When it comes to casting on and binding off I have basically done it the same way since the day my grandmother taught me. Except for one of them. Grandma was a basic knitter. When she cast on to knit, she did the backward loop method. This is super easy to teach to people first learning to knit. I don't think she knew of any other way, but I assume--and I can't ask her if this is the case because she doesn't remember me anymore--that she didn't know any other type of cast on.
Anyway, I think I have told the story to you before, but I knit a bunch of swatches when I was little and that was pretty much it. Kind of like Girlfriend has done. And then I dropped knitting. Kind of like Girlfriend has done. And then in high school I knit a long striped scarf for a boyfriend and it rolled furiously and most passionately (I didn't yet know the part about adding a garter edge) and he loved it anyway. Then I never knit until I was pregnant with Girlfriend. But sitting there on a Friday afternoon a long time ago in the LYS, I showed off a sweater that I had altered to be a maternity tank. I was so proud. Then the owner walked over and tut-tutted about something. I asked what was wrong and she sneered, "What kind of cast on did you use? A backward loop? That is not good, not good at all!" And the rest of the group nodded in agreement.
Well, let's just say later I quietly checked out other options and settled on the long-tail cast on in secret. Since then, and it's been about nine years, that is the only way I have cast on except, of course, when I'm needing to do a provisional or cast on in the midst of a row and then either backward loop or cable cast on gets thrown in. What I'm getting at are actually two things.
Numero Uno: Never shame someone when they're doing something for pleasure. It's not fracking rocket science and who the heck cares if I used a dang backward loop?
Niban: If you have a no-nonsense guide to a multitude of cast ons and bind offs that will serve you well and it's not the likes of a huge encyclopedia that can double as a weapon should a burglar try to break in, then Leslie Ann Bestor's Cast On Bind Off will be a great book for you.
Although I'm perfectly happy doing the three or four in my personal repertoire, I really like the idea that instead of fiddling at the top of a top-down cap (I knit my caps and berets from the top down most of the time) that there are two in the book that will suit me well. There's a Circular Cast On that uses a crochet hook and then there's the Invisible Circular Cast On that does not. Both are pretty simple and from now on, I'll use them when I knit or design new caps. She also covers provisional cast ons, which are obviously on my radar with all the top-down stuff I do, as well as multi-color cast ons that look pretty easy. All techniques are shown side-by-side with step-by-step photography.
The only thing I didn't find--and to tell you the truth I don't know if they exist--are multi-color bind offs, which I would really like to try.
Her publisher will award a copy of this resource to randomly selected commenter on Knit and Tonic. All I ask is that you leave a comment with your favorite cast on or bind off method.
I'll leave this post open until Friday, July 13th (whoops!) and alert the winner via email. Thanks for playing!
BTW: There is a whole Blog Tour going on. If you want to increase your chances of winning, here are the next three blogs in the tour: Zeeneedle, Ramblings of an uncluttered mind and Neoknits.
Comments are now closed. Thanks everyone for joining in! Congratulations, Stacy D!
I would love to learn some more cast on methods. I usually use the long tail cast on but have only used the cable and backward loop cast ons in the middle of a pattern. I know there are a lot more and they sound intimidating!
Posted by: Denise | July 10, 2012 at 03:09 AM
My cast on and bind off skills are pretty limited. Only use long tail and have, when required, used provisional. I have only used the basic bind off. This book would be a great resource for me.
Posted by: Wanda McClain | July 10, 2012 at 03:23 AM
I like a cable cast on so I don't end up with a tail too long or not enough yarn and have to begin again. Recently discovered the super stretchy bind off which is cool.
Posted by: Anne Marie | July 10, 2012 at 03:35 AM
Most of the time I use a plain old vanilla long tail cast on. It's easy, and it makes a nice edge. But if I have to cast on lots of stitches, I'll go with the backward loop. It's not as sturdy, but there are no worries that I'll run out of "tail yarn." So yes, I'd love to expand my casting on horizons :)
Posted by: Colleen Conlan | July 10, 2012 at 03:38 AM
I love the cable cast-on - so simple yet effective.
Posted by: Belinda | July 10, 2012 at 03:49 AM
I almost exclusively use long-tail cast-on; it's my favourite. I've been trying to branch out lately, though.
Posted by: Anastasia | July 10, 2012 at 04:14 AM
I usually use cable cast-on if I'll be joining something in the round (I like the way it looks on the right side) or long-tail if I need something with more stretch. And I've used a stretchy bind-off once, but I would have to look it up to use it again. The only one I know how to do without instructions is the basic bind-off.
