Learn to work the Alternating Cable Cast On in 3 easy steps!
Here’s a great cast on for 1×1 ribbing. It looks like a tubular cast on, but without the extra work! It’s a very stretchy cast on, so it’s perfect for hat brims, top-down socks, sweater neck openings and anywhere else you want a neat and stretchy cast on.
A Couple of Things to Note
- This is a cable cast on, which means that stitches are added by working between two existing stitches.
- Stitches are cast on as knits and purls.
Let’s Go!
- Step 1: Start with a slip knot, then make your first stitch just as you would for a knitted cast on…by knitting into the first stitch and, without removing the original stitch from the left needle, mounting the new stitch on the left needle. Now you’ve got two stitches, so we can begin our cable cast on.
- Step 2: Make a knit stitch by inserting the right needle between the two existing stitches from front to back with the yarn in back. Knit that stitch and mount it onto the left needle.
- Step 3: Make a purl stitch by inserting the right needle between the last two stitches from back to front with the yarn in front. Purl that stitch and mount it onto the left needle.
Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until you have the required number of stitches. That’s all there is to it!
Moving Forward
If you are casting on for a piece that will be knitted in the round, you’ll want to end by creating a purl stitch, then drop the original slip knot and the first stitch you made (the one you created by knitting into the slip knot) before joining in the round. If you’ve cast on for a piece that will be knitted flat, you’ll probably want to begin and end with a knit stitch. That means you’ll end by creating a knit stitch and drop the original slip knot and the first stitch you made (the one you created by knitting into the slip knot).
See it in Action!
Check out this video tutorial to see the Alternating Cable Cast On in action!
