Knitting on Impulse

The Cable Cast-On

Cabled casting on

is knit and purl, yin and yang.

Choose your side with care.

Introduction: The cable cast-on, in essence, consists of using the right needle to pull a loop of yarn between the last two loops on the left needle, bringing the new loop around and placing it on the left needle. (It is sometimes called the knitted cast-on, but I prefer to reserve that term for a similar technique with very different results.... to be discussed in a later post.)

Properties and benefits: It has a firm, yet flexible edge, with some elasticity, though there are much stretchier cast-ons. 

As it is constructed via a knitting action, it strongly demonstrates the curling and esthetic properties of knitting.

Double thickness edge loops enhance wear resistance and shape retention.

The edge loops are convenient for picking up stitches (though the best pick-up technique to match an existing fabric will vary by stitch pattern and situation.)

The cable cast-on is an excellent choice for casting on to the edge of an existing piece of knitting.

No advance planning for length is required.

Esthetics: tidy, attractive, looks like a half braid. 
 

Techniques and Variations: 

Getting started: two loops need to get on that left hand needle in the first place, in order to be able to pull another between them. A common method of creating the first two loops is to tie a slip knot on the left needle and pull the second loop knitwise through the slip knot, placing it on the left needle, adjacent to the knot.

The disadvantage to this method is that the first two loops are created differently than the rest, and therefore have different esthetic and functional properties.

TECHKnitter, who eschews the slip knot in particular as being an inflexible beginning, has developed a method of making the first two loops "provisional," to be discarded at the end of the first row (see Resources, below.)

Another possibility is to create a flexible first stitch (say, with a simple backwards loop) and pull the second one from behind it, then carry on as per normal.

 

In this case, you do need to keep a finger on the first two stitches initially, as they are quite unstable until the third has been formed. This beginning is a perfect match for the remaining stitches, and the tension of the first two stitches may be precisely adjusted by tugging the tail.  

Note: it is a good idea to keep the loop just made loose until the needle has been inserted for the next loop. If you snug it up prematurely, it can be difficult to re-insert the needle. This is also your means of fine tuning the gauge of the cast-on edge.

Twisting:

You can place the loop directly onto the left needle, or give it a twist. The twist doesn't change the appearance, but does make the edge firmer and less flexible - a property that may or may not be desirable, depending on the project. 

Casting on purlwise:

Yup - you can do the exact same thing purlwise, and the appearance is identical to the reverse side of the knitwise cast-on. (Actually, the edge loops slant in the opposite direction, making it a mirror image.)

 

Sidedness:

This is a good time to elaborate on the fact that the cable cast on has strong knit/purl properties, both esthetically, and with regard to curling.

--------------knit side of cast-on------------------------------------purl side of cast-on--------------------

Placing the purl side of the cast-on to the right side of a stockinette fabric creates a lovely decorative edge and counteracts excessive curl nicely. Bear in mind that when knitting flat, the front side of the cast-on will still be facing when working the first row. When joining to knit in the round, the reverse side of the cast on will be facing. Since the properties of the two sides are so different, one must plan ahead.

Alternating cable cast on:

This is exactly what it sounds like, alternating between knitwise and purlwise loop formation, then knitting the knits and purling the purls in the first row.  As a way to begin 1x1 ribbing, it mimics the look of a tubular cast-on reasonably well.

The crossing back and forth of the yarn when switching between knitwise and purlwise is visible, but blends nicely into 1x1 rib. Unfortunately, the irregularity is quite prominent in wider ribs, making the technique unsuitable.

Casting on additional stitches to knitting in progress:

I'll cover this in detail in a post dedicated to the topic; suffice it to say that the two stitches at either edge of a row of knitting in progress are an excellent pair between which to draw a new loop. If casting on at the end of a row, you will need to first turn the work. Also, the first new loop can create a bit of hole which needs dealing with... more on that later. As always, a choice must be made as to whether to perform the technique in knitwise or purlwise fashion, depending on the desired properties of the edge.

Additional Resources and Tutorials:

TECHKnitter, Woolly Wormhead, Montse Stanley's "Knitter's Handbook"

KnittingHelp.com  (video)

There are many other videos discoverable by Googling "cable cast on"; all the ones I've perused begin with the slip knot method, and most twist the new loop. I've yet to see a video tutorial for the purlwise version.

Anything to add?

Beginner's Mind

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few!"

Shunryu Susuki

That pretty much sums up my creative focus right now. Since the wool business naturally slows a little at this time of year, I've elected to drop the store update frequency to every other week for the next three months, and indulge in some of the learning and exploration that inevitably seems to fall to the bottom of the Doing list during the busy season. I've set myself a loose curriculum of knitting, poetry, garment design, geometry, photography, and the math and physics of natural pattern formation.