Posted by: Gwen | July 10, 2012 at 04:18 AM
Long tail cast on 90% of the time. I've been using Jeny's Suprisingly Stretchy CO for socks recently tho, sooo glad I learned it!
Posted by: Lacey | July 10, 2012 at 04:20 AM
I use the long-tail cast-on most of the time. I've never learned anything else. I knit amigurumi, so I've learned quite a few different ways to bind off, though.
Posted by: Rob | July 10, 2012 at 04:20 AM
I've been ogling this book - thanks so much for hosting a giveaway! As for my favorite cast-on, I'd have to say Judy's Magic Cast-on - I do a lot of toe-up socks, and I just find it fun to do.
Posted by: Aleda | July 10, 2012 at 04:22 AM
My mom taught me to cast on with backwards loop too. For the longest time I thought it was something she made up, or that didn't have a name, because I never saw it described in any knitting books or magazines.
If a pattern calls for another cast-on, I'll look it up and do it, but if the pattern isn't specific? Oh yeah, backward loop. It's a perfectly good cast-on for a lot of projects. I don't understand why people feel they have to be rude about other people's techniques.
Posted by: Damenora.blogspot.com | July 10, 2012 at 04:23 AM
Cable cast on for me too. It's super easy and I never have too much, or too little, yarn at the end. Besides, it's what Mom taught me and it's worked well for me all these years.
Posted by: Cynthia Eggers | July 10, 2012 at 04:25 AM
I use long tail- does that make me boring? When I teach someone to knit, though, I usually teach the cable cast-on.
Posted by: Kate | July 10, 2012 at 04:26 AM
I use the longtail for most things but I always seem to have to ktbl the first row, because I guess I'm doing it wrong. I love the cover of this book because it looks like endless possibility to me, and I would love to learn something new.
Posted by: Jennifer S | July 10, 2012 at 04:40 AM
What a great resource for my library! I generally use the backwards loop cast on, but I change it up with the long tail depending on the project. I agree, when you knit for pleasure, it shouldn't matter.
Posted by: Julie N. | July 10, 2012 at 04:43 AM
I am in the same boat I guess, I always do the same thing just because its what I know. I love the idea of this book and would love to expand my skills by adding it to my library. Thanks for the great review!
Posted by: Sarah | July 10, 2012 at 04:44 AM
Long tail cast on has been the way to go for me for years now. I don't even know the name of how I bind off. Never been able to get another bind off method to work particularly well. See how badly I need this book :)
Posted by: Carrie | July 10, 2012 at 04:45 AM
I love using the long tail cast on. The book sounds great.
Posted by: Dee | July 10, 2012 at 04:57 AM
Long tail cast on 95% of the time.
Posted by: Robin P. | July 10, 2012 at 04:57 AM
It definitely looks like this is going to be added to my growing collection of knitting books. I have tried several methods, but use long tail cast on except when something else is called for -- then I go to YouTube for a quick tutorial.
Posted by: Brenda Jones | July 10, 2012 at 05:04 AM
I learned using the knitted cast on, but was encouraged by my knitting buddies to learn the long tail cast on. It took me forever to figure it out! It is my go-to cast on for most projects, but I love trying to wrap my head around different techniques. This book seems like a great resource for trying new things!
Posted by: Kathleen | July 10, 2012 at 05:05 AM
My go-to cast on is long-tail, but I'd love to have an easy to use resource like this to find other cast ons!
Posted by: stephanie tipton | July 10, 2012 at 05:09 AM
I use the long-tail cast-on, but have recently fallen in love with the version (it may have another name) where you cast on from both ends of the skein at the same time so that you are guaranteed not to run out of yarn. Essential for projects with lots of stitches to cast on!
I've heard great things about this book.
Posted by: Deb | July 10, 2012 at 05:14 AM
I too used backward loop for years when I picked up knitting again in my early twenties (no access to the internet - how did we survive). My favourite cast on for everyday things is long tail, although I do like the magical disappearing circular cast off for the top of hats (and Ysolda's Elijah elephant). For cast offs it's just one stitch over the other!
Posted by: Carie | July 10, 2012 at 05:14 AM
Cable cast on is my favourite one like Anne Marie because I don't end up with a tail too long or not enough yarn and have to begin again. But I'm interesting in learning new ones. Thanks for the give away.
Posted by: Emie79 | July 10, 2012 at 05:16 AM