Cast on

If you are left-handed, then change the option below, and all diagrams and descriptions will alter to suit you.

Animation of Slip knot - Animation of Casting on - Photographs of casting on

To start knitting, you need to get the first row onto your left needle, and this is called casting on. This first row starts with a slip knot.

Slip knot animation

Slip knot

Repeat

Make a slip knot and push the needle through. Draw tight.

Comments: Make sure the knot pulls tight from the ball end of the wool. If you don't, then the starting corner of the wool may work loose a bit later.

After making the slip knot, shift the needle to your left hand.

Animations of Casting on

Insert needle

Repeat

Push right needle into loop of slip knot.

Comments: Don't stick the needle into the wool. That causes you to split the wool later.
Don't stick the needle into the knot. That means you pick up more than one strand of wool later. The right needle should go into the loop of wool round the left needle. In fact, the two needles should rub against each other.
Keep the knot quite close to the end of the needles but not too close. If it's too far down the needles, then the manipulation of the wool later becomes difficult if not impossible. But if it's too far up the needles, then the knitting slips off a needle, and then you are in trouble. This positioning is something that you have to work out for yourself.

Insert needle

Repeat

Loop wool round the back of both needles, then between them.

Comments: There are no hands in these pictures. There are different ways to hold the wool to do this loop. An experienced knitter will probably have the wool looped loosely round the right forefinger, to guide it to the right place. But you can pick the wool up between fore finger and thumb if you want. You need to pull the wool quite tight after the loop, but not too tight. Make sure that the end of the wool is kept out of the way.

Insert needle

Repeat

Twist right needle to pick up the wool that is between the needles, and pull out into a loop.

Comments: This stage is a little tricky, particularly if you have pulled the loop too tight in the last stage.
Pick up the entire width of the wool, don't split the wool with the point of the needle.
Pick up only the wool between the needles, not any other bit of wool.
Make sure that the knitting doesn't slip off the left needle. (If it falls off the right needle, then start the stitch again.)

Insert needle

Repeat

Slip this loop onto the left needle.

Comments: This completes the casting on stitch.

Further stitches

Further stitches are made in the same way. You start by pushing the needle into the loop of the last stitch, then continue as above.

You stop when you have enough stitches in your row. The knitting will be on the left needle. Unlike normal knitting, you don't change the needle to the other hand. Instead you carry on knitting in the opposite direction, to the left.

Photographs of Casting on

Doing a stitch

End of row