Refined Cable Cast On // Technique Tuesday

[@alisonreeves7414]

You’re just the bees knees Again thank you, another coffee coming your way :)

[@mistyblue5312]

Clear concise constructive - you Rox are the quintessential teacher! Time well spent. Thank you.

[@lovewillwinnn]

And that’s why Rox... rocks! 🥁 🎸

[@andreamoore7035]

I've done the trick at the beginning of the cast-on for awhile, but never thought of the problem or solution for the last stitch. I love it!

[@anneroberds3463]

Your refined cable cast on was perfect for me! The technique of placing the right needle for the next stitch before tightening the last stitch on the left needle was the key that I needed as I struggled to use this cast on technique! And I will always use your extra 3 stitch way of executing a beautiful edge. Thank you!

[@MonicaHill-fh5rg]

You're a great teacher. Concise, clear, great pace. I look forward to learning more techniques from you!

[@sallyburley8672]

Pure genius, I love it! I tend to use the cable cast on for most things and will definitely be using this technique in the future. Thank you so much!

[@Jennifer-oz8ec]

I so enjoy watching your videos. This one provides precious information. Thank you as always. This has been of great help.

[@andreamcadam2822]

That's brilliant. It has always niggled me that the first and last st are not consistent. A simple fix beautifully explained. Thank you

[@triciakawaguchi1846]

I just tried this on a sample swatch that had rounded corners and needed to be symmetrical on each side . You are amaze-balls!! 😁. Thank you so much!! I was having so much trouble getting the two sides to look the same. Now it’s perfect!!

[@caro1591]

Brilliant tutorial, as always. So clear and always aiming for the best possible result. 🙏🏻❤️

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Glad you think so!

[@MySheils]

this is actually such a cool tip! LOVE IT!!! I use the cable cast on for everything so now things are going to be even better! thank you

[@lynnetaylor8974]

OH MY GOODNESS! Brilliant. I really like the way you explain things.!

[@Sheila-cm4jy]

Excellent up close videography!

[@gabrielleallain6197]

Love your technique videos. They're so clear!! Thank you so much!!

[@njbrennan14]

Thank you! The tip about not tightening the yarn did the trick!

[@Mandarintea83]

Awesome technique. I obsess over techniques for better quality projects. Following now!

[@tracyvision]

I love these simple tips that will make my knitting better!

[@shirleybeales8567]

Great, always look for your site when I need help. Thanks.😊

[@susanpeterson9947]

Very nice, thank you! Welcome back, I hope you had a nice visit with Mom, and that she is doing well.

[@veronicasiefert1226]

Thank you. I am always learning smart tips from you!

[@janm2473]

Excellent.... thank you Roxanne.

[@Ebonyeyed]

That makes so much sense! Brilliant idea - thank you for sharing!

[@Ebonyeyed]

I've tried it with another cast-on that was giving me some trouble in the beginning of the row (temperamental yarn) and it worked there, too. Double thanks!

[@andreamiller6200]

Back again watching in 2023! New question: If I needed to cable cast on in purl, do these refinement tricks work for purling steps in creating the cast on? Also, would I still enter the new loop on the right hand needle from underneath (not tip to tip) the way I see it here for the cable cast on worked from the front of the fabric (as you show here)?

[@njbrennan14]

That was so incredibly helpful, thank you!

[@romystumpy1197]

Brilliant,in all my yrs of cable cast on didn't know this

[@jsorensens2]

I have been using this tip lately and it’s brilliant! Such pretty edges. Thank you!

[@genX49]

Thank you! Just what I was looking for!

[@susanozaki2802]

Thank you for your clear instruction and clean demonstrations in all the tutorials Ive seen. I like the look this cable cast on gives to the start of my project. If I were to use it on a scarf, how to I cast off to make the far end look the same as the starting end, with the twisted yarn look?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Most cast on methods do not have a matching bind off, and that includes the cable CO. There are cast on methods with matching bind offs, though, such as the crochet CO/standard BO, long tail CO and half-hitch BO, tubular CO/BO (a good option for k1p1 ribbing), and the picot CO/BO.

[@Keldertrapje]

on top of this, I cable cast on for a rib with purled cable cast on according to the rib! The adding stitches is fabulous to make it so much neater.

[@thaisoneon]

Excellent video and beautifully timed, for me, anyway. I’m just starting a pattern that recommends a cable cast on.

[@theastewart6721]

Great! Very helpful! Thanks for sharing!

[@skyartsmanagement]

Very clear tutorial. Thx!

[@RichInNFPA]

Great tip! I've got a pattern I'd like to make in which every row starts with s slip 1 wyif - should I only cast on 2 extra sts and follow the pattern or K2tog the first row and follow the pattern for the remaining rows? First 2 rows after CO are simple garter stitch rows.

[@leannerickson1111]

I have the same question! What did you decide to do @RichInNFPA ?