Beginner's mind is a wonderfully illuminating way to approach knitting, and I have to credit Teva Durham with opening my eyes to that aspect.  Early in my foray into blogging, I felt intimidated by the prevalance of extreme expertise in the online knitting world - there seemed to be a superior way to do everything from casting on to cabling, and I felt a frisson of anxiety showing my work, lest I be looked down on as gauche and unworthy. I was knitting Teva's ballet top from Loop-d-Loop, and did a bit of a double-take at the use of kfb as the increase stitch. Nevertheless, I suspected that a cutting edge designer might have a reason for using a "beginner's" increase, and followed her directions to the letter. Indeed she did, and as the garment progressed I was transfixed by the way every single stitch served a mindfully choreographed purpose, both functional and esthetic. In that moment I realized that every loop and technique has its own intrinsic character and beauty - the key to successful design is a full and mindful understanding of each.

Which partly explains the slow progress of the Mindful Swatching series - I embark on a topic, and just as the post is nearly complete, realize an entire possibility or property I've overlooked. I'm on no deadline though, and hurry would defeat the purpose of this journey. (Admittedly, the recent rainy twilight hasn't entirely facilitated photography, and more Ott lights aren't in the budget just yet.)

Even on a dim and drizzly day, however, there is an inexhaustible supply of subjects worth a closer look:

 

Casting On and Binding Off to Match: The Rolled Edge

Rolled edge coils smoothly

Resilient and strong willed

Beware flaccid yarns

Technically speaking, it doesn't matter precisely how you cast on or bind off (as long as you do it loosely), because the very edge of the fabric is hidden in the roll, but there is still lots of scope for exploration.

The elasticity of your yarn matters a great deal. The worsted weight BFL above is a tightly spun wool  - its roll snaps into place like a coiled spring.

A less elastic fibre combination like the camel-silk will roll too, but it also doesn't take much handling to relax it.

Clearly, swatching with the chosen yarn is critical - left to its own devices, how far will it roll, how determined will it be to stay put?

Round knitting has circumferential tension to hold things in place... like folding back a cuff:

Which could negate the roll, as easily as preserve it. The tension will be greatest when the circumference is smallest - so the effect would be greater at the border of a wrist than a hip; more prominent stretched (like a hat band) than relaxed.

The rolled edge can solve the problem of cast on/bind off tension for an elastic edge (as long as you cast on or bind off the roll loosely) and provides a more robust edge surface for heavy wear (TechKnitter has a great treatise on why this is so.)

It resolutely maintains the stockinette gauge inherent to its nature, however:

Which makes it a prominent design feature, rather than an unobtrusive beginning or end. Will the ribbing spend its functional life around a head, fully expanded to match the roll, or is it destined to stretch over a heel or hand, snapping back to hug the smaller body part?

Will the roll be a stabilizing asset or a bunching-in liability on the edge of an expanding stitch like garter or seed?

Resources:

TECHknitter (Really, that's all I could find. Most knitting resources seem to treat this as a sort of a default, no-brainer edging.) 

Anything to add?

Mindful Swatching: A Knitting Education

It seems, in the knitting world, that it is common to categorize oneself as either a "process knitter", or a "product knitter". I've never been able to fit comfortably into either camp. I am definitely a process thinker - I love to wrestle with a problem for the sheer mental satisfaction of solving it, whether or not it ever translates into an object or action, but when it comes to bringing an object into being with my two hands, I am definitely product focused. 

I will happily play for hours with the math of sleeve cap solutions I may never knit, but committing my fingers to an object that will not ever serve a useful purpose in its own right (like say... a swatch) makes me crazy. Paradoxically though, I don't really incorporate a knitting technique into my conscious repertoire until I've actually knit it, which effectively limits my knitting education to the number of garments I have time to make.

Clearly, I must swatch to learn, but how to make it palatable, purposeful, exciting? Mindfulness would be a good start - looking deeply into the inner nature of each stitch and technique, celebrating its beauty with photos, poetry, conversation, and whatever else comes to mind. I think it's worth trying.

I've got a loose plan to work through specific topics and/or problems, ferreting out every idea and solution I can find, and contributing my own where the inspiration strikes. I'll link to, rather than attempt to duplicate, the many thousands of wonderful tutorials out there, though I don't rule out making something of my own if there seems to be a gap. I would love to hear about your discoveries and experience, and I'll put the posts in the sidebar of the blog as a reference, so comments will add immensely to that. For starters, I'll be referencing TechKnitter a great deal, as I love her thorough, academic approach to the subject.

Posts will happen as often as they happen - likely weekly-ish, but that will depend a great deal on how many swatches I need to knit and photograph to come to grips with a topic. The project will last until I run out of stuff I don't know - quite possibly forever.

I realize there are other formal database projects out there - knitwikis, and the like - this is simply my attempt to systematically imbibe a body of knowledge in a way that feels good. (Though an informal swatch-along might be fun, eh?)

Feedback, ideas, suggestions?

(The first installment will go up immediately after this introductory post.)