Craft Fix

How to Knit the Long Tail Cast On (Slingshot method)

It’s well worth learning how to do the long tail cast on in knitting, because it’s quick, stretchy & neat.

It may look strange & complicated at first. But it’s super quick once you get the hang of it.

Long Tail Cast On Video Tutorial

Learn how to do the long tail cast on in just 5 minutes in this short video tutorial for beginner knitters. Or there’s written step by step instructions with photos below.

Learn the Long Tail Cast On in 5 Minutes (Slingshot Method) - Beginner Knitting Tutorial

Step by Step Instructions with Pictures

Here’s how the long tail cast on looks when it’s finished. Follow along below to learn how to knit this cast on.

How to Knit the Long Tail Cast On

Leave a long tail & tie a knot on your needle

You only need one knitting needle (straight or circular) to do a long tail cast on with this slingshot method.

Leave a tail at least 3 times the width of what you’re going to knit. Make a slip knot on your knitting needle and tighten it up.

Hold your knitting needle in your right hand, with the yarn ball to your top left and the yarn tail to your bottom left.

Wrap the yarn ends around your left hand

Make a L shape with your left hand and wrap the ball end around your finger and the tail around your thumb

Make an L shape with the thumb and index finger of your left hand and put it under the yarn at each side of your slip knot grabbing both ends in your left hand.
The ball end of your yarn wraps over your index finger and the tail end wraps around your thumb. I use T is for Thumb and T is for Tail end to remember that.
Get comfortable holding your yarn like this, because you need to be in this starting position before you add every stitch.

Step 1: Thumb up, needle under from left to right

Holding the yarn ends in the starting position, point your left thumb up. With your right hand, put your needle tip under the yarn on the outside of your thumb from left to right.

Step 2: Finger up, needle under from right to left

Point your finger up, and put your needle under the yarn from right to left

Point your index finger up,  and put your needle under the yarn on the thumb side of your index finger from right to left.

Step 3: Bring needle through thumb loop

Bring your thumb back so that your needle tip comes through the yarn loop around your thumb. This adds a stitch on your needle.

Step 4: Take thumb out & pull tail to tighten stitch

Step 4: Take your thumb out and pull yarn to tighten stitch on needle

Take your thumb out of the yarn loop, and pull the bottom yarn tail to tighten up the new stitch.

Repeat steps 1-4 to cast on each stitch

At first, you may add each stitch separately, stopping after each one to put your thumb back in the starting position, with the yarn tail wrapped around it.
But once you get the hang of it, you can use your thumb to both tighten up the new stitch and reset for the next stitch in one go. Then it’s really quick to cast on stitches one after the other in a fluid motion

Knitting on Straight Needles? Row 1 is the Wrong Side

If you’re knitting back and forth in rows, rather than in the round, one important thing to know when you use the long tail cast on is that your first row will be the wrong side of your knitting.

If you use a long tail cast on with straight needles, row 1 is the wrong side of your knitting
With the long tail cast on, row 1 is the wrong side of your knitting which is unusual

Most knitting patterns start on the right side, so if you use the long tail cast on for a pattern starting with an even number of ribbing rows, just do an odd number instead, so that your ribbing will end on a wrong side row to match your pattern.

I hope you found this knitting the long tail cast on for beginners guide helpful. This is my fave cast on & I use it for nearly all my knitting. Got any questions? Just leave a comment below and I’ll try my best to help.

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