Knitting Tip: How to Prevent a Twisted Cast On
Have you ever cast on using circular knitting needles only to find several rounds in, that you've twisted the cast on?
Now you have a knitted loop with a twist in it and the only way to fix it is to frog it and start over.
Knitting in the round is very easy, of course that's after you get past the join.
It’s important to make sure you don't twist that cast-on.
How often do cast-ons twist when you are about to start knitting in the round?
Enough times that even pattern writers tell you to look out for it. So here's an easy hack to make sure there are no twists in your cast on.
How to Prevent a Twisted Cast On
After casting-on, lay your needles on a flat surface as you see above with the tip that has the working yarn on the right.
Check your cast on to make sure the base of the cast-on is facing inward (live stitches face outward) and straighten out any twists.
Place a stitch marker on the tip of the right needle and with the circular needle still on the flat surface work the 1st stitch on the left hand needle.
Keeping the needle flat will not allow the stitches to worm around the cable and cause that twisted join.
How to Prevent a Twist in the Cast On When You Have a lot of Stitches
Since I published this blog post, I received this question from a knitter. It's a great question, so I thought it was worth sharing.
"I have several projects for knitting long stitches in the round. Many are 200-300 or more stitches to cast on and join. Donna showed how to connect a smaller project, but these long cast on joins are so hard to keep untwisted. Any suggestions?"
- Thanks, Christy B.
Great question! Make sure that you are using a long enough cable so you can stretch the stitches out a bit and see if there are any twists or curls. If you have an interchangeable set, you may want to add a second cable to give you enough length. You can remove the second cable after you cast on if you prefer to work in the round on a shorter length cable.