[@bellaf6864]

Great tip! Thank you! How do you use this cast on in the round? You end up joining on the wrong side when you get to the end. How do you solve for this? What I’ve seen so far is to work the first row flat and join in the second round?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

I wrote an article for Interweave earlier this year that demonstrates the process when working in the round. You can find a link to the article in my Ravelry group here: www.ravelry.com/groups/rox-rocks/pages/Interweave-articles

[@MorganaDevina80]

Yes. Thanks so much! ❤️❤️❤️

[@feabicyoplung]

So helpful…thank you very much.

[@pheeinpa52]

Can't wait to practice this cast on method❤

[@cynthia8022]

Wow! So good to learn more of your simpler techniques! Do you have an engineering education or are you just a demolition derby expert in figuring these things out? I always lean on you to learn better ways to make things that seem more difficult to learn than they need to be. After all, a “HOBBY” is supposed to be FUN, right? 😇

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Not an engineer, but I am very analytical, which was a great help in becoming a certified master hand knitter. For me, dissecting how knitting works is very much a part of the hobby. If I'm not continuing to learn, the activity doesn't hold my interest.

[@ldlee2067]

How do you do the refined cable cast on in the middle of a work?

[@andreamiller6200]

Watching this in 2021 and love this look! My question is whether these edge refinements are needed if I am doing a mid-row cable cast on to make a one-row buttonhole. If not, are there any refinements I might want to know about when making a horizontal one-row button hole?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

I have a video on one-row buttonholes here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXbKmnuHp9eaY80

[@ruthdennisKnits]

Oooh thank you‼️🧶

[@sherihammond2946]

I love the look of this cast on! I am starting a garter stitch baby blanket that slips the first stitch of each row. How to I manage that first stitch to eliminate the second stitch? I tried to slip both on the first row and then knit them together at the end of the second row but it doesn’t look right. Thank you so much for your technical videos. They are so helpful to understand the mechanics of the stitches and techniques.

[@sherihammond2946]

Just posted this question to the Ravelry discussion board...

[@JustFluffyQuiltingYarnCrafts]

Very interesting. Thanks. ❤

[@sarahbaud1776]

Excellent explanation and ideas. How do you fix if you are on a traditional needle?

[@soniaskolnick3868]

My guess is that you work the pattern of your first row up to the last two cast on stitches, and then drop the last two stitches and pull the tail to unravel them.

[@katgore99]

Thank you so much!

[@Jennifer-oz8ec]

I just learned the long-tail cast on and now your refined cable cast on. I have also been using the thumb cast on. This, so far, is my favourite. I just love it! Can this cast on be used for practically everything? I am also about to knit four cowls using circular needles for the first time. I have to say I find counting stitches on a circular needle a little bit different and a little challenging. I suppose you get used to it. Thank you for sharing.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Cast on methods have functional and aesthetic traits that make them useful in some situations, but not others. Many knitters use mostly the LTCO or mostly the cable CO. It's their go-to cast on for most projects. There will always be projects where your go-to technique might work, but might not be the best choice. And there will be *knitters* for whom a particular technique doesn't work well for a particular project type, but will work just fine for other knitters. So, in general, a cable cast on will work well in most situations in which you need to start at an edge. It is sturdy, stable, and attractive, but it doesn't have as much stretch as other cast on methods can have. So if an extremely stretchy edge is needed (i.e. one that can stretch as much as the fabric itself can stretch), a cable cast on would probably not be the best choice. Cuff down socks need a very stretchy edge (particularly for people with high insteps and/or larger calves), as does some lace that will be aggressively blocked. Those are situations in which a standard bind off doesn't work well, either.

[@Jennifer-oz8ec]

@@RoxanneRichardson Thank you so much, Roxanne. I am knitting a cowl for a 10-year old on circular needles for the first time. The pattern recommends using cable cast-on and my search on google brought me to your channel. So grateful. Also knitting for the first time in over 30 years!!!! So much to learn. I wish you a Joyous Holiday Season!!

[@laneharkey8227]

I am using this for long tail also. Do you have a better technique for a long tail cast on than this?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

This technique is specifically for the cable cast on. It has a very different structure/construction than the LTCO. I do have a video on a jogless join for doing the LTCO in the round.

[@deeraines9416]

I have been trying to find a good video on how and why to reverse stockinette stitch. Do you have a video of this?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Reverse stockinette just means that the purl side is the right side of the work, rather than the knit side.

[@sherwoodhughes]

How do I drop the first two stitches if I’m on cables and going to knit in the round?

[@sherwoodhughes]

Forget it - answered my own question!

