I’m a hard core fan of the Slipknot Elastic Cast-On I described previously. It’s my go-to cast-on because it’s a quick, easy, and pretty way to cast-on an even or odd number of stitches both at the beginning and in the middle of a project. But sometimes, the yarn is too fussy to do it. Like with the AlafossLopi I used in my Marked Trail sock/slippers design (pattern is coming real soon, don’t forget to join the Tisserin Brood to get a notice when the Sneak Peeks seats will open). It’s way too hairy for this cast-on! That’s were the Tillybuddy cast-on become the star of the show.
Invented by Tillybuddy, it’s a really easy and elastic cast-on which does not required a long tail of yarn (who does not hate to have too much or not enough yarn in their starting tail!). The only flaw I can see to it is that you have to cast-on an even number of stitches because the Tillybuddy Cast-On works in pairs.
TillyBuddy Cast-on Tutorial
- As I said above, you don’t need a long yarn tail to begin with. Around 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 inches) is enough. Hold the yarn in your left hand (LH), along with your LH needle.
- Place your right hand (RH) needle between your LH needle and the yarn: it should be under the LH needle and above the yarn. Hold your yarn in your RH.
- Wrap the yarn around the LH needle in a towards-you and over the needle motion.
- Wrap the yarn around the RH needle in a towards-you and over the needle motion.
- Using the RH needle, pull the loop through.
- Swing it around the yarn, going under the yarn in a away-from-you motion. Your yarn is now located in front of both needles.
- Place the RH needle stitch on the LH needle. Tug the yarn a little if needed. You’ve cast on two stitches.
Repeat Steps 1 to 8 until you cast on the desired amount of stitches. If you look closely at the stitches you just cast on, you’ll notice that they alternate between knit or purl lookalike stitches. Perfect for a 1/1 ribbing cast on!
Tillybuddy Cast On Video Tutorial
As usual, I did film a video tutorial to go along with the Step by Step tutorial. It’s in French but for the first time, I added subtitles in English! Don’t forget to turn them on and enjoy! 😉
