This lovely STRIPES! pattern suggests you use the Twisted German Cast-On as a way to start your ribbing. What?! “I only know one cast-on,” you say, “and that’s not it.”
You’re not alone! Most knitters only know one cast-on (the Long-Tail Cast-On). This is usually enough, until you want to tackle intermediate-to-advanced projects.
Then you become aware that there are professional touches you can put on almost every garment that make both the cast-on and the bind-off edges look their best – AND work best with the fabric of the garment.
The Twisted German Cast-On (shown here in the Alternating style on 2×2 rib) is a stretchy cast-on perfect for starting ribbing on the necks of sweaters.
The Alternating style I mentioned lets you switch between casting on a knit stitch and casting on a purl stitch so that you are set up for ribbing.
You will be able to find a super-clear demo of how to do this cast-on, also called the Old Norwegian Cast-On, in our Cast-Ons reference library as part of our soon-to-be-announced Knitting Superstar University.
This week, I’m making the video free to you as a KnitFreedom subscriber so you can start any stretchy ribbed project perfectly and with confidence.
