.

[@verypinkknits]

@afghanbunny1 Thank you for taking the time to leave such a nice comment! You brought a smile to my face! :)

[@suenicholls5446]

Thanks as always very clear and precise. Very hard to learn from pictures in a book but the tutorial a revelation.

[@sealbones]

I was finding this really difficult to follow, but then I realised that if I let my thumb bend AS I came "back and through with just one strand" so that there was never a twist, it all became very natural! Thanks :-)

[@lauraadelson7775]

thank you! i watched several other videos about this cast on and this was the only one where I understood the twist at the end and was able to do it!

[@LadyGanna78]

You are amazing! Thank you very much for such a detailed explanation! I am using this cast on to knit a baby gnome hat from one of your videos. Very excited!

[@lafinitryder]

Thank you for this tutorial!! I’ve been using this cast on for cuff down socks and I love it!!

[@angiemeier1]

Best explanation of this CO that I’ve seen!

[@MeaghanatCookCraftLove]

I wish I'd seen this last night when I was making an ear warmer! Your simple stretchy bind off was perfect for it though :)

[@paula30979]

Thank you for this video. You were right. It took a little practice but then all of the sudden it 'clicked'! This was very helpful.

[@MrsPursi]

Thank you so much for all you do. You are such a big help and super appreciated!

[@SK-oi7vc]

Fantastic video! Thank you! I am now going to use this method all the time.

[@juliekarson7964]

Thanks so much for excellent video! I was messing up the German cast on and your video helped me get it right.

[@nmsillygalnflforever3995]

As always your video was the one that got through to me! I have been trying and trying. Thank you!

[@helenlarson2973]

this helped me figure out this cast on, and now it feels really intuitive. thank you!

[@ForsythiaBlooms]

Have seen a variation of this where the ball-side yarn is picked up in the other direction and the thumb is not bent. Now I'm going to have to go compare! :)

[@ForsythiaBlooms]

My bad. It goes through the same way on the yarn side but slips through a different part of the tail-side yarn to keep from bending the thumb.

[@rms-nk9zt]

Thank you for this video! Would it be possible to get a tutorial of this with two colors? Thanks!!

[@emmaclark9623]

thanks for a video where you actually slow it down for us I watched 4 other videos but it seems like they speed through it so quick I can't catch it

[@elsachan1466]

After discovering this cast-on, it's now my go to for hats. I would love to have this same effect for sleeves and sweater hems, as well as a head wrap I'm currently knitting. What do you recommend would be a good complementary bind-off??

[@sucathwa8000]

I loved your stretchy cast off but I dont think I have enough fingers for this method!

[@maryamalothman940]

So I decided to try this cast on for a baby's hat. Would you recommend that? The hat has greater as the brim so I was worried that long tail cast on won't be flexible since there is no ribbing.

[@verypinkknits]

Yes, I can help! Watch my video called "Knitting Help - Casting-On Many Stitches". I demonstrate a simple trick for leaving enough yarn for the CO. (Sorry, KZbin won't let me give you a direct link here in the comments, but you can find the video by searching my channel page.) Good luck!

[@sigridblom3184]

How do I determine how long a tail I need? I keep casting on and keep having to frog because my tail gets too short. I've done the "wrap yarn 10 times around my needle, measure and multiply that length by the number of stitches I need divided into groups of 10". I need to CO 240 sts, so I left a 24" tail and that was way too SHORT (I didn't even get a third of my sts CO).

[@8698gil]

I was taught the basic knit stitch by my aunt when I was about 10 years old, which was almost 50 years ago. I haven't knitted since, and I've just started learning to knit again. It looks so easy when watching other people do it. The knit stitch I find pretty easy, but the purl stitch seems a lot harder to do. And I am terrible at binding off. The passing over is the hardest part. I am wondering if it would be easier to pass over using a crochet hook? I'm thinking of giving that a try, unless it would be a waste of time and wouldn't work, in which case I won't buy one.

[@SweetHina]

even though this is good for socks (or anything elastic feeling) can i do this for a scarf as well?

[@leahpants85]

I think the only thing that could have made this video better would be if the yarn was a different color (like a pink or light blue) so that it would be different from the color of the needle. Thank you though - this was extremely helpful!

[@TheKazd]

Trying to work out how many stitches you ended up with on the needle after the first pass through, I seem to end up with three! Am I doing it wrong? Hmm just tried again and got 4 plus at the end the yarn around my thumb does not appear to be twisted so negates the need for me to bend my thumb. Yay think I got it, tried again and got 2 stitches which is what I think you have. Bit difficult to see as your needles are the same colour as the yarn.

[@verypinkknits]

Here is the technique in slow motion - this video should help you. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZfYaqCng8p_bck

[@wiwoods4me]

Hi. I love the look of this cast on. Absolutely. But..and this is a suggestion for you, humbly asked, there are those times, especially with the first row after cast on, that SOMETHING happens. With this cast on, it turns out to be a wash out for me. How about a video explaining how to follow a cast on. I find myself fearing this one even though.. I have spent so much time trying to figure out the way the path of this one, and some others. Thanks. Sue.

[@verypinkknits]

Hi Sue - the answer to your question (what to do after the cast on) is in your pattern, so it's not something I can follow up in general terms. Sometimes the pattern will want you to join in-the-round, sometimes the pattern will want you to purl back across those stitches, or knit them, or work a knit purl combination. Anything can happen after the cast-on, it's in the pattern.

[@OlenaBeley]

Excellent video, very clear. Just tried it, and it works perfectly. Do you think this is good for a hat?

[@verypinkknits]

Olena - it's good for any project where you want a stretchy cast-on. Depending on the stitch used in the hat, it should be perfect for that.

