Adding More Stitches If You Run Out Of Tail

As you do your long-tail cast on it might happen that, a few stitches shy of your goal, you run out of tail. Don’t panic, and please don’t take everything out and start over.

Just use any of the short-tail cast-ons to add the stitches you need, as I show below.

If you find yourself in this situation, besides using the very basic Backwards Loop Cast-On, you might want to experiment with using the Double-Twist Loop Cast-On, the Cable Cast-On, or even the complex-but-worth-it Chinese Waitress Cast-On.

Fixing a Dropped Long-Tail Cast-On Stitch

If you drop a stitch out of your long-tail cast-on as you are working the first row, you don’t have to take the cast-on out and start over.

You can carefully re-work the dropped stitch, following the technique in the video below:

If Your Cast-On Is Too Tight or Too Loose

The key to getting the right tension in your cast-on is not to pull the wrong part of the stitch snug.

When you are doing a long-tail cast-on and you snug up the stitches as you cast on, tug with your thumb, not your index finger – this will tighten the knot and not the stitch itself.

If you’ve cast on with good tension, you’ll be able to slide the stitches around on the needle, but they should not be so loose that they slide by themselves.

Also, make sure that you are using the fingers of your right hand to stabilize the new stitches as you cast them on.

If you are gripping the right-hand needle below the stitches and not touching them, your stitches will end up too tight.

I show you why in the video below: