A foundational knitting technique that simultaneously creates the first row of stitches and knits them onto the needle. It requires estimating and pulling out a long tail of yarn before making the slip knot. The knitter uses the thumb and index finger to manipulate the working yarn and the tail, producing an elastic, neat edge that is ideal for garments, socks, and ribbing.
Heard on the job
You'll need about three feet of yarn for the longtail cast-on to get all eighty stitches on the needle.
Insider tip
A common rule of thumb is to measure out a tail three to four times the width of the project you intend to knit.
Also heard as
- double cast-on
- continental cast-on