[@gemslouise2060]

I'm currently using this for the Rikke Hat pattern.

[@Tvianne]

Thank you so much, your video made me finally understand how to do this bloody CO, lol! It's pretty fast, too

[@thuytram2008]

Thank you so much for all your helpful video. It's very easy to understand. (I love your nail color :) ) I am searching a cast on method for garter stitch for the beginning of my top down sweater. Do you have any suggestion please! Thanks in advance!

[@scarvalho71]

Thank you so much for the excellent tutorial, as usual!

[@netty062]

Clear and Concise! Thank-you Stacie.

[@babamc4]

Hi is the cardi in this video your pattern? I tried finding it on your website and couldn't see it. The shape and yarn are gorgeous! Can you tell me where to find the pattern and/or yarn? Thanks :)

[@kathrynthompson2928]

Any clues on how to do this that don't start with referencing two other cast-on methods that have to be learnt first? It's so frustrating trying to find useful videos!

[@verypinkknits]

Here is a slow-motion version of this CO: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZfYaqCng8p_bck

[@lonnieappleby6242]

I feel rather stupid asking this all these years later...the first cast on stitch leaves me with TWO stitches on the right needle. Do I then count those as TWO or do I count it as one and knit those together on the next row? I have been knitting them together and it works, but I’d rather do it however it is correct. Thanks for the great videos!!!

[@verypinkknits]

"All these years later" means nothing...I answer all of the questions on all of my videos! After the slip knot, your first action of working this CO should be no different than the others, and should only leave you with one created stitch (plus the slip knot). If you've found a solution - great. Otherwise, carefully watch what you're doing so that the action is the same as on subsequent stitches, and only creates one added stitch.

[@lonnieappleby6242]

VeryPink Knits WOW! AT MIDNGHT even! :-) yes, only the first stitch results in two stitches (the slip knot and the new stitch). So I count this as TWO then. Thank you so much. Your videos are SO helpful and I have decided that some nice summer day I need to hope on the motorcycle, ride to Texas and take you to lunch. HOWEVER, since I live in IOWA, it’s just a fun idea. :-) have a terrific weekend! Back to my French press cozy!

[@xraymdabm]

Greetings, just wondered if this is "sided" the way the long-tail cast on is a "right side row" so that the next row after it, I see you often work as the wrong side row, or the 2nd row, of a pattern so you can be sure that the pretty side of the long tail cast on becomes the public side of your work. Is the German Twisted cast on considered to be sided the same way that long tail cast on is?

[@wiwoods4me]

Stacy, do you remember what yarn you used in this demo? Thanks.

[@nancycampbell7959]

I could never do the long tail cast on until I found your tutorial that shows using both hands. Genius! It's my go-to cast on now. Is there any way to break the German twisted cast-on into the same two step process?

[@verypinkknits]

No, sorry...German Twisted is a more complicated cast-on, with more steps. You can see my slo-mo video of that CO, it may help: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZfYaqCng8p_bck

[@nancycampbell7959]

@@verypinkknits Thanks SO much for getting back to me so quickly! Complicated is the word :) I love your slo-mo videos. I recommend them to all my friends I'm helping learn to knit. I think I'll just stick to stretchy bind-offs though, LOL.

[@verypinkknits]

The green sweater is loosely based on a pattern by Lion Brand called "Cropped Raglan Sweater ". Sorry that I can't give you a direct link here in the comments, but you can find the pattern on Ravelry. Good luck!

[@czntrm]

THANK YOU! 😥 2 stitches cast on, 106 to go. 😅

[@susanpeterson9947]

Hi, Staci. I’m a 55+ year knitter who can no longer work long tail cast on the traditional way because of arthritis. I can only do the thumb method now that I can’t close my fingers against the palm of my hand to secure the yarn. I see a lot of different cast ones based on the traditional long tail method which I am unable to use 😞. I was wondering if you could suggest an alternative way to tension the yarn in the left hand so that I (and many others, I’m sure) might have better success. Thanks so much for any suggestions you may have.

[@verypinkknits]

Hi Susan - I recommend visiting your local yarn shop for help on this. They can help you in-person with some different ways of getting tension on the working yarn, like wrapping different fingers, to see what feels best.

[@susanpeterson9947]

VeryPink Knits , Alas, no LYS within 50 miles of me. I am in very,very rural interior central Florida many miles from major cities. I do thank you for your prompt reply, though.

[@helencaudill1583]

This is great ... thank you so much Staci.

[@cklos1255]

Thank you! Great cast on for my dog’s top down sweater!

[@crooksroxanne]

help! i keep getting two stitches added each time. Any idea what i am doing wrong?

[@jenniferkiefer5882]

I don't understand how you continue after the first one. I don't know how you're holding the yarn since you have two ends. I'm also getting two stitches cast on each time I follow this technique.

[@verypinkknits]

Here is the same technique, in my new slow motion video. This should help: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZfYaqCng8p_bck

[@LisaSaltzburg]

Very good explanation.

[@neenee56]

Hi. Is there a good, loose bind off that would be compatible with this cast-on method? I have a blanket, with border in garter stitch. I did this cast-on, which is great. But I'm not sure which bind off would be best. BTW - the yarn is Bernat Baby Blanket, a super-bulky weight, in 100% polyester. It has no stretch, at all, which is why I used your casting on. Thanks. :)

[@verypinkknits]

I would probably bind-off normally in your case, using a larger needle size. But if you're looking to match this CO with stretch, I recommend this BO: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZPdlnida72Ara8

[@neenee56]

OK. Thank you. :)