[@nictelford9774]

Great tip, thank you Roxanne! I have a pattern requiring cable cast on, then seed stitch (K, K, P, K, P, K, P, K, K) and the first and last stitch are KTBL. Can I still use the refined cable cast on when there’s a KTBL?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Assuming you're casting on all the sts in the same way, and you aren't working the stitch pattern until you have all the sts on the needle, you can work the first row any way you like. This is the type of question you can answer yourself by doing a swatch and watching what happens. :-)

[@nictelford9774]

@@RoxanneRichardson thank you Roxanne :)

[@maryholton162]

Another trick for the last stitch that sort of slopes across the needle is to bring the yarn between the needles to the front before placing that last stitch on the needle.

[@knit1cat219]

May I ask why do you drop two at the beginning and not just one?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Because neither one of the first two sts was created using a cable CO. The first is a slip knot, and the second is created using the knit on CO. Also, the slip knot won't release if the 2nd st was created using knitting on. (It will if you used a 2nd slip knot, or a backwards loop, but you'd be in the same situation where the first stitch was not created using the cable CO process.) So the point is for all the sts remaining to have been created by actually working the cable CO.

[@Patsy703]

Love this. Thank You.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

You are so welcome!

[@slinman100]

Can you use the cable cast on for everything? I’ve never seen this method but am anxious to try it.

[@leesai1728]

Thank you!

[@geraldbuttelwerth7670]

I like this technique modification. Thinking about using it with a Stockinette project. What Bind off would you pair it with?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Most CO methods do not have a matching BO, and that is true of the cable CO. Not all projects have both a CO and BO edge, either. Is the entire project in stockinette, or are there non-rolling borders of some sort? Are the CO and BO edges in need of similar amounts of sturdiness/stretch? There's no easy answer to your question! :-)

[@geraldbuttelwerth7670]

Roxanne Richardson thanks. I’m researching CO & BO, and in doing so am learning there are matching techniques, but not across the board. I’ve used a cable CO for single horizontal buttonholes. I didn’t know if there was a matching BO. That prompted the question.

[@diana031144]

Thanks Roxanne!!!!

[@jayering1343]

Another wonderful tip! How were your travels? How’s your mom doing?

[@debraqualey4533]

Thanks for this great tip. Is this cast on as elastic as the long tail if done as you do it by not tightening up until after placing the needle between the two stitches?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Either cast on can be made to be rigid or elastic. I tend to find the cable cast on less stretchy in general than the LTCO, but that doesn't mean you can't make it as stretchy as you need it to be for a particular project. If you use a larger needle in the right hand when you do the cable cast on, you can force more space between the sts. The way to know if it will be stretchy enough for your use is to do a swatch and see how much stretch you can get out of the edge.

[@debraqualey4533]

Thank you, that makes perfect sense and I'll try the tip of using a larger needed in the right hand. I like the idea of a cast on that doesn't require a guesstimate of a long tail. I've tried many methods of measuring how much tail is needed, but rarely get it right. BTW, I'm a real fan of both your Tuesday and Friday videos!

[@marianneo7068]

Super helpful. THANK YOU!

[@evamalenica3770]

I love that cast on. Thank you

[@JaninaM]

Brilliant 👍

[@peepers4763]

Nice needles - please tell us about them.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

The dpns? I believe they are Knitter's Pride.

[@peepers4763]

I just finish a project using inexpensive dpns which were not smooth, not fun to use. The dons used in your video are much nicer, much smoother looking too.

[@010400angi]

Hey Roxanne, ich habe versucht deine Videos mit Untertitel abzuspielen, nur leider bietest du nur englische Untertitel ab, kann man das eventuell ändern oder Deutsch hinzufügen? Danke

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Click on the gear, click Subtitles, click Auto-translate, then select Deutsch.

[@janm2473]

This is excellent, Roxanne. I have another question. I've finished my cable cast on.. My tag end is on the left side.... will this be considered the front of my work? or is it the wrong side. I'm a right handed knitter like you. Knitter is misleading. I'm learning how to knit. And I've also viewed your button hole vid which is excellent. Do all buttonholes have to be completed from the front of a piece or does it matter? Thank you so much. jan

[@RoxanneRichardson]

If you want to join in the round after doing a cable cast on, you will need to turn the work so that the needle tip with the working yarn attached to it is in your right hand. Different cast on methods produce sts on different needles. If the new sts end up on the left needle (as for a cable cast on), then you do not have to turn when working flat, but do have to turn when knitting in the round. If the new sts end up on the right needle (as for the long tail cast on), then you have to turn when knitting flat, but not when knitting in the round. The yarn is always attached to the last st CO/worked. When knitting flat, the first stitch (and only the first stitch) of every new row is attached to the left needle. Once you knit the first stitch, it's attached to the right needle. When working in the round, it is always attached to the right needle. This is important to remember when you put your work down mid-row, or at any time when knitting in the round. You will start up again with the yarn on the right hand needle!

[@janm2473]

@@RoxanneRichardson Merci! Merci!

[@foxpaws610]

I can see using this cast-on for a split hem sweater.

[@garyweybright3227]

This was really nicely done! Thanks, I just subscribed! ClaudiaSJI

[@verahari4550]

❤❤❤❤❤